October 2007
Destination Daytona Throws The Hammer Down
Easyriders
Bike Week in Daytona Beach, Florida, is a world renowned that celebrates it's 65th anniversary this year. Those who go every year are loyal to this particular motorcycle rally for many reasons and keep those 10 days in March permanently marked on their calendars. The pounding of the ocean waves and the roar of V-twins create a hypnotic melody that soothes the soul of the savage biker. Of course, being bikers, we need the rowdy renewed as well. Fortunately, adrenaline-pumping action is in abundance in and around Daytona Beach.
Destination Daytona in Ormond Beach has become a hot spot during bike week. Sexy beer-tub girls on every corner, bikini contests on stage, live music and great food are jusr a few of the reasons that bike parking fills up to capacity by the end of the rally. Toss in the 109,00-square-foot Harley-Davison dealership, the onsite V-Twin Expo offering interactive demos and displays, the Teresi Dyno-Drags truck and world class bike builders and you've got a rally within a rally.
This year Bruce Rossmeyer teamed up with Daytona Auto Auctions to offer his loyal fans a chance to bid on the bike of their dreams during the 1st Annual Manheim Motorcycle Auction for Bruce Rossmeyers Destination Daytona. On Monday, March 5 at 8:00 .am. the public was allowed to preview 168 bikes going before the gavel, hand selected from Rossmeyer's inventory. The selection included: 113 Harley-Davidsons in years ranging from 1994 to 2007; 23 American IronHorse models; 13 Hellbound Steel models, three Big Dogs and two Arlen Ness customs. Bikes by Buell, Titan, Rucker Performance, Independent, Honda, Suzuki, Yamaha and even Vento Scooters were all available to bid on as well.
During the preview stage, Manheim staff members were on hand to answer questions regarding the rules and the bidding process and to sign up bidders. Manheim specializes in dealer auctions that are closed to the public, so this was a rare opportunity to bid against the pros. In order to bid to bid, a public bidder was required to pay $100 for a Bidder Card. The money was to be applied to the purchase of a bike and was non-refundable. All items were sold "As Is, Where Is" without warranty or guarantee and payment in full was required at the time of purchase. Cash, cashiers check and credit cards were all acceptable methods of payment. There was even financing available through Manheim Automotive Financial Services to those bidders who were qualified.
Promptly at noon, Bruce Rossmeyer and Arlen ness were introduced to the audience and officially announced the start of the auction. The first bike up for bid, a 2006 Harley-Davidson FLHRCI, was started up and ridden to the auction block. Jay Lloyd and Steve Briggs began the singsong cacophony that is the auctioneer's trademark. Instantly, the energy inside the tent skyrocketed as cards were flashed and spotters started screaming, pointing and jumping around. Bikes and money began to roll, highlighted by the flash of the cameras.
In the midst of the organized chaos, you could spot the pros. Calm, cool and collected, the big bidders sat back and appeared relatively unfazed by the whirlwind going on around them. These dealers and pros were assigned "babysitters" that kept a watchful eye on them the entire auction to ensure every bid was counted. A restaurant/bar owner out of North Carolina made the journey with every intention of purchasing 25 bikes that day. Another big bidder came from Ontario, Canada to score big at the auction.
Throughout the event, a television monitor displayed vehicle information including: year, make and model, VIN, color, options, seller and tax ID number. The monitor also displayed the high bid and flashed different colors when an online bid came in. Manheim offers an Internet simulcast for its dealers at www.manheim.com to unite buyers and sellers when physical representation is not possible. In order to accommodate the large numbers of bidders, each online bidder was represented by a different color. Of the 100 bikes sold during the auction, 24 of them were sold online.
Halfway through the auction, Bruce Rossmeyer had a red Harley-Davidson Softail Deluxe rolled out to the auction line. The crowd went silent and all eyes were focused on a huge silver barrel laced at the back of the tent and the young girl who was peeking out of it. The B.A.D.D. (Bikers Against Drunk Driving) barrel that had been accumulating tickets for the bike giveaway all day and was nearly full. After a bit of digging, a skinny arm emerged with the winning ticket in hand. Jerry Harris of Jacksonville, FL, was the lucky winner of the stunning Softail Deluxe. However, the softail was just one of seven bikes that Rossmeyer had donated to the cause. One of the bikes was a Harley Fat Boy autographed by ZZ Top and James Gandolfini of the award-winning HBO TV series, The Sopranos.
This auction day of two wheeled glory wrapped up at 4:40 p.m. and was deemed a huge success by all. The 2nd Annual Manheim Motorcycle Auction at Bruce Rossmeyer's Destination Daytona will take place durning Bike Week in 2008. See you There!
September 13, 2007 11:40 AM | send page | Press Releases