10 Photos From 2018 Daytona Bike Week

Daytona Bike Week means a lot of things to a lot of people—a lot of different things. I’ve been crossing the country every March to attend, on and off, for nearly 30 years. First time, I hijacked my college roommates’ spring-break plans so I could watch the famed 200-miler—Cycle World Technical Editor Kevin Cameron was the AMA tech inspector at the time—a race I had seen previously only on the pages of motorcycle monthlies.

This year, I arrived in Daytona four days after the Supercross race and was back home in California before the warm-up lap for the 77th running of the 200, won for the fourth time by Danny Eslick. I spent most of my days on a big twin, jam-packed with thousands of others—including Daytona TT Grand Marshal Freddie Spencer—on the sun-bleached roads for what the Orlando Sentinel deemed the "world's biggest motorcycle festival."

Kevin wasn’t able to make his annual trek to Daytona. “Snow has rubbed out everything,” he explained in an email. “After working through alternatives, I’ve canceled my itinerary and will not be in Florida. I’m sorry to miss the meal, the beer, and the routine.” That’s too bad, as Kevin would have relished the dinner conversation with Spencer and four-time AMA Superbike champion Josh Hayes. As they say at the speedway, there’s always next year…