What with fuel prices soaring and a lot of folks working two or three jobs these days, it’s very possible you missed out on the 71st edition of Daytona Bike Week. If that is indeed the case, we’re sorry. But we think we have a pretty nice consolation prize here for you enjoy online.

Please sit back and enjoy three minutes of some of the finest filming and professional editing you’re likely to see on our blog, narrated by our own Patrick Garvin and intended to entice your butts down here next year for the 72nd such happening.

Our film crew picked up all the noises, nuances and nonsense that … Continue Reading

I write this blog post with a heavy heart. I just came from the funeral services for my friend Charlie Ganoe. Charlie was the nicest guy you’d ever want to meet. Quick with a smile, genuinely friendly, hardworking, a wonderful father and grandfather, Charlie lost his life as the result of a motorcycle accident almost two weeks ago.

The Saturday night of St. Patrick’s Day during the celebrations here in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, a young couple on a motorcycle also lost their lives in a grisly wreck. And during this month’s Daytona Bike Week, seven fellow motorcycling souls where lost.

As motorcyclists, we have to consider the possible consequences of … Continue Reading

Today I’m going to be covering motorcycle light bulbs on your ride, how to see things better — and more important — how to be seen better. But in order to do that, I’m going to have to toss around a few electrical terms. You know, like watts and volts and amperage.

Wait! Don’t hit the Back button, because I’m going to try and make this as easy to comprehend as possible.

A watt is a unit of measure that takes into consideration the mathematical relationship of volts and amperage. What it looks like is this: Watts = Volts X Amps.

The standard motorcycle headlight that comes attached to … Continue Reading

I’ve made no secret here on the J&P Blog about my opinion of “custom bike building” and how this segment of the industry has turned into a joke over the past few years. I have little use for super shiny themed “choppas,” built on reality television shows by folks with thin skin, getting their underwear twisted up when someone doesn’t care for their “design”.

And I’m no fan of these so-called production customs, which sounds like an oxymoron to me — with the emphasis on moron.

What I do have an incredible amount of love for is real ingenuity. I like functional bikes that are designed to ride. And I … Continue Reading

Bike week started a week later than normal this year, but the party started the weekend before. Things are really rocking here at Daytona Bike Week.

A few rain showers didn’t stop the bikes from rolling in, and even made for an exciting Supercross race. The J&P Cycles Destination Daytona location is loaded to the gills with new products; the parking lot is filled with vendors like Klock Werks, Vance & Hines, Kuryakyn, Bikers Choice and many more. Along with our clearance tent, giant luggage and seat tent and on site mechanics, there is no reason you shouldn’t be on your way here right now.

If traffic … Continue Reading

Our participation in Daytona Bike Week began back in 1989 when we started selling parts out of a storefront building on Main Street. We’ve been an active part of this motorcycle extravaganza ever since, opening a superstore in nearby Ormond Beach in 2007 and sending our fully stocked semi-trailer down to Florida each year since 1995.

So we’ve got a long history with this event that began way back in January of 1937. The first Bike Week was highlighted by the inaugural running of the Daytona 200, a motorcycle competition that took place on a 3.2-mile course just south of Daytona Beach. The winner of that race was Ed Kretz … Continue Reading

I’m not in the habit of endorsing products, but every now and then I run across something that’s truly magnificent, and this is one of those times. I’m also not a big fan of trying out new stuff or gaining new experiences.

For example, I find that I order the same thing for breakfast almost every time I go out. I get up at the same time every day — weekends included. I tend to wear the same style of clothing at all times, and if I go to McDonald’s, I religiously order the same value meal.

I’m guessing I just know what I like, and to change things without … Continue Reading

In today’s environment of reality show bike builders that are always up against some fictional deadline or in a screaming match over who’s late for work, it can be hard to focus on what custom bike building is about.

And in the midst of all of this is Denny Berg, chief fabricator at Cobra Special Projects division. For 18 years, he’s been turning out some of the slickest customs in the industry. I caught up with Denny at this year’s Dealer Expo in Indianapolis (see video above), where Cobra rolled out a fleet of its custom bikes to celebrate 20 years of the special project division. We talked … Continue Reading