Honeymooning with Harleys: Newlyweds celebrate at Myrtle Beach Bike Week

Some couples spend their honeymoons on a beach in Hawaii or walking among the villas in Italy.

The Kings, however, wanted a more down-and-dirty vacation as newlyweds.

Jonathan and Martha King, of Staunton, Va., are spending their first week as a married couple at the Myrtle Beach Bike Week’s annual spring rally. Unlike many other common honeymoons, the Kings chose the bike rally because of the usually-good weather, fun atmosphere and welcoming environment in Murrells Inlet.

“I love bike week, and I love being on his bike in any weather,” Martha King said.

The couple spent Thursday afternoon hanging around Suck Bang Blow biker bar in Murrells Inlet, chatting with friends and perusing through dozens of vendor tents filled with biker gear. Patches, leather jackets and motorcycle-friendly gadgets of any and all variety lined the bar, with a burnout pit directly across from the main music stage.

SBB hosts burnout competitions throughout the week, with the winner taking home cold, hard cash. Whoever makes the most smoke – and whoever bursts their back tire the loudest – wins.

The Kings won big.

“You can’t do stuff like this anywhere else than bike week,” Jonathan King said.

The newlyweds’ burnout created a pillow of smoke that spread through the crowd and into the air before a sharp “pop” signaled the end of the ride. Martha King walked away with more than $400 in her hand, which she said she’ll use on Jonathan’s 1998 Harley Davidson Electra Glide.

“And I’ll buy her a nice dinner, and maybe even a shower,” Jonathan King said.

The couple met when Martha King started taking classes at the Harley-Davidson store Jonathan King manages. She said she had never been shy about talking to anyone until she met her future hubby, but after that everything was smooth sailing.

“Then she wouldn’t leave me alone, so I figured I’d marry her,” Jonathan said.

Bike week events continue through Sunday all across the Strand.

This story was originally published May 20, 2016 at 4:17 PM with the headline "Honeymooning with Harleys: Newlyweds celebrate at Myrtle Beach Bike Week."