Any bikers on the 'fire been to the rally at Sturgis?

Redneck goes every year

I have plenty of family there as you read this.

Good day Wabigoon, I have often wondered, while traveling to the rally, if the bikers ever stop to wash their bikes. Also, I wonder do they predominantly use unleaded or premium gasoline in their tanks.

Been a couple of times, never thought of washing it until I was home, and always bought the best gas I could.

The kind of guys that would wash a bike on the way don't ride them there. they use a trailer.

I've been there several times. Rode the Harley every time. One year it was raining hard when I left and it was still raining when I got there. "A Hard Rain's a-Gonna Fall"

Wooo hooo,,,,show me your tits

Couldn't beat me hard enough.

I've been 4 times.

That was plenty for me, probably more than enough.

South Dakota Mardi Gras................

We were close in Deadwood last, plenty scooters there!

The rally happens at the peak of grasshopper season most years so those that ride will mostly wait until they get home.

vast majority will wait til back home for a DEEP scrubbing.

I went several times in the 90's. College roommate was from Rapid City and lives there now. Good people and a great state.

We have been there a good number of years, decided to skip this year do to one of my buds got t boned on his bike last month and crushed his foot so to make next year the 80th ann, well let him heal and get his bike back together. when your only buying 4 1/2 gallons at a time and you are getting 35/40 mpg why not burn the cleaner fuel. and I am only talking for the riders I know ( male and female) riding your bike to sturgis is a badge of honor ! A bike wearing so rd dirt is self serving proof. I dont own a garage Queen, Lets ride!

I’m in Sturgis right now... mostly stay away from town, bars etc...gotten pretty good at finding back road routes and have put on 1000 miles since Wednesday.... leaving for home at 0500 this Wednesday .
.

Most years I get to shoot P dogs on my trip but this year my Bud was out of town.

Plenty of P dogs there, first time I had ever seen one.

Buds family has 8000 acres about 1 hr away that hardly ever get shot... when we go it’s non stop shooting... next time.

I had thought about going and have visited the area at other times of the year. I don't like crowds all that much, I like to ride alone, and I can go look at naked chicks any time so I decided to give it a pass. GD

Work in Sturgis, so yes, I have been to this year's Rally. Have lived in the Black Hills for 28 years, so I have seen a few...….

I have Chevrolet, Indian, Jack Daniels and Harley Davidson all within a block of where I work. Knuckle is across the street, Iron Horse a block away.

Best thing is I have a parking pass, so it is easy for me to enjoy the downtown activities. Have not been out to the Chip or Full Throttle for over 10 years.

I do not own a motorcycle, have spent too much time fixing the riders up. Watched a lady dump her bike on Lazelle Saturday.

Went two years ago.

Totally embarrassed myself by forgetting my Do-Rag.

I’m working a derailment outside of Rapid City this week. Followed the directions from my GPS on the way down here and it took me right through downtown Sturgis. The hotel I’m staying at is getting $300+ per night. I heard the front desk telling people over the phone that the closest place with available rooms was Mitchell, SD.

LOL. Funny!

Was unloading gasoline one day, in Breezewood Pa, stood looking a a bike.
It was old and hard used, canteen holders riveted to the forks,
A belt run GM alternator rigged on it. Can't remember other details other than it was
dirty and flat black, rigid frame. It was neat.

Immediately saw the rider inside, so I walked over and struck up a conversation.
Commented on how I liked his bike, and it was obvious that he actually rode the thing,
And enjoyed it. Not just a status thing to show off.

Anyway, he was from South Florida, on his way to Sturgis.
That's a long way on a rigid!

Hope Redneck is ok. There have been a couple of ugly storms through Custer the last couple of days.

What is the point of sturgis?

If you want to get a little bit of the flavor from your armchair, check out www.knkl.net. Sturgis' "pirate" radio station covering the rally broadcasting on the net. On the home page is also a 148 page Rally magazine. Yeah lots of ads but also lots of info and interesting articles. Worth a look.

I knew a couple that planned for several years to go to Sturgis and finally made it there one year on a Harley, clear from the southern most tip of Ohio. It wasn't as fun as they thought riding that far, and they were divorced within a few months.

Good chance if you have to ask you wouldn't understand the answer

I probably would go sometime, but with Bikes, Blues, and BBQ right here in my town in September, it's just not as appealing to do 2 rallies back to back.

Driving the black hills roads and seeing all the fake flowers and signs where people have died makes me have no desire to go the rally on a bike.

Drink lots of bad beer, collect tramp stamps.

And get killed by some drunk idiot that has never ridden a bike but rented one for the trip...

My assumption was pretty spot on. Thanks.

It was originally a MC race but I'm not sure the folks that attend now days know that.

I used to go in the mid 70's/early 80's....last time I went was 82.

I rode one or the other of these two from NV......back then people wouldn't talk to you if you trailer'd.

I was driving cross country over 20 years ago and was about out of gas and thought I’d stop for a bite to eat and fuel in Sturgis, blissfully unaware of the Sturgis rally. My truck was on empty and barely made it into a gas station to get fuel. I think I made it to the next town for some food. What a clusterf**k.

Jar my 2018 Heritage Softtail Classic has been getting 57 mpg on premium gas.

All packed up and leaving in the morning ... rode about 1200 miles during my stay through some beautiful country . I enjoyed all the time spent with my son and good friends... ..think this was Rally number 14 or 15 for me. I might not make everyone but if God wills, it Won’t be my last.

Some good times have been had there. I have some friends that go, I've never gone.

Every year... Just got home last night at 7:45 - after a 12-hour run from Custer.. And the best part is - NO FLAT TIRES!!!!!

Lotta rain... Man, SD makes Ireland resemble the Sahara desert... Most parts of western SD have had up to 300% of normal yearly rainfall. Last Friday,(IIRC) we got stranded in Custer when the city got nearly 7" of rain in about two hours.. The French Creek flooded Hwy 16 at both ends of town.. Cops weren't letting anyone through.. One official said it was a 100-year flood. Somehow, my son got to the camper before they shut down the roads and got my truck in to pick us up.. Checking the forest service maps and the navigation on the truck, I - and three others following us - took the forest service roads (single-lane, gravel, weedy at times; really not much more than squirrel tracks) some 35-40 miles up and around and finally landed on 16 about 8-9 miles west of Custer..

A small, private RV park on the southern edge of the city got ravaged.. One camper floated away a bit and wedged up against a tree. A couple more vehicles were carried by the current into the stream bed.. The city park and ball field on the western edge of town will take a lot of work and money to get it back into some kind of reasonable condition..

Tuesday was the best day - sunny, warm and no afternoon storms.. Can't wait for next year..

Glad you had a good time with no serious issues, thought about you when the storms rolled through Custer. I do not think your trip was complete without any flats though.

It has been a very good rally this year, the few vendors I have talked to in Sturgis are having a good year.

Next year is going to super suck though. There is going to be way too many people.

Ham -n- Jam was yesterday in Hulett, also known as "no panty Wednesday". In the afternoon there was the annual burnouts in Sundance. A lot of the rally took place in Wyoming yesterday. Back to South Dakota today.

In Pa right now on 80 E with 450 miles til home. We planned our rides around the weather as best as we could... Rode about 1200 miles and only got caught in the weather a couple of times. ... Traffic permitting should be home after dinner.

The bikini bike washes are always full,,,,

Maybe - but maybe not.. I think there will be a few more, obviously, but nothing like the 25-yr increments.. The 75th was totally crazy.. Never saw anything like it - ever..

maybe this is where Travis is

Travel safe guys, we get plenty of fatalities every year on bikers travelling through. Be patient and stay awake on your bike. Better to get their a little late than not at all.

I have been there two times. 2002 --2007. The first time was ok..lots of cool bikes to look at...I am not a Harley guy but rather a triumph rider... I guess I don't fit the advrage rally type...we were going to spend 5 days there...I was done in 2 ..Ben there done that..
The ride there and back was the real highlight tho...left from the west coast ...all back roads..2002 was the best trip really..I was on a then bran new triumph bonnivlle America..it got a ton of attention from rally goers ..I would come out of a gas station there were hundreds of Harley's. Some extremely customized ..my little triumph had a crowd of bikers looking at it...I met and visited with some real interesting people...
I recall a guy pulled up on an old beater Electra glide...that bike looked like he lived on it...which he actually kinda did..he was from Bay Area and left the 4 th of July and spending all summer riding...he had over 200 k on that thing...
On other guy I ran across was on an old r80 Bmw...actually turned out to be a collage kid...he was like 6-4 230...he looked pretty funny on that bike...he was from Michigan I believe..it was his dad's bike..it had been in the garage not run for over 20 years...he cleaned the carbs put in a battrie and plugs and lit out for California...I rode along with him all the next day through Wyoming ...
My advice for surges is allow plenty of time for back roads you don't meet too many people on interstates..

A few pictures of the trip

My first trip to sturgis I tagged along wit an guy I knew from work...he was a friend of Indian Jeff...who is in the sturgis hall of fame...he helped with the fund raisers along with Peter Fonda...the guy turned out to be kinda a moron so I left ot on my own from the rally and rode by my self...non the less the trip there was incredible..I had gotten into motorcycles again just recently and this was my first real ride..we retraced Indian jeffs route from Seattle..and camped in his old spots...the sandy beach in Idaho was great ..perfect for a tent camp..we later stopped at Indian jeffs house in a little town in Montana.for a visit..he was still bedridden from his accident but we had a great story time and let us stay the night there..right there in his living room was that old 28 JD Harley he rode so much...the house was absoutly full of old classic bikes...Norton Indian triumph bsa you name it he had it...even a 6 cy benelli in the garage...I was honored to meet him and hear his stories...it was the highlight of the trip..