Myrtle Beach Bike Week

Our friends Mike and Philicia Gray invited us down to Bike Week. The had a hotel reservation for us and graciously even had a Yamaha RS-6 waiting for us. As if that wasn't enough, Mike was planning to fly and pick us up in his new Mooney. Well, how could we go wrong?!

The weather didn't permit a ride with Mike, we made it to Myrtle Beach anyway. We had seen “bike week” in Reno so that was sort of what we were expecting. What we weren't expecting was 320,000 visitors who turned the area into a giant carnival of motorcycles. Bike Week was a really interesting mix of all kinds of people. Young and old, pretty and ugly. You could easily spend a week people-watching. Motorcycle owners also must have more disposable income since most had trailers for their bikes and no hesitation to spend money with the numerous vendors all over town. It sure seemed like the entire bike industry must be there for that week – every major builder including Orange County Choppers was there with elaborate displays.

We were also a little surprised at how well behaved everyone was – relatively little smoking or drinking and the riders were exceptionally well behaved on the street. On the main drag, bikes would cruise down in a Mardi Gras-type festival encouraging women to flash for beads. (Hint: a little playful teasing apparently will get you the beads without actually flashing.) It was funny to see grandmothers with their lawnchairs on the side of the road just watching the parade. The pictures here by no means give you the real feel for bike week – they merely reflect some of the more interesting things to photograph (which included our wives).

With Mike and Philicia and our new friends Jeff and Suzette we went to Suck Bang Blow – a famous biker bar. This place was like a carnival in the back and included carnival type people. Bikes could do burn-outs in the bar and the talented wait-staff was there with quick service for a beer.

It was definitely a fun experience and something we'll do again. Next time we'll have a better idea what to expect!