Dave Nichols

Big Biker Doin’s in the Sunshine State!

Welcome to the red. white, and blue July issue of Born To Ride. Come with us as we reveal the story of three intrepid men on a mission. We’ll introduce you to Bert King of Bert’s Barracuda Harley-Davidson, where Born To Ride takes part in Bert’s Bike Night every Thursday night. You’ll also meet Keith Overton who partnered with Bert to create an incredible biker country club. Keith brought in Paul Teutul Senior, famous head honcho of Orange County Choppers, and together, the three amigos put together the OCC Road House & Museum! Find out how Born To Ride is…
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Celebrating DAD!

This month we are celebrating Father’s Day and honoring dads in all forms. We’re talking about biological dads to be sure but also father figures; those who do so much to enhance people’s lives. One such Big Daddy is John Shope of Dirty Bird Concepts in Arizona. Read about how he changed one employee’s life forever in these pages. John’s amazing Dirty Tail is our cover bike this month. See how his generosity changes the lives of his employees and all who know him. We are also celebrating stepdads, grandfathers, and great-grandfathers. All those men in people’s lives who step…
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BIKE WEEK BONANZA!

Welcome to the March issue of Born To Ride! Get ready to ride on out to the ultimate two-wheeled party. I’m talkin’ about Daytona Bike Week of course, but I’m also focusing in on all the killer motorcycle events that have sprouted up to support this year’s annual “Run to the Sun.” For instance, the fine folks at Adamec Harley-Davidson of St. Augustine are having their own Bike Week during Daytona from March 4th to the 13th including incredible live bands every day plus a special bike night on the 10th with a $100 cash prize for best bike club…
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Hearts and Flowers

Shine up your scooter, it’s that time of year again. I’m talkin’ about the 15th annual Mardi Party out at Charlotte’s Web Pub in Wauchula, Florida. It’s comin’ off like a prom dress on February 13, 14, and 15. Three incredible days of biker tomfoolery, sponsored by 866LawFran with live music from Tommy Roxx the Born to Ride Ride in Bike show and tasty cajun food and BBQ. This is a genuine true biker destination and Born To Ride will be there takin’ photos of you and your bike for a future issue of the magazine and taping all the…
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Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

As this wacky, weird year draws to a close, we still have much to be grateful for and we still have roads to ride. The December issue of Born To Ride is packed with holiday greetings from the crew here at BTR. The BIG news is that we are gearing up to put on another incredible Choppertown Live motorcycle event at Thunder By The Bay this coming February 18th through the 20th! Born to Ride will put on another killer chopper show featuring some of the world’s wildest old school choppers in the southland. We promise you more choppers and…
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The Cherokee Blue Ridge Run and Choppertown Custom Chopper Show!

Welcome to the awesome October issue of Born To Ride! Autumn is here and there’s nothing like a ride in that crisp autumn air. Hey, last month we held one helluva a bike show. September 10th through the 12th was the Blue Ridge Run in Cherokee, North Carolina, where the Cherokee Blue Ridge Run Born To Ride Choppertown Ride-In Show kicked some serious butt! If you were there, you know there were some amazing custom choppers on display. Classic Easyriders magazine photographer Brad Patton was on hand to shoot all those bikes and maybe even YOU! Check out the killer…
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Rise Again – Just as the Phoenix rose from the ashes, so too will Sabrina Best.

Humankind is at its best when it takes a personal tragedy and turns it into a way to help others. Such people rise above the pain and sorrow of loss to create an enduring legacy. One such person is Heather Cooper, who lost her daughter Sabrina to a Fentanyl overdose last year. Rising above her grief, Heather created the Sabrina Best Foundation to provide support to women and their families in an effort to obtain quality treatment programs, recovery housing, and counseling for addiction. Born To Ride is a proud sponsor of the Sabrina Best Foundation and Rise Again’s 2nd…
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Readers Ride – Freddy Barron’s Freewheeler Trike

John “Freddy” Barron of Unadilla, Georgia, has always loved Harley-Davidson motorcycles. Now at over 80 years of age, this former paratrooper with the famous 82nd Airborne Division, decided to let Tifton Harley in Tifton, Georgia, customize his Harley Freewheeler trike. Freddy purchased the trike new from the dealership back in 2018. Freddy had added a lot of chrome over the past few years but decided that he was ready to change the look of the trike. Tifton Harley handled the customization from the gas tank forward with a 30-inch forged chrome front wheel, two front disc brakes and matching rear…
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MOTOFEST IS HERE!

When was the last time you threw your leg over your scooter and rode out to spend the day enjoying everything that the biker lifestyle has to offer? Well, set aside Saturday, July 24th brothers and sisters, because Born to Ride is proudly bringing you the return of an all-American two-wheeled tradition in the form of a killer Motorcycle Rodeo. Yeah, I am talkin’ about the Great American Motofest. Ride out to beautiful Plant City, Florida for a solid day of biker family-friendly fun! Motofest is the brain child of Ron and Deb Galletti, the folks behind Born To Ride…
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IT’S MOTOFEST TIME!

July is here! Time to put on your red, white and blue to celebrate America’s Independence Day. Time for barbecues and beer. Time for fireworks. Time to ride your motorcycle to the ultimate biker party… MOTOFEST! Born To Ride’s Ron and Deb Galletti have put together the return of the Great American Motorcycle Rodeo and you are invited! Ride on out to Plant City, Florida this Saturday, July 24th for a motorcycle event like no other! The amazing Boss Hogg Ranch will be transformed into biker heaven on earth with vendors galore, great food and drink, live music, and the…
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Two for the Road Father and Son, Gary and Benjamin Francis

Being a biker is all about brotherhood, and in this case, fatherhood. As we celebrate Father’s Day this month, we tip our hat to an inspiring duo in the form of Gary and Ben Francis of Winter Haven, Florida. This father and son team have an incredible relationship, and as you’ll see, they have each taught the other many amazing things in life. Things that they can happily share. Gary rode dirt bikes as a kid growing up and now owns a Honda 250R and a Goldwing. His son Benjamin was only four or five years old when he threw…
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THIS ONE’S FOR THE DADS OUT THERE

Letter from the Editor DAVE NICHOLS FROM THE HELM HOWDY BROTHERS AND SISTERS! Sunday, June 20 marks Father’s Day, a day to enjoy with Dad. If your father has ridden on ahead, it is a great day to remember and honor him. Right here in the June issue of Born To Ride we have a couple of great father and son stories for you. We’ll introduce you to Gary and Ben Francis of Winter Haven, Florida and we’ll learn about their mutual love of motorcycles, wrenchin’ and ridin’ together. Then you’ll meet motorcycle daredevil Shawn Ives and his sons Kile…
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Valerie Thompson, the Queen of Speed

Valerie Thompson is without a doubt the Queen of Speed. She is the world’s fastest female motorcycle streamliner racer, hitting an incredible 328.467mph on the BUB 7 Streamliner motorcycle and is an eight-time Speed Record holder. She is also an inductee in the Sturgis Motorcycle Hall of Fame, a member of numerous 200 MPH Clubs and one 300 MPH Club. She is also known as Australia’s fastest female motorcycle land speed racer and was recently included in the Dealernews “Top 100 Leaders in Powersports” list. And that was all before lunch. Most of us who ride motorcycles have “gone fast”…
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DAYTONA MADNESS!

HOWDY BROTHERS AND SISTERS! Born To Ride burned rubber over to Daytona Bike Week this year and the proof is in this kickass issue! March 5th through the 14th was the ultimate Run to the Sun for the 80th Annual Daytona Bike Week. Your brothers and sisters from Born To Ride held court out at the Rat’s Hole Bike Show where we proudly picked the Editor’s Choice Award. We kicked off riding season as only Born To Ride can, partyin’ with the best and messin’ with the rest. Take a look inside this awesome April issue for killer coverage of…
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DO YOU LOVE A GOOD BIKER BAR? OF COURSE YOU DO!

Well, come on out to the Red Star Rock Bar in Tampa, right behind the Harley-Davidson of Brandon dealership for a day of killer food, excellent drinks and awesome live music. We’re talkin’ a St. Patrick’s Day biker blowout celebration on Wednesday, March 17th called the Irish Stampede! Join the Soul Circus Cowboys for some righteous rock ‘n’ roll and scooter-friendly good times. Paul Medrano, owner of this rip-roarin’ whiskey bar and roadhouse says the venue started because of his love of Led Zepplin. “I’m a rock ‘n’ roll guy,” he laughs. “We try to find eclectic bands and touring…
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BORN TO RIDE TV’S 1,300TH EPISODE

Plus, Choppertown Live, Daytona Bike Week and more! HOWDY BROTHERS AND SISTERS! There are big doin’s around here at Born To Ride as we celebrate the 1,300th episode of America’s longest-running biker lifestyle TV series, Born To Ride TV. Ron and Deb Galletti started Born To Ride TV over 25 years ago and the little show that could, just keeps on rollin’ down the tracks! Imagine creating thirteen hundred incredible episodes. Catch Born To Ride TV on Facebook, Choppertown and YouTube. It’s biker TV, made by bikers, for bikers. We have to say, this year’s Thunder by the Bay and…
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