Fun stuff from 2026 Dania Beach show

Is it a real Indian motorcycle and sidecar? Nope.

 Motorcycle shows are supposed to be fun, and Saturday's 2026 Dania Beach (Florida) Vintage Motorcycle Show was plenty of fun. 

So, before we get into the priceless restorations and rarely seen historical treasures, let's look at some fun stuff: 

It looks big, but is kiddie size.

The motor looks real, but it's a unit motor; the fire extinguisher is toy size, and the saddlebag is no bigger than a lady's purse. The sidecar is too small to hold even a dog. 

The giveaway is the side of the motor, marked "Lenaerts, Brussels, Belgium — a maker of (originally) non-functional carousel rides for children. 

But this one functions, as this video shows:

The noise you hear in the video is the crackling of the wind. The machine moved silently. The rider claimed the motor is real but that had to be a lie, onlookers agreed. It's electric.

Arthur Kowitz, of Ormond Beach, Fla., and a friend built this monocoque motorcycle for 1973 AMA racing. It carries a 350cc two-stroke Kawasaki motor.

1974 Norton Interstate has a l-o-o-o-ng kickstand.

Vintage parking meter: two hours for only 5 cents!

1974 Dneper 650 shown by Etier Vichot of Miami looks rough, but came in under its own power. It sounded great!

Children's push tricycle made from an actual war surplus 110-pound practice bomb. A rarely seen vintage toy.

Shiny little lever under the seat of 1955 Triumph Thunderbird 6T shown by Nigel Cardwell of Boca Raton, Fla., is the choke lever. Why crowd the handlebars when this is a closer and easily reached placement?

Lots of children enjoyed the vintage motorcycle show. Great to see them being introduced to artworks on wheels, plus there was an ice cream truck.

Already gorgeous motorcycle gets a little more love.

Heavily stickered Vespa has really low mounted mirrors.

"No Step!" warns fender of sidecar on BMW R75/5 shown by Harold Hickey, of Miami.

Why does 1966 BMW R20/2 shown by Gray Harker of Fort Lauderdale have THREE rear view mirrors? Because middle one is actually a spotlight. See video below.

My Royal Enfield is a 'garage find'

Can you find the Royal Enfield motorcycle in this photo?

 My motorcycle lives at the center of my cluttered garage. I can still roll it out the door, but just barely. 

It's usually not this crowded in there. 

My kids and granddaughter visited over the Christmas holiday. All the boxes of Christmas decorations already were down from the attic, and the little girl's visit meant the stuffed animals, Barbies and the Barbie dollhouse had to come down as well. 

And her car seat. 

And her scooter and helmet.

And the bat and balls and tennis rackets she'll grow up to use, sooner or later.

And lots more I could name.

It all joined the two kayaks that live in the garage all year around.

And the three bicycles.

And the excess backyard chairs.

And the cardboard boxes we're sure to need sooner or later.

Plus potting supplies, fertilizer, life vests, yard tools, luggage, and the wood-and-wire framework of the Moss Man we build every year for Halloween.

I've saved years' worth of flat bicycle inner tubes. Why? It has been useful to take the valve caps off them when one gets lost on a bike or the car.

The garage sucks it all up. Anything and everything fits, if you just balance it carefully on top of something else.

Sometimes it works out great. My wife just created an attractive orchid display in a big ceramic bowl found in the garage. Neither of us can remember where we got it, but it is the perfect thing for the dining room table.

My granddaughter and I built a crude wooden toy boat (she used a hammer!) to float in the river. The boat was reeled in on a spool of kite string left in the garage by the previous owners of our house. It had been just too good to throw out when they left, I suppose, and here it brought happiness to a child, 30 years later.

Garages can be magical places.

Dania Beach motorcycle show is Jan. 31

I love the look of vintage motorcycles.

 The world's best free vintage motorcycle show is Saturday, Jan. 31, when the 2026 Dania Beach Vintage Motorcycle Show opens for its 19th year under warm and sunny Florida skies. 

(The weather never disappoints.) 

The show promises "over 300 vintage motorcycles" on display, but the number could be higher, as there is no preregistration. 

Entrants sign up their motorcycles starting at 7 a.m. on the day of the show, and they have to get there early as registration ends at "10:30 a.m. SHARP." 

Motorcycles must be 35 years old (1990) or older to be shown and judged. The 50 best bikes and one "Best of Show" bike take home awards. There is a $10 fee to register a motorcycle for the event. 

The event is at Frost Park, 300 NE Second St., Dania Beach, Florida. That's just off U.S. Highway 1, south of the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. 

Admission is free for the public.

Vendors, a swap meet, kiddie play area, food and live music are part of the show. Expect a motorcycle dealer or two to show up. Last year we got a first hand look at the (still) coming BSA Gold Star.

A personal favorite of mine is the separate display area for antique bicycles.

Not surprisingly, more than a few of the motorcycles on display will be for sale. Here's your chance to look 'em over.

The show goes on from 10 a.m to 5 p.m. Whether you're shopping or just looking, get there early as the crowd builds into the afternoon and it gets harder to get a clean photo of a machine you admire.

Admission is free to the public, and parking for motorcycles and cars is free at the Casino at Dania Beach, next door to the park. I always like to put an eyeball on the parking areas, as I walk through, as interesting motorcycles turn up there.

Royal Enfield motorcycles, admittedly, are rare at the Dania Beach show. Those on display are very old, as, after 1970, Royal Enfield didn't return to the market in the U.S. until 1995, making most still too young to compete.

My 1999 Royal Enfield Bullet has nine more years to go! So, no sense washing it anytime soon, then, is there?

For information call 954-214-6136 or email daniabikeshow@yahoo.com