( CNN ) -- People who go to Daytona Beach , Florida , by car this weekend will probably wish they had n't -- they 'll definitely stand out in a crowd . Bobby Mitchell , left , and Sheila Justin enjoy Bike Week in Daytona Beach , Florida . The city is being taken over by half a million motorcycle enthusiasts enjoying Bike Week , which began Friday and will end Sunday . The economy may be in a recession , but bikers are n't passing up the chance to soak up some sun and rev up their engines for a few days in Florida for the biggest motorcycle event in the country . `` Every indication we 've had so far is that this year 's going to be a good one , '' said Kevin Kilian , senior vice president of the Daytona Beach/Halifax Area Chamber of Commerce . The chamber is the managing arm of the city 's involvement in Bike Week , a 10-day event that Kilian said takes an entire year to prepare for . Events like Bike Week and its little brother , Biketoberfest , are what keep Daytona Beach running , Kilian said . With 8.5 million visitors each year , special events bring in about $ 1.3 billion . The two biker events alone generate $ 650 million of that , he said . The festival did n't always pack in a half-million people , though . In 1988 , said Paul Crow , the Daytona Beach police chief at the time , the event had morphed into something very different from what it was when it started . He said he had to battle what he called `` the 1 percent problem '' -- the small group of gangs whose viciousness and threats against outsiders had allowed them to take over Bike Week . He decided he would n't have any more of their troublemaking , Crow said , so he created a task force that evolved into the office of special investigations for the Daytona Beach Police . Its specific purpose was to deal with the problem . Today , Bike Week has been restored as family-friendly event . The event has even drawn in other nearby Central Florida communities -- including Ormond Beach in the north and Port Orange and New Smyrna in the south -- giving bikers more events to attend and places to go . Bike Week caters to a wide demographic of people . `` These are people with a lot of disposable income , '' Kilian said . `` They can afford a $ 30,000 toy . '' Factors like the economy and this year 's long hard winter probably got people more excited about Bike Week because it 's a chance to get away , he said . `` Everybody needs a break . '' Ken Logan , 50 , a radio producer from Orlando , Florida , has been going to Bike Week for four years . He said he goes to `` keep updated on motorcycle stuff as far as styles , what 's done to them , meet people who enjoy bikes , to get patches and all the toy stuff , so to speak , and enjoy other people who enjoy the same thing . '' The ride from Orlando is only 35 minutes , and he said that 's half the fun . `` Everybody should go -- whether you have a bike or not -- at least once , just to take it in and see what it 's about , '' Logan said . Bobby Mitchell , 52 , also a radio producer in Orlando , grew up in Daytona Beach and has been going to Bike Week his entire life . He said it 's been more fun in recent years , though . `` It 's more fun when you actually have a motorcycle , '' he said . `` You get out there and ride alongside people . You 're part of the roar , the noise . '' Not only is Bike Week becoming more family-friendly , but it 's more diverse as well , with more women participants , said Kathleen Tolleson , president and CEO of Roar Motorcycles . There 's even a `` sisterhood bikeride '' in which 35 to 50 women ride together . Daytona Beach-based Roar Motorcycles specifically markets accessories and motorcycles for women . This year , Tolleson said , the company is unveiling a new motorcycle designed by women and made specifically for women and their needs . `` It 's becoming more culturally acceptable , so more and more women are riding . '' she said . The bike has a lower seat so that a woman can use her legs and hips when picking the bike off the stand , and can put her feet firmly on the ground when stopped . Most bikes are designed for men , who have more upper body strength and longer limbs . `` Women , '' she said , `` need a lower center of gravity . '' The company is taking orders now , and the bikes will be available in six to nine months .
Bike Week in Daytona Beach , Florida , began Friday and ended Sunday . Bike Week caters to a wide demographic of people . Bike Week and Biketoberfest generate $ 650 million , official annually .