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
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- 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