Full Throttle Magazine April 2021

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Hello and Happy Easter!!!! April is the start of the hot season here in Florida so please be award of the weather before your rides and make sure to drink lots of water and always have sunscreen ready! Leesburg Bike Fest usually happens in April but they re-scheduled that again this year for November. But Gator Harley is stepping up and hosting their Bike Rally that weekend (April 22nd – 25th) so be sure to stop in at Gator Harley for everything they have going on!

THE EXPO IS COMING!!!!! THE EXPO IS COMING!!!! Yes, the Florida Motorcycle Expo has been moved and is happening Memorial Day Weekend (May 28th – 30th) at Bert’s Barracuda Harley! We have Vendor spaces available, but they are going quickly so if you are a vendor, call us today. You can see all the info for the Expo at www.floridamotorcycleexpo.com Something new we are doing this year is TWO (2) ride in bike shows with $1,500 in cash and prizes each day! We will have a bike show on Saturday and Sunday, two different shows, both with a $500 Best in show GRAND PRIZE and each class winner is going to win $100 (10 class = $1,000) The Registration cost for the show will be $30 for the 1st class entered, $40 for the second class entered, and $50 if you would like to enter in three different classes. For info call Full Throttle at 727-935-4875. We also have a great band line up, $100 an hour cash give-a-way, great vendors and so much more happening all weekend, we hope to see everyone Memorial Day Weekend at Bert’s Barracuda Harley for the Florida Motorcycle Expo.

The Soaked and Sore Ass Poker Run is booked, and all the stops are set! June 12th is the 24th Annual Poker Run. This year we are heading out of the state to Savannah, Ga. That means you will need to bring your helmets as Georgia is a helmet law state and you must wear one no

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matter what. We are starting at Kicking Wingz in Hudson who will have a breakfast buffet so come hungry. Our second stop is Gator Harley-Davidson in Leesburg, third stop is Main Street Station in Daytona Beach, fourth stop is Bar None Saloon in St. Augustine, fifth Stop is Tiki Island Tap House in Jacksonville, sixth stop is Golden Isles Harley and then we end up at Savannah Harley where they will be throwing a party and we will do our awards for the poker run. This is a great ride where you will always make new friends and there is a reward at the end! You do not get your t-shirt, patch, and certificate until you the end stop! And only people on the run will get those prizes, we do not give them out after wards, in fact if we have any left over, we destroy them so no one else can say they did the ride without actually doing the ride! You can either prepay for your poker hand online or pay the day of. For more info visit the Facebook event page for links to prepay.

On the cover this month is Andrew Mora and his wife Alina, two amazing people who I really enjoy seeing be successful in this industry. They own Moramoto, there are two locations, one in Pinellas and one in Tampa. Their Tampa Location has recently become the newest Indian Dealership of Tampa Bay. This is a huge undertaking as they are very specific on what their band looks like, the property and who is representing them. On May 1st Moramoto of Tampa is having a grand Opening party at their new location on Dale Mabry Highway. They are doing some very fun stuff like Freestyle MX, Balloon drop, bike raffle, food trucks, live music and much more!!! I will personally be there emceeing the event that day so please mark your calendars for May 1st to be at Moramoto of Tampa for their Grand Opening Party!

I would like to wish a few people happy birthdays in the upcoming month of April. First is my oldest daughter, Krysie who turns 22. DAMN IM OLD! Happy birthday pumpkin loves you. Second is my Grandfather who turns 93 and is still strong like bull! Happy birthday Pops Love you. And last is my amazing and beautiful girlfriend Amanda who is amazing and has no idea how much she means to me. I love you beautiful! Have a great easter and remember, don’t drink and ride and I’ll see you soon!

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Well, Daytona did not disappoint as usual! I drank beer with Rusty Wallace and got paid for it, then dragged into the nudie bar. Note: do not ever tell people it's your first time in a gentlemans club, wow. Thanks Amanda, things have been more fun since you and the Boss got together! And I'm so glad I got to unwind at Bike Week, because my vacation to the Virgin Islands was kind of a covid nightmare.

A mixed up test had one of my kids quarantined and put on a do not fly list hours after we arrived. We had one day of relaxing on our very short trip and I'm grateful for that. And beautiful views from the room. And I had much needed time with my kids even while spending hours on hold with airlines and health depts. We had to get a new test on vacation too, 14

freaking covid. But everyone got home and I am ready to go back and see everything. I want a redo, so please book some bike nights and buy some ads from me. The Virgin Islands are not cheap ! See I told you I'd have a crazy story from the caribbean, I just thought it would include cute men and booze not the urgent care clinic. Next time.

This time of year flies by, so check out our expo pages and make your plans now to attend our Memorial Day weekend Expo and right after is the “Soaked and Sore Ass” trip which promises to be a good party. We've held 100 rooms at the “Red Roof” and “Sure Stay” next to our last Savannah H-D stop. Use the code Full Throttle when you call.

Also see our new expo site www. floridamotorcycleexpo.com Thanks to our new IT person Bryce for making it, and our new blog is up on the www.floridafullthrottle.com site too. We've been busy !

Peace and love to the biker world, Laurie Jo

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Spring is in the air and female motorcyclist are on the road again! In fact, as early as the 1910s, female riders got together for lazy weekend rides to long-distance journeys. In fact, in 1915, a mother and daughter, Avis and Effie Hotchkiss, made history by crossing America - twice - on a three-speed V-Twin with a sidecar. Today is no different! The Diva Angels are out on the road and are already making an impact in the community. So much that “Snap It” aka Sherry, her sister wrote a poem about what the Diva Angels stand for and can be found on the Diva Angels Facebook page.

ed 2021 off with a bang!

Pasco Chapter hosted the 1st Annual Poker Run benefiting Paralyzed Veterans of America! We’ve ridden in the Women’s Empowerment Ride, participated in bike events like Daytona Bike Week, bike nights at Kickin-Wingz and at H-D NPR like Gears and grub and on March 20th the Redneck Bash. Oh and let’s not forget about our quarterly road cleanup on Osceola Dr NPR. That’s only a sample of what we’ve been up to!

It’s no secret that we start-

Angela “TANgie” Media Director/Webmaster

We have so much scheduled for the year to come and we invite you to join us! Come to a meeting or even take a ride with us! Ladies ONLY.. boys!!

To stay updated on meetings and events, head over to our Facebook and “LIKE, FOLLOW & SHARE” .. facebook.com/divaangelspasco COME RIDE WITH US!

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Soaked & Sore Ass Poker Run - June 12th

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Welcome to the Back Yard and summer is here. We kick the summer of on Memorial Day Weekend with the 23rd Annual Florida Motorcycle Expo and Music Fest at Bert’s Barracuda Harley Davidson. We have great line up with tribute bands and local favorites playing everything from Country to hard driving rock n roll.

Now in June, our travel shows start with the return to Thunder Beach in Panama City Beach. It’s been 3 years since we been there, but I’ll be returning to emcee Boardwalk Beach Resort in PCB and we have a great line of bands. See add in this month’s Full Throttle to book

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your room. See you there.

Then It’s just around the corner.

Sturgis Black Hills Rally at the Buffalo Chip is August 6th thru 15th in South Dakoda. Full Throttle will have Buffalo Chip covered this year more than ever with big bikes shows on both the first and second Fridays of the rally. Make your reservations now to be there at Buffalo Chip, the band line up there is growing every week, so far, it’s Kid Rock, ZZ Top and Shinedown and much more to come.

Well, that’s it from the Back Yard, ride safe and remember Always Keep Your Stick On The Ice...

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Start at the corner of Canal and Main Street in Leesburg Canal Street South 0.3 E Dixie/SR 44 Right 0.9 US 27 Left 4.0 CR 48 Left 2.5 Number 2 Rd Right 5.4 W Central Ave Straight 0.7 S Lakeshore Right 1.0 E Revels Rd Straight 0.9 SR 19 Left 2.6 Arrowtree Blvd Left 1.8 Howey Cross Rd Left 1.6 CR 561 Right 1.8 CR 561A Left 2.5 Sugarloaf Mt Rd Left 3.7 CR 561 Right 4.5 Florida Ave Right 4.3 CR 448A Left 1.4 CR 448 Straight 4.7 CR 561 Right 1.6 SR 19 Right 1.7 Lake Shore Blvd Left 0.2 US 441 Left 7.9 E Dixie Ave Left 0.1 E Main St Right 1.0 Return to the starting point.

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Even though the Leesburg Bike Fest has been postponed until November this year, the area is still one of the most scenic riding areas in the state. Enjoy the curving backroads and lakeside vistas on this loop which starts in Leesburg and includes a ride up Sugarloaf Mountain, the second highest natural elevation in Florida. Of course you’ve got to stop at the top for a selfie.

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Bikeweek 2021 was a giant statement for freedom which some disapproved and some loudly proclaimed with joy.

All in all, both nonmask wearers and mask wearers simply respected each other and left each other alone. “You want to wear your mask? No problem with that. You don’t want to wear your mask? Ok but I will stay away from you” Pretty simple common sense left to each other’s discretion.

Organizers made sure to publish safety guidelines whereas visitors would notice some changes with an eye towards keeping everyone safe during the 80th Anniversary event. For all ten days of Bike Week this year, it would be motorcycles only. Curbside parking was limited to allow for greater social distancing on the sidewalks. Arrangements were made for overflow parking at the Ocean Center with outdoor/indoor parking for a fee (of course!). Merchants there worked extra hard to make sure their locations were safe and follow CDC guidelines.

According to for example Washington Times’ Tim Constantine; “it would be interesting to study the impact of 300,000 people gathering to eat, drink and be merry in these strange times of March 2021. Can it safely happen or was this a disaster in the making?” Mr. Constantine decided to focus only on facts.

“When measuring from the conclusion of the first weekend of Bike Week until the CDC’s recommended 14 days later, the number of reported COVID cases in Volusia County, Florida, (home to Daytona) stayed about the same. No meaningful increase in cases. Despite

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hundreds of thousands of people from all over the country, including some of the most infected areas like New York and Michigan, and despite the fact that the Daytona crowds clearly opted for no face masks, there was no spike in cases.”

Mr. Constantine further asserts “A deeper dive will show that the number of hospitalizations has actually dropped since the start of Bike Week by 14%. A CDCgenerated graph of the number of COVID-related deaths shows a steady downhill slope as well. In fact, the percentage of tests showing up positive has also dropped steadily.

By every measure, Volusia County numbers got better during and immediately after Daytona Bike Week.”

The downside and more tragic part is that ~7 deaths occurred in crashes and ~91 trauma cases. Please brothers and sisters be careful. Anecdotal fact is New York Time Square “Naked Cowboy” answered the call to freedom but ran into some problems.

He was arrested on a misdemeanor count of resisting arrest without violence and violating a panhandling ordinance. His guitar was damaged during the arrest, but a local music store donated a brand new one when he returned to Main Street at which time he was treated like a hero.

Looking back, all merchants were pleased with their expectations exceeding their hopes. Dirty Harry’s Pub

took precautions and did well.

John’s Rock N Ride souvenir store also was plenty busy, said owner Johnny Sanchez claiming business has been “fantastic”. Speaking with a few riders, I only heard great comments stating the event was the best they attended. Many were pleased with better traffic flow due to lower attendance. It was chilly at times but nothing out of hands. New rider from New Jersey Jodi May now member of all female Stiletto MC who attended Bikeweek for the first time states “It was life changing”.

Jodi May participated in tattoo contest at The World Famous Iron Horse Saloon and claims having gone to every possible landmark of the event saying “I never felt this alive”.

If this is any indication of how Full Throttle’s Motorcycle Expo May 28th to May 30th 2021 will be, I would say that we (attendees and vendors) are in for a massively good time. Knowing Bert, Beth, John and the rest of the crew at Bert’s Baracuda, I know this will be a big bang of pure fun and entertainment for us all. Just keep being courteous.

Use common sense and be respectful between to “maskers” and “non-maskers” and we will be just fine.

I am extremely thankful for Governor DeSantis’ leadership during the pandemic and for living in Florida.

I know some of you will disagree. I respect that but our numbers cannot be argued with. Our state has been doing far better on all fronts than the large majority of lockdown states. I thank God for that.

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