These SOB’s are a bunch of easy riders
October 27, 2008
POINCIANA, FL---When some of the residents in the active adult community of Solivita® say 'let's go for a bike ride', they're not talking about the kind you peddle. More than likely they're talking about a Harley Davidson or other motorized two wheeler with twin exhausts and a license plate.
The bikers in this award-winning development by Avatar® Properties Inc. are members of the SOB's (Solivita® Old Bikers) Motorcycle Club which was formed by Everett "Mac" McCarthy and five other resident bikers six years ago.
An avid motorcycle rider since 1961 when he owned a BSA English bike, Mac made sure Solivita® had no restrictions on motorcycles before purchasing a home with his wife Donna in 2002. It didn't. So Mac and his five fellow bike lovers met to form the SOB's.
"We got together for coffee and decided it would be more fun if we rode together as a club than individually," recalled Mac, now riding his third bike, a Harley Road King. Today the SOB's membership stands near 50, including two lady riders, ranging in age from 50 to 79.
"It's a lifestyle... a freedom of the open road. You can hear it, smell it, and sense it. It's a lot more exciting than riding in an air-conditioned automobile," said Darryl LeQuia, current president of the SOB's, one of 114 resident-run clubs in the 4,300-acre master planned community on the Polk County side of Poinciana which covers nearly 74 square miles in northwest Osceola and northeast Polk counties.
And, it's a lot less expensive with gas prices currently hovering around $4.00 a gallon. "Depending on the bike, we'll average anywhere from 38-45 miles per gallon," said LeQuia, whose 2004 Harley Davidson Classic gets "around 40 miles per gallon."
Emphasizing safety first, the club maintains guidelines that stress road rules, hand signals, proper dress (helmet, long pants and eye protection), and being "fit for duty," LeQuia said.
The SOB's meet monthly, enjoy a "lunch ride" once a week, a couples lunch ride once a month to a local restaurant, and lengthier in-state and out-of-state spring and fall trips that have included Charleston, South Carolina, and Western North Carolina where they rode the 11-mile-long Tail of the Dragon (Route 129) which has a total of 318 serpentine curves.
This fall a dozen of the SOB's rode to Destin and other locations in Florida's Panhandle, and some went on to visit Barber's Motorsports Museum just outside Birmingham, Alabama. Next year the club plans on making its annual Bike Week treks to Daytona Beach and Leesburg, Florida.
Off-road activities for the club include the second annual Biker Bash dance which will be held in Solivita’s® Starlite Ballroom just before Thanksgiving with music by the Dukes. When not dancing and snacking, attendees (there were 223 last year) can view motorcycles on display and meet with a member of the Florida Rider Safety Program to learn about motorcycle safety and how to obtain a license. Next February, the SOB’s will be conducting an on-site chili cookoff with prizes going to the best tasting chili and the best chili presentation. 
Biking is just one of many activities available to Solivita® residents. The community has two 18-hole championship golf courses at the Stonegate Golf Club, a dynamic Mediterranean-style Village Center with three restaurants and the award-winning 32,000 sq. ft. Riviera Spa & Fitness Center, Freedom Park which includes a championship caliber softball diamond and a total of 10 lighted tennis and pickle-ball courts, and the brand new Palms amenity complex and 20,000 sq. ft. lifestyle center which has already earned a 50+ Housing Award from the National Association of Home Builders and a pair of Aurora Awards at the 2008 Southeast Building Conference.
Winner of Builder magazine's 2002 Grand Award as America's Best Active Adult Community, and three times named one of America's 100 Best Master Planned Communities for active adults by Where to Retire magazine, Solivita® currently offers 19 detached single-family home plans in five collections at base prices from the $130s to the $330s, and four attached single-family home plans in The Courtyards at Montelena at base prices from the low $200s. Seventeen furnished models are featured in the community’s model home parks.
For more information about the Solivita® Old Bikers Motorcycle Club, contact Darryl LeQuia at (863) 427-2971 or Mac McCarthy at (863) 427-2749. For more information about Solivita's® resident-run clubs, activities and events, contact Solivita® Lifestyles at (863) 427-7125 or visit Solivita's® Web site at http://www.solivita.com/.
Pursuant to the Fair Housing Act, housing within Solivita® is intended for occupancy by at least one person 55 years of age or older per home, although the occupants of a limited number of homes may be younger, but no one under 18 years of age may be in permanent residence. Ownership of a home will require payment of additional fees, including association assessments and mandatory club membership dues, which are subject to change from time to time. Golf facilities are privately owned and operated and membership and additional fees for golf required. Purchase of a residence does not grant any use of or access to the golf club and its facilities. The developer may change home design, floor plans, specifications, amenities, dimensions, materials, features, methods of construction and price without prior notice. This is not an offer in states and jurisdictions where prior registration is required and void where prohibited by law. Prices and availability subject to change without notice. QB# 1224. Avatar® Properties Inc., 395 Village Drive, Poinciana, FL 34759.
