Ride & Rally: Cross Country MN to FLA Ep 6

Cross Country Sportster Ride St Augustine to Daytona Beach

This was the day that after a beach-side ride down the A1A I’d be rolling into Daytona Beach completing a 2,000 mile ride that took me across the country from the Twin Cities in Minnesota to Daytona Beach Florida. 95% of the miles I’ve put down on motorcycles have been inland and I still find riding along the ocean to be quite a special experience. Especially when the road is right next to the beach which is the case with the A1A headed south out of St. Augustine.

It’s an easy 65 mile putt with low speed limits, clean roads, and great views. On the ride down you pass Fort Matanzas National Monument, the stone Spanish fort that guarded the southern inlet to St Augustine, Flagler Beach Pier, Ormond by the Sea, and quite a few beach-side options if you’re hungry or thirsty but I opted to wait to pull into Daytona Beach for a celebratory lunch in Daytona Beach overlooking the ocean and “The World’s Most Famous Beach”.

Of course being home to Daytona Bike Week and Biketoberfest, Daytona Beach has plenty of Harley influence and it is seen all over town. It’s great riding down to Main Street to visit the many motorcycle clothing shops such as Hot Leathers flagship store, Bikers Den, Bikers Pride, and Bruce Rossmeyer’s HD clothing outpost. While Bruce Rossmeyer’s Harley Davidson dealership is located about half an hour north in Ormond and is the largest dealership in the country, they also have a storefront on Main. Lastly are the bike rally staples such as Froggy’s Saloon, Main Street Station and Boot Hill Saloon that line Main Street and often host live music. If you’re looking to participate in a local tradition, you can still ride on Daytona Beach down the strip of sand that helped birth Nascar, motor vehicle access to the beach is under the famous Daytona Beach sign located at A1A and E. International Speedway Blvd. This is a great photo stop as well to get a photo with your bike under the Daytona Beach “The World’s Most Famous Beach” sign.

Of course no trip to Daytona Beach would be complete without heading past Daytona International Speedway. While the Speedway has Nascar roots and copious amounts of Nascar history, Harley Davidson have their own little slice of history there as well. Daytona International Speedway is home to the motorcycle race, the Daytona 200. In fact, it was the inaugural running of the Daytona 200 in 1937 on a road course through town that spawned the gathering that grew to become Daytona Bike Week. In 1940, 8 of the top 10 finishes were done on a Harley Davidson. In 1961, the Daytona 200 moved to Daytona International Speedway. All in all Harley has laid claim to 16 wins of the Daytona 200 and the race continues to be held annually. It was great stopping by the Speedway to park my bike for a photo at such a legendary spot.

Obviously when touring on a Harley, the general rule of thumb is “the bigger the bike the better the comfort” and I’d generally agree with that. With the bigger bikes you’re not fighting every little gust of wind as much, the heavier platform tracks a bit more smoothly, and having 6th gear is supremely underrated. That being said, to me, riding a Harley isn’t about just watching the number on the odometer tick up but rather what is happening around you as it ticks up. There were definitely days when I was sore and more fatigued than if I had been on a Heritage (ah yes I do miss the Heritage) but nowhere near anything where I would claim riding a Sportster across the country is not practical if that’s what you want to do. There were just as many moments, especially going through the mountains, where I was glad I was on a Sportster as there were moments when I wished I had 6th gear, a little more weight or a longer wheelbase. While Sportsters may not be the ultimate touring machine, you can definitely do it and if you have a Sportster, I encourage you to do it. There’s nothing like a cross country trip to prove what your bike and yourself are made of.

If you are thinking about a cross country ride, planning your route really comes down to what do you want out of the ride and how much time do you have. I did this ride in 12 days, mixing up super slab and back-roads. I would have loved to be able to stretch it into a month-long ride. I could have easily spent at least a week between Deal’s Gap, Cherokee and the Maggie Valley area riding the Blue Ridge Parkway, the Great Smoky Mountains and all the roads in between. It truly is a bikers paradise and I can’t wait to go back.

One thing is for certain, no matter how you do it, you’ll come away with two things. First, you’ll be stoked that you just rode a Harley clear across the United States and second, you’ll be figuring out how you can go do it again.

Watch The Episode Here