Well, here we are, it’s March and Bike Week is here!!! It’s also really early in the month this year starting on March 1st and going all the way through March 10th. We, of course, will be in Daytona for the entire time and we are hosting 6 bike shows in 7 days! Yes, we love putting on our bike shows! The biggest one of them all is the Boardwalk Bike Show that happens on Friday March 8th at the end of Main Street on the Daytona Beach Boardwalk. This show last year had a record number of bike entered at 184 bikes. We are asking everyone and anyone who wants to enter a bike this year to do so as we want to get over 200 bikes in this show and solidify it as the worlds largest ride in bike show in history with over 200 bikes entered and that should be over 500+ registrations if each bike we to enter multiple classes. What we mean by that is that if you have a bagger with awesome paint and a big 30-inch wheel, you can enter the bike in the paint class, bagger class and bagger extreme class, so that bike would be in 3 different classes and have three different registrations. Or if a woman had a sportster with a great paint job she could enter the ladies’ class, the HD non bagger class and the paint class. This way you have three classes you have an opportunity to win a trophy in. This is how we do all our shows. We also bring in a professional judge from out of state to do our bike show judging to keep it fair. That way there is no favoritism in the judging, the bike speaks for itself. Our last form is our judging criteria and judging form. There is a 1 through 20-point scale on multiple aspects of each bike we look at. Starting with Engine, seat, wiring, paint, wheels, frame and suspension, body, and last is our overall look and theme of the bike for a total of 160 points for a perfect bike. Just FYI, no bike has ever received a 160 point value or a 0. We are very excited as I believe this year, we are going to see some amaz-
ing new builds. Hope to see you all at some of our bike shows, you can find the entire list in this magazine or on our website or Facebook page.
After Bike Week this year the Full Throttle Schedule is crazy almost every weekend starting in April. The first weekend in April we will be hosting a bike show at Arcadia Bike Fest. This show is usually packed and has a good number of bikes entered in it. The next weekend is the newest Bike Rally here in Florida, the Rally in Tally. We also put on two bike shows here and it is growing each year. We are proud to be part of this since the beginning and are going to help keep this event going and become a huge event every year. Next is the Florida Motorcycle Expo happening back at Quaker Steak and Lube. This is our big Expo we host and, in the past, have had thousands attend. This year it will be 100% FREE to attend and we have some great bands. Highway to Hell on Friday Night, KISS America on Saturday and Bobby Friss on Sunday. We are also doing a $1000 Miss Full Throttle bikini contest Saturday Night, a ride in Bike show on Sunday and we are giving away $100 every hour of the event! Besides that, we will have tons of great vendors, and Quaker has awesome wings and great drinks at good prices. I am excited to bring our Expo back to Quaker Steak and Lube, I would like to thank Bill Church for giving us the chance to be there again. The following weekend is one of the best events of the year here in Florida, LEESBURG BIKE FEST. This is where us bikers take over the small town of Leesburg for a few days. We will be hosting the Bike shows in Friday and Saturday at Leesburg Bike Fest. Next is Panama City Beach Bike Fest or also called Thunder Beach. We will be hosting a bike show on my birthday, May 4th. Then the last bike show and weekend on the schedule for us will be May 11th. This one is a little different as this bike show will be at Red Rock Harley-Davidson in Las Vegas Nevada. Big Cory is hosting a sound show and we will be doing the ride in bike show. I can’t wait for this as it will be the end of a long road trip, why not end in Vegas, right!? We have a lot going on and hope to see wveryone out and about at the events. We will be filming a lot for the socials and our website and live podcast so if you see us with a camera in our hand, come over and say hi and we will talk to you and hopefully get you on our video podcast. Be safe, be smart, don’t drink and ride and we’ll see you at one of our bike shows.
The Diva Angels Herricane Chapter was started to reach women motorcycle enthusiasts in North Pinellas/Oldsmar/ North Tampa. We usually ride North and Northeast, but we have been known to go wherever a run we are supporting may lead us. We try not to make it about the destination but about the journey, comradery, fun, and the empowerment of riding on our own. We are a small group compared to the established chapters, but we are open to women who want to share the riding experience with us and part of a sisterhood.
We had a great time supporting Gulfside hospice “Hittin’ the road for Hospice” poker run as a Cruiser sponsor. Also, you may have seen us out at the December Toy run in Inverness to support Foster Children of Citrus County.
Come out and meet us where we
have a booth on the 1 st Thursday of each month @ Diesel Garage Grill & Bar Bike night sponsored by Full Throttle magazine. Aside from meeting some of us, there is a great crowd, awesome raffles, and a slow bike race where all are welcome to compete. Come visit our chapter meetings at 10am the 2nd Saturday of each month at the Clearwater Family Restaurant, 1844 N Highland Ave, Clearwater, FL 33755. Come have breakfast with us and find out where we plan to ride next.
Check out our website http://www.divaangels.org to find a chapter near you, visit us on Facebook at https://www. facebook.com/daherricane, Meetup, or YouTube “Lexesanity” channel to follow our events, shenanigans, and join in with us when you can. We are a 501c (7) not for profit organization.
Lexe, Herricane Chapter
COME RIDE WITH US!
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Our mission at Vagabond Cycles is to provide a professional and friendly atmosphere in which customers may acquire the knowledge and needs of their Motorcycle. We are committed to ensure customer confidence and trust in the quality of our service. As a close family of Riders, we value our long lasting relationships with our customers, community and suppliers
If you are stuck in a dead-end situation (or not) and you need an inspiring story, well, you have been served.
In the vibrant world of motorcycling in Florida, two names stand out as pillars of excellence and passion – Ducati Tampa Bay www. ducatitampabay.com and Next Ride www.nextride.com . At the heart of these enterprises is the visionary entrepreneur Trever Varney, a streetsmart motorcycle enthusiast with a deep love for speed, craftsmanship... and wrestling.
Born as an only child in Missouri, USA, Trever's journey with two-wheelers began a bit later in life. Mom was a hair stylist and dad was an engineer who was a pioneer in the creation of automation. Trever went to the school of hard knocks. Literally. He got out of high school and pursued his dreams of professional wrestling immediately by going to school for it. Brock Lesner and John Cena were only a few of the warriors he rubbed shoulders with. In his pre-teens and thanks to his grand father, Trever developed other interests in the stock market. All went well until after he lost most of his investments.
Regardless Trever’s grand father’s values were well engrained in his young heart. That is, work hard! To make ends meet from 2002 to 2008 Trever took jobs as overnight shifts at Target, other warehouse jobs and even became a bouncer. Based in Kentucky at the time, pro-wrestling was still a dream to him. He never drank or smoked. Just trained and worked hard. Trever would travel miles and miles for wrestling gigs that paid little or no money. He built a good reputation and came to the threshold of becoming pro. But wrestling back then took a dive and Trever found himself at a crossroad.
After Trever’s repeated attempts to take a loan and having his application denied for a decent much needed vehicle, pro wrestler Nigel McGuinness offered his place in Largo Florida to Trever so he could start fresh. With a credit score of ~400 and ~$2K in his pockets, Trever packed his bags and drove his old rusty 1991 beat-up Ford F-150 to Florida alone. That’s when the tides turned!
On a hot Florida day, Trever was walking on his way to work to the London Steak House. Swealtering hot day that it was he always walked by West Coast Powersports on Ulmerton Road in Clearwater. Going by walking, he was approached by Kirk Miller who at that time was sales rep at West Coast Powersports. Miller successfully convinced Trever to apply for credit to purchase a motorcycle and his
application was accepted! Following that, Miller offered a sales position to Trever and Trever soon became top sales performer in the dealership.
Few months passed, Trever sold a bike above market value to an unsuspecting client who happened to be attorney Paul Puzzanghera.
Sadly, Paul passed away on July 4th, 2022. Paul served for 8 years in the U.S. Coast Guard. He enjoyed spending time with his friends and family. He was a very effective negotiator with a presence that commended respect. He was known to be strong willed yet loving, powerful yet caring. Paul never backed down and fought for the truth and what he knew was right.
“Paul is the one who gave me my chance” Trever said with a great deal of visible internal emotional turmoil as he sat in front of me.
Trever recounts the encounter after his sale to Paul. “I ran into Paul by pure coincidence one day. Paul recognized me and told me “No one sells me anything above market value like you did!”. After a few chuckles between the two, Paul took a liking to Trever. “You should start your own dealership boy!” He said. That sounded nice for sure but with only $50 in his pockets, Trever’s hopes for a dealership were not very promising. After confiding and discussion, Paul coughed-up $50K on the table for Trever to start a business.
With $50K to his name and I guess a now whopping ~500 credit score, Trever started “Buy Here Pay Here Motorsports” on East Bay in Clearwater. The rent was free for a year. He bought a handful of foreign-made moped-style bikes which he successfully sold and that’s how everything snowballed. With street smart, determination, discernment and most importantly the right mentors by his side Mr. and Mrs. Mike Duttry, Trever built an enviable empire. “Paul gave me my first break but Mike and Laura were there every step of the way for me as mentors.” Sadly, Mike also passed recently and Trever’s voice betrayed his emotions speaking of him. Trever opened a second store in which he hired his old manager Kirk Miller and eventually opened two more dealerships in California. Within 8 years Trever went from ~$50 in his pockets to an annual revenue of ~$30 million. After a few years, Trever married Stacie who was in the corporate world. Stacie was armed with an MBA in Finance. She chose to quit her job in his support. Even today as he spoke about Stacie and her choice, this badass white-knuckle wrestler slightly stuttered with emotions of
great admiration still for his beloved bride. Today Stacie and Trever enjoy being parents above all to two amazing boys. They have downsized to two dealerships and a better quality of life; Ducati of Tampa Bay which is now the 6th highest performing Ducati dealership in the nation after only two years and, Next Ride in Largo Florida.
Ducati Tampa Bay quickly became synonymous with excellence, offering a curated selection of Ducati motorcycles known for their performance, design, and cutting-edge technology. The dealership, under Trever's guidance, also prioritized customer experience, establishing a service center staffed by expert technicians such as George Antoine Nasr with several decades of experience under his belt and ranking as one of the top Ducati technicians in the nation. Lets not forget Kirk Miller as GM. The entire team creates a community where riders can share their passion. “Ducati is not like other brands. Ducati is an aspirational bike.” Trever said.
Fresh off the press; As the nation’s leading dealership, Ducati Tampa Bay is thrilled to announce its participation in the upcoming Moto America Hooligans race at the prestigious Daytona 200 from March 7-9, 2024.
As Trever and Stacie’s influence in the motorcycle community continues to grow, so is their businesses. Seeing an opportunity to cater to a broader audience, they also founded Next Ride, a venture aimed at providing a diverse range of motorcycles for riders of all levels. Next Ride became a one-stop destination for those seeking the thrill of the open road, offering both new Aprilias and used motorcycles from various manufacturers.
With a commitment to customer education and satisfaction, Ducati of Tampa Bay and Next Ride didn't just sell motorcycles; they fostered a culture of riding. Trever, Stacie and their teams envisioned a space where beginners could find their first bike, and seasoned riders could discover their next adventure companion. The dealership organized events, riding classes, and community rides, solidifying Next Ride as a trusted name in the motorcycle community.
Leading the charge will be seasoned pro racer Hunter Dunham, a former Stock 1000 and Superbike Cup podium finisher, eager to showcase his talent in the Hooligan class. Dunham will pilot a meticulously prepared Ducati Monster SP, expertly tuned by Varney’s team under his guidance and expertise, highlighting the unparalleled capabilities of the Ducati brand on the competitive stage. Behind the scenes, the Ducati Tampa Bay team, led by Ducati National Manager Jason Routhier, works tirelessly to ensure every aspect of the Ducati Monster SP is finely tuned and ready to tackle the challenges of the race.
Acknowledging the invaluable support of their sponsors, Varney extends his gratitude to Gratzii Italian Grille, St. Pete Fools Social Club, Taylor Financial, Dental Theory, Tampa Constructors Corp, and the Ducati Official Club Tampa Bay for their unwavering commitment.
Trever and Stacie’s dual success with Ducati Tampa Bay and Next Ride exemplifies dedication to the world of motorcycles. Their contributions extended beyond commerce, reaching into the fabric of the motorcycle culture in Tampa Bay. Both dealerships became more than just places to buy bikes; they were institutions that celebrated the joy of riding, the camaraderie among enthusiasts, and the beauty of the open road. Fabrizio Uberti-Bona, President of the Ducati Club of Tampa Bay is a good example of passion for the sport and the community. Fabrizio and his circle of influence are always active creating opportunities and events that benefit all. In fact, Saturday May 4th at 10am at Ducati Tampa Bay will be the biggest ride of the year world wide event. An event globally organized for Ducati riders.
Trever and Stacie's commitment to quality, customer service, and fostering a sense of community within the motorcycle culture has left an enduring legacy. Ducati Tampa Bay and Next Ride continue to thrive, providing a haven for riders to connect, explore, and indulge in the unparalleled exhilaration of the motorcycle lifestyle.
Trever’s top speed? 189mph
Source: Trever Varney
In the ever-evolving world of motorcycling, Trever Varney's journey as well as Stacie’s stand as a testament to the enduring allure of twowheelers and the transformative power of pursuing one's passion. Ducati Tampa Bay and Next Ride remain not just businesses but living embodiments of the freedom, spirit, and adventure that define the world of motorcycles.
Contact: www.facebook.com/floridanighttrain
