The Hard Rock, Saturday, October 20th, 2007. I prayed a silent prayer behind the stage just before one of the most powerful moments of my life. 17 months from conception to fruition, I had finished the bike build on time. With the help of many, my brother would be getting a brand new motorcycle; I was just hoping I wouldn’t pass out before I could present it to him (see the build features in the Bikernet Tech Area).

We arrived in Daytona at around noon, and visited the Sucker Punch Sally’s booth at Willies Tropical Tattoos. Ken Conte, Sucker Punch’s PR man, immediately greeted us with strippers and beer. My brother, having just exited the army, was ready to get some partying behind him before starting his new life in Miami. He was aware we were giving him something, but he was expecting a roller with a paintjob…he got much more.

When we arrived at the Hard Rock, Carrie Rep showered us with hugs and kisses while simultaneously orchestrating the series of events at the Hard Rock.. Within moments, Joey was whisked away to mingle with the crowd as we lifted his bike to the stage. The bike had been parked next to the stage with a sign thanking everybody who was involved with the build. We would never have accomplished this without the help of many.

Christian Clayton, Phoenix’s SPS mogul, stormed the stage and began handing out shirts, posters, and stickers for the crowd. He was like a trainer at Sea World getting the sharks into a feeding frenzy. The crowd was going wild!

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