By Jon Busdeker

71st annual event continues through March 18, 2012

Engines rumbling. Classic rock blaring. Beers flowing at 10 a.m.

It must be Bike Week.

The 71st annual Bike Week revved into high gear Friday as riders from across the country started packing the streets of Daytona Beach for the opening day of the event.

Known as the “World Largest Motorcycle Event,” the 10-day celebration, which continues through March 18, is expected to bring more than 500,000 riders and other motorcycle enthusiasts to Daytona for rallies, manufacturer displays, races and stunt shows.

On Beach Street Friday, thousands of leather-clad motorcyclists walked along the strip, checking out the unique rides, snapping pictures and taking in the sights of Bike Week.

While Hondas and Harleys roared by, Mike and Ruth Lauman, of suburban Philadelphia, stood on the sidewalk — people-watching and bike-watching, Mike explained.

The Laumans, snowbirds who plan to return home Saturday, own aHarley-Davidson, but it’s back in Pennsylvania.

“If I could bring my bike down, I certainly would,” Mike said.

Across the street, outside Froggy’s Saloon, sat Roy Miller. Holding a camera and wearing a patch-filled leather vest, Miller, 60, is a longtime Bike Week participant.

Since the early 1970s, Miller has been making the ride to the festival from his home in Waverly, Ga. He enjoys the weather, the people, the food and the variety of bikes, he said.

“I plan my vacation around the event,” Miller said.

John Yankovich, 64, of St. Paul, Minn., started making the trip to Bike Week about four years ago.

“I couldn’t afford it till then,” he said.

But then he retired and a bought a shiny, yellow Harley-Davidson.