The BSA SWEEP, Daytona 1954 (as published in Road Racing World Jan 2004)

 BSA, as one of the world's great motorcycles for almost 70 years (1903-1972) had many moments in the spotlight.

Winning the Maudes Trophy for endurance at the International 6 Day Trials in 1952, Dick Mann’s Daytona victory on the Rocket III in 1971 and the dominating performance of the 500 cc Gold Star singles at The Isle of Man in the 60s’ were big ones.

However, without a doubt the finest day for BSA was at Daytona Beach, Florida in March 1954 in the prestigious Daytona 200 Mile Motorcycle Classic.  What better way to relive that day on the old beach/road course than to talk with the man who brought the BSA 500 Star Twin home 1^st of an elite field of 111. Bobby Hill. In his own words. 50 years later.

The Road to Daytona: “I started racing motorcycles in 1941 and won 7 races the first year, racing Harley-Davidsons.

Then the war broke out and I spent 4 years in Marine Corps. When I got out of the Marines a friend had a race prepared Indian waiting for me. Within 2 weeks I was racing again and winning.The Indian Dealers in Ohio sponsored me.They taught me how to work on the bikes. They set me up with a bench at Shoppies Indian Sales in Columbus, Ohio,right next to their top mechanic, Slim Jepson. Working right along side of Slim, he could help me and teach me while he was working on the street bikes. That’s how I learned to work on motorcycles.

Hill did most of the mechanics and preperation himself.

Then in 1951 a fellow named Dick Gross came by to see me. I was in a little bit of a slump and he said he could help me. He had a 4-cam system and a way of setting up the bikes, limiting the oil flow, that he put in my Indian. It was especially good on the mile tracks. I started winning again with Dick’s system. We were hard to beat; the bike was always prepared for the race. I had very few mechanical failures. I did almost all the work and preparation myself.”

Dick Gross installed a winning
system on Bobby's Indian

In 1952 and 1953, using Dick Gross’s system, riding the Indian, Bobby Hill had unprecedented racing success. In ’52 Bobby won 5 of the 7 Nationals held that year. In ’53 he won 44 races, finished 2^nd 10 times and 3^rd 6 times.
  
“Being sponsored was much different then than it is now. Basically, they provided a motorcycle and some parts. Your pay was what you won racing. You got to keep what you won. You traveled around the country to the races, paying your own expenses.  Bill Tuman and I paired up a lot; we had a station wagon and hauled the bikes on a trailer. We went all over the country, Texas, California, and Florida. Everyone was real nice to us. The Indian dealers took good care of us.”

“My main bike was Indian. I raced Indians more than anything. Indian was the importer and U.S. distributor for Nortons in the early 50s and some of us would ride Nortons at certain tracks and at Daytona. Dick Klamfoth had 3 wins at Daytona on Nortons in 49, 51 and 52.   Then in 52 Indian stopped importing the Nortons so this gave BSA the opportunity to sign me, Klamforth and some of the top riders to ride BSA at Daytona.  Roland Pike of BSA came over from England to the United States in 1952 and set up the deal for us to ride the BSAs.”



BSA execs make final inspection at the Birmingham, England factory before shipping the bikes to Daytona 

March 1954, Daytona Beach, FL: The bright Florida sunshine is even brighter, reflecting off the crystal white sand and blue Atlantic Ocean of Daytona Beach. It’s early Sunday afternoon and instead of bathing beauties and family picnics this area just 9 miles south of Main St. is crowded with 111 of the worlds best two wheeled racing machines and the top riders.  The sound of highly tuned internal combustion engines almost drowns out the pounding surf. A strong 20-mile per hour wind blows out of the North.  Racing fans fill bleachers at the North and South turns and line the beach and sand dunes along the asphalt paved backstretch, which is an extension of US Highway A1A.  What a contrast was presented, the normally quiet and tranquil Florida beach, the scene of a world-class motorcycle event.  The smell of the salt air mixed with the distinct aroma of racing fuel. The cry of the seagulls and the sound of wind and surf mix with the roar of the racing engines.  The excitement level was sky high in anticipation for participants and fans alike. 
They were all there with their best machinery and riders. Harley Davidson, Indian, Triumph, and Norton. But BSA came with a plan, a team and a purpose. Five motorcycles carefully prepared by the factory at 47 Armory Rd. in Birmingham, England, UK. Two 500cc BSA twins, Shooting Stars, and three 500 cc singles, Gold Stars.  The former gun factory (Birmingham Small Arms) from England really wanted this one. They signed the top riders including the former national champ, Bobby Hill and 3-time Daytona winner (49, 51 and 52 on a Norton 500 single), Dick Klamfoth.

Tommy McDermitt & BSA factory team tune Tommy's Gold Star on the
Jungle Road.

Bobby Hill: “BSA had the bikes shipped to Daytona. Englishman Roland Pike was in charge of whole deal.  They brought their own tuner from England, Cyril Halliburn.  All we had to do was show up with riding gear and helmet. They brought the bikes and we rode them.  We kept all our winnings. Paid our own expenses. We had very little practice. There was no place to practice. The beach was not available except for the race. There was a road out of town called the Jungle Road. We’d go out there and do some straight away runs and a little tuning. But, this was a public road and we could only do so much.  So, when we started the race it was our first time on the track. A lot of guys fell off or went over the bank.

They always adjusted the start of the race with the tides. They started at high tide, so as the race progressed you got a wider beach.  They lined us up 10 or 12 to a row and started in waves 10 seconds apart. Dick Klamfoth and I were both riding BSA Star Twins and we both were running up front."

Joe Leonard on a Harley-Davidson lead the pack of 111 roaring motorcycles at the start, closely followed by Ed Kretz on a Triumph, with Hill and Klamfoth in 3^rd and 4^th ,the leaders left a dense cloud of salt spray and sand suspended over the course. By lap 6 Hill and Klamfoth had the BSA twins running 1^st and 2^nd. The two veterans battled for position the rest of the day.

“The weather conditions at Daytona were about the same every year. Starting out heading North up the beach you had a 20 mile and hour head wind. Fighting that wind and riding on the sand was tough. The BSA had 4 speeds with 3^rd and 4^th very close. 3^rd gave you about 5,800 rpm and 4^th would go the about 6,400. After 2 miles up the beach you had a banked u-turn and headed south on the 2-lane asphalt for a 2 mile run to the south turn.  Toward the end the tide would be coming back in, so the track narrowed, but by then the races were spread out so it wasn’t too bad.

The difference for BSA in 1954 that resulted in their domination of the race was a couple of things. The short clip on handlebars resulted in a much more aerodynamic riding position. The Indians and Harleys had big, wide handlebars. The short bars got us out of the wind.  Also, the BSA had 4 gears (3 for the Harleys and Indians). Gear 3 & 4 were very close. The BSA people wanted us to rev as close to 6,400 as possible but coming North on the beach into that headwind if we were falling off a little we could downshift to 3^rd and keep our speed, revving about 5,800. Anything over 6,400 would destroy the engine. We wanted to be churning rather than lugging. If the bike was “lugging” in 4^th I’d downshift to 3^rd. On the coquina sand, coming up the beach into that 20 MPH headwind we did about 105 MPH. The gearing and riding position gave us an advantage. We would do about 130 MPH heading south on the asphalt, aided by the tailwind.

I am very proud of that win. It was a hard race to win. You had to have a lot going for you. Good riding skill, endurance and good equipment. Then there were so many things that could happen. Your equipment could fail, you could blow your engine, and you could crash or fall off. It was a very hard race to win, the sand, coquina shell and the rough asphalt. There was a 2 to 3 inch drop off from the road to the shoulder; if you went off the road you could not get back on at any speed. Almost 49 laps of the 4.1-mile course.  Two miles north on the beach and then you had to sit up and brake sliding the rear wheel into the banked north turn. Daytona was the only race where we ran with brakes. Part of the breaking was just your body against the wind when you sat up on the bike. As the race wore on the ruts entering the north turn became so deep that they were very hazardous. You geared down to 1^st gear and went thru the turn at about 45 MPH. Because of the sand and deep ruts it was important that you pulled thru the turn rather than try to sail thru the turn. Then you headed down the two-lane asphalt backstretch. The asphalt was rough and dangerous, particularly at the start, with over 100 riders fighting for position on that narrow road.

It was treacherous.  At least the beach provided a wider racing surface. You had to deal with changing tides, dodge puddles in low areas of the beach and dodge spectators on the asphalt. One year a spectator was hit and killed. About ¾ of the way down the asphalt backstretch there was a hump in the road. Just enough so you could not see over it. You never knew what might be in front of you when you came over that hump. Fans were always crossing the course in front of us. They did not always realize how fast we were going. It made for some close calls.” “The mixture of sand and salt on the beach churned up by over 100 motorcycles created a sticky mist that would fog your goggles so that you could hardly see. But you dare not take your hand off the handlebar to wipe them. I had a powder puff on my glove, when I came off the beach at the North turn I’d wipe the goggles with the powder puff as I headed south on the asphalt. The gas tank size regulation made it necessary to pit for gas at around 100 miles. I always got a pair of clean goggles during that stop.” “Dick Klamfoth and I ran pretty close the whole race. He was only 20 seconds behind at the finish. His bike was a BSA Star Twin like mine. The next 3 finishers were BSA 500 cc single cylinder Gold Stars.” Race time: 2 hours, 7 minutes, 22.7 seconds –average speed 94.24 MPH.

Dick Klamfoth comments on his 2^nd place finish: “I can’t remember if they asked me to ride the BSA or if I asked for the opportunity. But, I was there on the BSA. BSA sent the bikes and a tuner from England, Ceral Halliberne. The beach and road course was not open for any practice so we tested and tuned on a back road near Daytona. You had to do some testing to see if your carburetors were jetted properly, etc.”  Overall BSA did not have that much racing success but they sure ran and held up that day. The race was not very safe. Over 100 riders started. I don’t think they turned anyone away. There were guys out there that did not know what they were doing. One year I was racing with a guy and he decided go around me as we came on the beach. Well, he tumbled end over end, I was able to miss him but I hit his bike and it took me out. That backstretch was really rough. My bike was the same as Bobby’s except mine had a swinging arm rear suspension. All the others were rigid. Mine was, too. But on the last day of testing my bike went a little sour. I was on a back up bike with the swing arm. I don’t know how Bobby beat me; I guess he just out ran me. I ran as fast as I could and really did not know if he was ahead or if I was. It was close but at the end Bobby was the winner”.

Dick Klanfoth (2nd) & Tommy McDermott (3rd) discuss
the BSA Sweep 57 years later.

Bobby Hill continues: “It was a big day for BSA. The BSA distributors in the US, Hap Alzana in the west and Alf Childs, Eastern Distributor from Nutley, NJ threw a big party for us.”

“In those days there were other races that I won that carried more prestige than Daytona. The mile race at Springfield, Ohio was one. I’ve been elected to 4 different “Hall of Fames”. At the time I don’t know that the Daytona win was that big a deal for me. But now, looking back, the recognition I’ve received as a Daytona champion, I’d say it was the highlight for me.  The rules at the time allowed you to race a bike for 10 years after it went out of production; the last Indian was produced in ’48 so I had to give up the Indian in ’57. I rode a Harley in 58 and ’59. My last race was Daytona, 1959 on the Harley. I finished 5^th.”
After his 2^nd place in ’54 Klamforth decided he wanted to race the BSA Gold Star (500 cc single) in the US. His dedication to excellence was so great that he paid his own way to England to work in the BSA factory. This paved the way for Dick to go on to a very successful 7 or 8 years on the Gold Star, winning many nationals. His BSA was a little short on top speed for the mile tracks but Klamforth and his Gold Star were hard to beat on ½ milers.
It is ironical that BSA, after dominating the 200 in 1954 did not win another 200 until 17 years later, at the Daytona International Speedway, when Dick Mann rode a 3 cylinder BSA, the Rocket III to victory.  A year later, in 1972, the last BSA rolled out the door of the factory. The companies motorcycle division the victim of Japanese technology and corporate mismanagement.

There is a monument over on the beach dedicated to the Daytona 200 Champions of that old beach/road course. That’s where the 200 was run from the start in 1937 until 1959, after that they moved to the new Daytona International Speedway.  Dick Klamfoth is almost single handedly responsible for that monument.

Learn more about the Monument at the web site:
http://www.daytona200monument.com/

Bobby Hill,  “To be included on that monument means very much to me. No one can vote you into that monument. You have to earn your place by winning on the track. Any one who has the chance should visit that monument; it’s something to see.”

"Because It's There"

In March 1923 British Mountain Climber George Leigh Mallory was asked why he wanted to climb Mount Everest. To Mallory it was a dumb question. His simple reply, “Because it’s there” .

Why would a successful 52 year old British businessman want to risk all at the highest level in the AMA Super Sport race at Daytona? If you know Pat Mooney you would not have to ask—but if you did, his answer would probably be the same as Mallory’s- “Because it’s there”.

Veteran privateer Pat Mooney challenges the young guns of AMA Super Sport at Daytona 2013




Money #41 races with Jason DeSalvo # 40

March 4, 2013: This afternoon I caught up with Pat Mooney at Pat’s Auto Sales in Sorrento, FL. He is preparing the #54 Buell 1125R for Daytona.

Pat will run in the highly competitive AMA Pro Motorcycle-Super Store Super Sport Class. He is one of 60 entrants. He will also probably be the oldest guy in the race at 52; most of the competitors will be less than half his age. Qualifying is set for Thursday March 14 at 4:45 PM. The two races are scheduled for Friday 3/15 at 3 PM and Saturday morning 3/16 at 10 AM.

Pat told me the story behind his 2013 assault on the high banks and twisting infield of Daytona. “The 200 was a bucket list and I’ve run it 2 years in a row with good results. Then the 200 entry had become very expensive. $200 per person just for crew credentials. With the 200 I would have $1200 just for my 6 over the wall crew for tire changes and fuel.

The twin Super Sport 10 lap sprint races seemed the way to go. In the 200 I was on the track with seasoned veterans. Here I’ll race with many of the fearless young guns of AMA Road Racing. It will be a real challenge. I’m hoping for a top 20 finish, but that could be tough to achieve with 60  hard charging young guns. My Buell 1125 cc twin will be the most powerful bike in the race. Also the heaviest with terrible aero dynamics. I’ll have to make the most of the draft and make up ground through the road course. The competition is mostly 600 cc Japanese bikes, the Yamaha YZF R6, Suzuki GSX-R600, Kawasaki ZX-6R, and HondaCBR600RR. Others will include Triumph Daytona 675, and Ducati 848.

In the 200 last year I was 9 MPHslower than the top runners when drafting and 20 MPHslower on my own.

I have another English chap from Palm Bay, Paul Brown, a good mechanic as my crew chief. My long time friend and crew chief John Cronshaw had trouble with flight scheduling from the UK. He actually arrives Sunday after the race and we’re headed for New Orleans for AHRMA racing the next week end. I’m excited and ready to go. I am proud to carry the Union Jack at Daytona on the Eric Buell designed American motorcycle. Thanks to all my fans, supporters and sponsors Pats Auto Sales, Arai Helmets, Vanson Leathers, Dunlop, Classicbikebooks.com, Works Performance, R.C. Barker Engineering, L.P. Racing.”

photo Michael Rovnyak - www.MJRPHOTO.NET

SuperSport Facts

 

Engine Displacement: 600cc-675cc-848cc-1000cc-1125cc  -   Horsepower 110 hp to 130 hp

 

Minimum Weights: 4 cyl-335 lbs; 3 cyl-360 lbs; 2 cyl-375 lbs  -  Top Speed: 165 MPH  -  0-60 MPH: 3 seconds

 

1/4 Mile Acceleration: 10 seconds  -  Tires: Dunlop SportMax GPA Front (120/70R-17) Rear (190/55ZR-17)

Eligible Bikes: Aprilia RSV1000R/RSV1000R Factory; Buell 1125R; Ducati 848; Honda CBR 600RR ABS;

Kawasaki ZX-6R; KTM 990 SuperDuke; Suzuki GSX-R600; Triumph Daytona 675/675R; Yamaha YZF-R6

 

FRIDAY March 15 - 10 AM: Mooney runs with the leaders, qualifies 7th fastest of 60 entrants.

Thomas Puerta put his Yamah YZF-R6 on the pole with at time of 1:54.097-Pats time of 1:55:910 puts him in the 7th position on the starting grid. Look out Daytona, here comes Mr. Mooney!

 

FINAL RESULTS: AMA Super Sport at Daytona 2013

Pat can be proud of a great performance against all odds. When it came to race time some bad luck plagued Pat in the two races. On Friday he missed the sighting lap and rather than start at the rear of the 60 rider pack he did not run. Then in race 2 on Saturday he was running 4th when an oil pressure problem forced an early withdrawal.

 

In Pat's own words: "On Saturday at the start of the race, just before the lights went out for the start of the race I looked at the temp gauge to check engine temp, which was good BUT I saw the oil pressure light was on solid! Got through the first two turns and it was back on again...... So I had no choice but to pull off the track.

 

A weekend racing that had some big up's a down's I'm afraid. It was nice to see I could run with and ahead of some of the factory teams though."

 

Learn more about Pat Money racing at this site: http://patmooneyracing.blogspot.com/    

Riding Into History 2013



Motorcycle artist Don Bradley honors 3 time Daytona 200 winner Brad Andres
with his art work featuring #4,  Andres' 1953 Harley Davidson “KR”,
45 c.i. (750c.c.), SV V-twin.

It all started 14 years ago with a bunch of vintage and antique motorcycle guys who were having so much fun that they wanted to give something back to the community. Builders, riders, racers, restorers & enthusiasts jumped on board. Billy Aldrich & William Robinson where there at the beginning, with lots of help along the way from hundreds of volunteers. The world renowned motorcycle artist, builder & restorer Don Bradley became involved some 8 years ago. Champion racers Kevin Schwantz and Mert Lawill have served as Grand Marshalls. World class race tuner Nobby Clark has been a faithful contributor over the years. No one connected with this event is paid, put on entirely by volunteers, the Riding Into History has provided 14 years of motorcycling fun, enjoyment and excitement while contributing over $300,000 to charity. The current well deserved beneficiary is the Wounded Warrior Project (http://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/).
It has been my great pleasure & honor to participate in many of these events as a journalist and motorcyclist. I salute the Riding Into History, Florida's truly world class motorcycle event with a few photos from 2013.



     #71 Bobby Hill road this 1954 BSA Star Twin 200 miles to victory in the 1954
Daytona 200 on the sands of  Daytona Beach. #64 is a Daytona Gold Star
500 cc single replica of Dick Mann's  ride for the 1960 200 miler.

 



Mr. BSA Harris Turner & collector Mike Crone visit with David Ashenbrener
of Legendary Motorcycles (www.legendary-motorcycles.com/)‎

 

The Good Humor Man delivered ice cream to the kids with a Cushman in the 40s!

1936 DKW

 

Go Gators!



 

 

Indian

Riding Into History 2016

The 2001 BSA gathers attention, a great motorcycle and a
great story!

 Riding Into History – America’s Premier Motorcycle Event

Riding Into History is America’s premier motorcycle event. The format has changed very little over the 17 years since its inception in 1999. You can’t argue with success.  It is basically a one day event, the Concours d’Elegance, featuring over 300 antique, vintage, classic and custom motorcycles on display along a ½ mile walkway encircling the lake and fountains at the center of the World Golf Village. It is a World Class event, always the same and always different enough that you never get tired of coming back year after year.  There are some other great activities tied into Saturday’s main event. The Grand Marshal’s Historic Ride is held on Friday prior to the show. The ride is led by the current years Grand Marshall, traveling at a leisurely pace on the back roads of North Central Florida, some 50 miles for lunch at one of the area's great restaurants. Saturday evening the Concours d’Elegance is followed by the Grand Marshall’s Dinner. It is a whole lot of motorcycling packed into a few hours.

Alan Berras of Leeds, UK is riding his 1932 Triumph CD 500

What is truly remarkable about all of this is that the Ride into History was begun and continues to be operated by a bunch of motorcycle guys, all volunteers, no paid professionals. All of the proceeds go to the charity of choice, the K9s for Warriors. Since inception the Ride into History has contributed over $400,000 dollars to charities! Many legendary icons of motorcycling have participated in past events and many remain a part of Riding Into History by serving on the advisory board. These include journalist Dave Despain, master tuner Nobby Clark, and Hall of Fame racers Kevin Schwantz and Mert Lawill. This years Grand Marshal is Malcolm Smith, living motorcycling legend and star of the movie, "On Any Sunday".

The world renowned motorsport artist Don Bradley passed away earlier this year. However, his art work from past events as well as this years poster print continue as a feature of the event.



1956 BSA Goldstar 500ccOHV single
original art by Don Bradley



Author visits with Hall of Fame racing champion David Aldana. David served as the Grand Marshal for the 2015 Riding Into History

Riding into History is traditionally held in May each year at the World Golf Village near St. Augustine, FL. This years date is Saturday May 21, 2016. It should be a must do on your motorsports calendar. For full event info check the web site: http://www.ridingintohistory.org/home/

Visiting with Hall of Fame
Tuner Nobby Clark

The late Don Bradley began this artwork "After the Sunset" prior to his death last year, it was

finished with love by his daughter Roni Bradley Naas 

The BSA Girl, Laura Allen shows off
her daily ride, a '67 BSA Thunderbolt

Artist/restorer Don Bradley Riding Into History on his
'52 Vinvent Black Shadow with his daughter Roni

2018 Preservation Award winner

1940 Triumph Tiger restored & presented by Mike Crone of Mt. Dora, Fl. 

John Rose of Orange Park, FL admires BSA Thunderbolt at the 2018 RIH

Matchless shown in 2018

Harris Turner Riding Into History on the extremely rare 2001 BSA  (who said BSA died in 1971?!?)

Daytona 200 2012 - # 9 Lives On!

18 year old Elena Myers a SuperSport race winner!

Daytona 2012 went a long way toward erasing memories of the great Daytona disaster of 2011 (major tire failure, lengthly delays, questionable rule enforcment). NASCAR wishes they could have a race week-end like this. Near perfect weather, virtually incident free racing, a comeback for the legendary Triumph marquee and a major race victory for a charming teen age girl.

THE 200: With sunny skies and the temperature in the 70s Joey Pascarella rode the Yamaha YZF-R6 to the winners circle just a split second ahead of runner up Jason Disalvo aboard a Triumph Daytona 675. The #9 Triumph was a tribute to recently deceased Triumph racer Gary Nixon. Nixon took the checkerer flag on a Triumph at Daytona in 1967.

#9 Disalvo honors Nixon

Elena Myers was shuffeled to back to 6th place in the highly competitive 1st Super Sport race on Friday. However, the fast California teen ager was not to be denied in race #2 to become the first woman to win a major motor sports race at Daytona.

Pat Moony has stellar privateer performance.

Another highlight was privater Pat Mooney's performance on the Buell 1125R. Pat qualified 41st, then used all the skill of the seasoned veteran to move up through the field to finish 27th.

Beach racer Billy "Ace" Myers fires '60 BSA Gold Star at the Monument

It all started with Ed Kretz and his Indian on the beach in 1937. In keeping with the tradition of the "beach racers" I began my Daytona 2012 on the beach. I had lunch courtsey of Dick Klamfoth at the Monument which recognizes the past winners. Dick won 3 times on the grueling beach/road course, earning him the title of "King of The Beach".

Check out my photos of

Daytona 2012 on Webshots: http://sports.webshots.com/album/582510236LmaBtO

Daytona Ride – The Florida Black Bear Scenic Byway

Don’t waste another Bike Week in the bars and taverns of Daytona’s Main Street. The true motorcyclist wants to get out and see the real Florida. The only way to do that is get on the bike and ride. There is a world class ride that begins just a stone’s throw from Daytona that will get you into the Florida that Ponce de Leon discovered some 500 years ago.

The Florida Black Bear Scenic Byway, a National Scenic Byway begins just North of Daytona at Ormond Beach and follows State Road 40 east to Silver Springs. The North/South portion begins at Umatilla and follows State Road 19 North to Palatka. There are a couple of loops and side routs within this main corridor.  In all about 140 miles of picturesque roads through the Ocala National Forest.

 World Class Ride, The Florida Black Bear Scenic Byway

From Daytona go North to Ormond Beach and head west on SR 40 to US 17, head north to Crescent City, then east on 308/309 to the Ft. Gates Ferry. The ferry operates daily except Tuesday ($5.00 motorcycle). It is a 10 minute boat ride across a pristine remote section of the St. Johns River into the Ocala National Forest. You’re following a route taken by travelers for over 150 years. The ferry consists of a small barge pushed by a small tug boat. It is the oldest continuously operated ferry in the state. Once you make the crossing we separate the men from the boys with 7 miles of dirt and gravel road on Forest Road 29/62 into Salt Springs on State Road 19. There you are on the main North/ South Corridor and you have your choice of scenic rides, lakes and springs, camping, canoeing, hunting, fishing. You can learn more about all the Florida Black Bear Scenic Byway has to offer through the following links:

Fort Gates Ferry, Crossing the St. Johns River,
The Old Time Way

Tom Rose’s article in October 2010 Rider Magazine: http://www.ridermagazine.com/travel-features/florida-black-bear-scenic-byway-motorcycle-ride.htm

Florida Black Bear Scenic Byway: ttp://floridablackbearscenicbyway.org/welcome/

Don’t leave Florida with nothing to show for it but an empty wallet and a hangover, take a REAL MOTORCYCLE RIDE through the REAL FLORIDA!