AMERICANRIDER. COM JUNE 2026 | 23
Vehicular traffic on Main Street is limited to motorcycles during Bike Week.
Below: Riding on the beach is a must-do experience in Daytona. Right: Giuseppe’ s Steel City Pizza hosts a vintage chopper show.
Photo by Jack McIntyre
Bike Week, held in Daytona Beach, Florida, is the traditional kickoff for the new riding and racing season. This year’ s rally, held Feb. 27 through March 8, marked the 85th anniversary of one of the world’ s largest motorcycle events. Based on cellphone tracking data acquired by the City of Daytona Beach, more than 420,000 visitors came to the area during the 10- day rally.
Riders come from far and wide to attend Bike Week. For those who live in northern climates, heading south allows them to get some riding in before the spring thaw begins. Weather was perfect this year, with highs mostly in the 70s and only a brief rain shower on the first Saturday of the rally.
Bike Week is one of those events where you wish you could be in two( or three) places at once, and trying to see and do it all will leave you exhausted but satisfied at the end of each day. All week the calendar is packed with custom bike shows, audio shows, stunt shows, group rides, demo rides, swap meets, meet- and- greets, concerts, vendor marketplaces, races, and more. Plus there’ s the nonstop scene on Bethune Boulevard and Main Street.
In Rumblings( page 18) you’ ll find highlights for seasonopening races at Daytona International Speedway in American Flat Track, King Of The Baggers, and Super Hooligan.
On Feb. 28, the first Saturday of Bike Week, the Speedway hosted Round 8 of the Monster Energy Supercross series. Red