Capital City Bikefest was a roaring success

An aircraft hangar at the Tallahassee International Airport was transformed into a showroom for exotic motorcycles during the 4th Annual Capital City Bikefest on Saturday.

Over 2,000 bikers from around the Big Bend and beyond converged upon the airport to celebrate and raise money for Ability1st of Tallahassee.

Ability1st is a nonprofit that offers people with disabilities the opportunity to achieve, maintain and strengthen their level of independence. They're best known for loans of durable medical equipment such as wheelchairs, walkers, shower benches, and necessities for disabled people in need. It  also utilizes community volunteers to construct wheelchair access ramps for persons with physical disabilities.

"Last year we raised around $7,000 and are confident we can exceed that this year," Ability1st Executive Director Dan Moore said. "The motorcycle community has been so good to us and we're thankful to partner with them."

The charity rally brought together riders, who otherwise wouldn't associate with each other to show off their bikes and most importantly band together to help support a good cause.

"A lot of the sports bike guys don't hang with cruisers, and they don't hang with dirt bike folks," said Don Lanham, event coordinator. "But on days like this  we bring them all together and remind them that we're all on two wheels and can learn from each other."

Several unique bikes were on display. One of the more eye-catching bikes was the 1973 Kawasaki 350cc S2, owned by Cecil Broome, of Middleburg. He rides it daily, and it has Denco custom exhausts, painted in a retro scheme and retro-fitted K&N air filters.

"The technology on this bike holds up very well," said enthusiast Ronald Berger. "It was the last year of the 350 and that engine still purrs like a kitten."

Attendees also gathered around the sponsor tents and one of the longest lines was at the FSU PD Motorsports Team display. The group exists to get illegal street racers off the streets and on to much safer tracks. It helps keep the bikers safe and can eliminate dangers to drivers and pedestrians.

"We are trying to reduce the number of speed related deaths and injuries in Florida," said Jason Harris, who founded the group. "I got tired of seeing people die and get hurt so I wanted to help people get on tracks and be safe."