 t is one guarantee that does not require a deposit or a signature in ink: attending the historic Sturgis Rally is a great time, with so much to offer both on and off your motorcycle. Dazzling bike shows, exciting new product vendor displays, collecting Black Hills gold for loved ones back home, and eating Indian tacos at the local establishments, are just a handful of the countless offerings to indulge in at Sturgis Bike Week.
With treasured miles of I-90 memories and the panorama pastels of the Badlands National Park in our rear view mirrors, my husband Dan on his FLHR and I on my XL1200 arrived near nightfall, at the legendary rally, tired yet eager to take pleasure in our allotted 5 days in the realm of motorcycles outnumbering cars.
The next morning, rested and with camera on board, we rode the edges of and into the Black Hills National Park where peaks and valleys beckoned us to its swift curves and blessed straight strips. During our journey we enjoyed yummy buffalo burgers, then took an idyllic ride through Spearfish Canyon where elk and pronghorn antelope roam free and the coolness of the shady hills offered us much-needed relief from the 100-degree heat.
We then rolled south a bit to Keystone toward Mount Rushmore to refuel our God Bless America senses. From there, we landed in nearby Hill City to find fine food, drinks and shopping. Shopping has to be kept to a minimum since our bikes are already pretty over-packed for our 9-day, 850+ mile trip here from our home in Wisconsin.
Our time at the Sturgis Bike Rally presented us with only one dilemma: the number of days we have to wait until we get to roll west again to Sturgis 2008. See you there!
Sharon Haak is a freelance writer specializing in motorcycle events and rides. Her husband Dan Haak is Purchasing Manager at Drag Specialties.
Drag Specialties had two locations during the Sturgis Rally; downtown Sturgis and this one at Black Hills Harley-Davidson in Rapid City. Rally attendees enjoyed seeing the latest FatBook Bike projects.
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Darrin Tefft of Jolly Roger Customs was among the many builders from around the world who brought their latest projects to Sturgis for the many custom competitions held during the rally.
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You can practically see the gears turning in their heads as they check out this FatBook bike.
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Vance & Hines was busy all week.
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The world’s fastest motorcycle team was at Sturgis. Pilot Chris Carr (left) with BUB Enterprises president/team owner/builder Denis Manning and the BUB 7 streamliner.
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S&S brought many examples of custom motorcycles that already feature the company’s new X-Wedge engines.
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To showcase it’s famed line of clutch products, Barnett built this great looking custom bike for it’s display this year.
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Jeff Wells holds down the fort at the Supertrapp display at the Top 50 Rally Park.
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It’s never dull in the Roland Sands exhibit. Roland lights up the rear tire of his recent custom that includes a Kenny Roberts MotoGP motor.
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“Mr. Transmission” Bert Baker relaxes in his Baker Drivetrain booth. |
Legend Air had a nice exhibit of machines featuring its revolutionary rear suspension system.
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Bonneville record holder Laura Ellifson of Klock Werks poses with the machine that she rode last year to set the World’s Fastest Bagger mark. |
AMD and S&S hosted a reception prior to the start of the AMD World Championship for custom builders.
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The Metzeler Custom Bike Show was held in Sturgis again this year. Here are two “Old School” class entries. |
Todd Silicato of Todd’s Cycle shows off the hardware he took home from the Metzeler Show.
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Robbie Lane (left) of Alloy Art checks out Todd Silicato’s two awards. |
“Get out of my way!” We’d bet people give this guy lots of room out on the highway.
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Freestyle jumpers are always a crowd pleaser, including this one performing at the Top 50 Rally Park. |
Jesse Jurrens’ Top 50 Rally Park was in its 2nd year of operation during the rally and attendance was greatly improved over last year.
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Not a great bike for someone hoping to pick up a new friend somewhere along the way! |
Joker Machine showed off a lot of its innovative products on their display bike at the Top 50 Rally Park.
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Countless hours of work obviously went into the creation of this custom. |
Hats like that guarantee that you’ll get your picture taken, with magazine exposure soon to follow.
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Quit goofin’ around. |
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