Fall is upon us, and Sturgis has come and gone. As you probably expect me to say, it was another great year. (Possibly because I’ve been saying this for over forty years?) But you may ask, what makes any particular Black Hills Rally great? I asked this of friends, and despite their diverse backgrounds, their answers were strikingly similar. They all said in one way or another that it’s about the people, what you bring to the table, and what you make of it. And then, there’s your state of mind.
I can’t say this year was a special anniversary as those happen only on the years ending with a zero or five of every decade. They’re the big ones. If anything, this year may be noted as being the “anti-anniversary” as it is widely accepted that events held the year before each anniversary, on the 4th and 9th years of the decade, as this year was, are usually quieter and have a softer turnout. Many sit these out to save their hard-earned money and days off for the main event. That said, I didn’t find this to be so true this year. Did the city and promoters just try harder? A good example is the concert lineup. Do you think the Buffalo Chip would be paying Kid Rock or Jelly Roll the exorbitant fees they command, as they did this year, for the 85th anniversary next year when they can be assured the crowd will show up regardless?
Of course, Sturgis has so much to offer every year. You have to wonder how anyone could ever be disappointed. Somehow, new bike shows keep popping up. And they continue to get more diverse in style and theme as the bar rises for the bikes they display. In addition to the many chopper, performance, antique, and bagger shows, there are those focused on models, like Joe Mielke’s FXR show at the Buffalo Chip and Pat Patterson’s double-billed Sportster Showdown at Camp Zero and Harley-Davidson’s Outlaw Square in Deadwood.
The Garage-Build theme continues to gain traction as the number of garage builders swells. Many of their bikes are equal in quality to the pros (just check out Dozer’s and Stacy McCleary’s bikes!) which is understandable given their passion. Countless hours and gobs of cash go into each of their projects, so it would be nice if they could win more than just bragging rights down at the local bar for their efforts. Ideally, they would be identified and acknowledged at all custom bike shows, but as this hasn’t happened, Dennis Kirk has done a great job stepping up to the plate. They honor these hard-working builders and their creations with their Garage Build series of shows of which the Sturgis edition is held at the Iron Horse Saloon downtown. This show, which only allows garage builds, is held on the first Saturday of bike week and is well respected and attended. You can bet the awards are very appreciated as well.
There are several Sturgis shows that some refer to as bike shows, but they are better described as exhibitions, as they have a more art approach. They combine custom bikes and art in a gallery environment as the Buffalo Chip has been presenting Motorcycles as Art for many years. After fourteen years as curator there (and eight years producing Motorcycles as Art themed displays elsewhere,) I stepped down from the position. Kevin Dunworth and Savannah Rose now call the shots and have put their spin on it. Still working under the Motorcycles as Art umbrella, they have continued to create beautiful displays these last two years. Two new additions to this display model appeared this year. Randall Noldge brought his excellent CSSTL branded show to town as Cycle Showcase Sturgis which he so expertly installed in a building at the Steel Pony Campground. Then, there was a pitch-perfect collaboration between Michael Ballard and the folks at Mama Tried with their beautiful display in FTS’s brand-new, big city style purpose-built gallery just beside their main bar.
Sturgis always has many high-energy events to get your engines running. I can start with Choppers Magazine’s ride-in chopper show that Harley-Davidson sponsored in Outlaw Square where Editor/Publisher Cary Brobeck always attracts a great core group of people. By bringing in notables like Danger Dan to emcee and run his crowd-amusing kickstart competition, it has all the right ingredients. The fun-loving crowd added great energy to the afternoon. As many were in the mood to keep the day’s spirit going, I rode with a group of choppers straight to the Full Throttle Saloon for Mama Tried’s pool party and poolside chopper show already in full swing.
You can also count on the Chip’s Camp Zero for high-energy crazy. Everyone was in on the action at the biker games organized by Sasha Cycles. The interest was measurable as there was always a line of competitors on their bikes waiting to move up to the start, whether for the dirt drags, barrel racing, ride the plank, or the weenie bite competition. And then, the next day, Pat Patterson hosted the Sportster Showdown show and games mentioned above in the same place. Pat has a knack for knowing how to get the crowd going. He’ll put a little twist on “same old” or just do it little better – anything to take the fun factor up a notch. Take his minibike races for example. At the last minute, Pat saw his long Led Sled trailer sitting next to an old wooden barn and thought, “why have minibikes go round and round in a circle when they can race through an open barn, make an abrupt turn to scream up the back ramp of my trailer and fly out the side door, and we’ll just call this “the track!” For Pat’s dirt drags, he immediately jumps on a bike to put himself in the mix. Basically, he threw down the gauntlet which got picked up by some regulars in the Chopper world, like Chris Callen, Danger Dan, Warren Heir Jr, Patrick Spada, and Cary Brobeck. They twisted the throttle as the lights went green, and GAME ON! As serious as they got, you would think these guys were racing for big money, but it was just simple innate competitiveness with a big smile and the making of some good stories for later, around the campfire or in the bar.
Absolute mayhem happened at the Buffalo Chip as they celebrated Daredevil Wednesday during bike week. Daymon Woodruff orchestrated quite the cast of characters and activities that, by the end, felt like nothing less than a smoke-filled three-ring circus. To instantly take the crowd from zero to 100, Carl Ives (father of Kyle and Cody of the famed Ives Brothers Wall of Death) got strapped to the hood of a long limousine, helmeted head facing forward right over the grill so that he could crash through two walls of fire. A few minutes later, a couple of hundred feet away and riding minibikes, Tanner Leak and South Dakota Joe (Mielke) added to the madness by simultaneously crashing through a wall of Monster Energy drinks, sending exploding cans and pyrotechnics in every possible direction. Meanwhile, conveyances from minibikes to a two-wheeled Sea-Doo spun around in a tight little area until Daymon moved in atop a full-size steamroller to double-down on any as yet unexploded cans. As soon as they were flattened and the explosions died down, stunt riders moved in to create another smoke show that set the stage for a skillfully controlled drifter car to spin endlessly and for the grand finale, Kyle Ives jumped over Blake Walenda as he walked the highwire over the pandemonium below. It was wild!
In stark contrast to the wild side of Sturgis is the riding, which is what many come for. There’s nothing quite like the Black Hills and surrounding areas, which is why native Americans hold them so dear and consider them sacred. Some folks hardly come into Sturgis because they just want to keep riding those magical roads every day. Some go for organized group rides like Cycle Source’s Wednesday “Run to the Line” ride and many more. Most riders head off in smaller groups, pairs, or solo to do their exploring. In a relatively small part of the Hills, you’ll find the Needles Highway and Iron Mountain Road, Custer State Park, the Crazy Horse Monument, Rushmore, Deadwood, Nemo, and Vanocker and Spearfish Canyons. Going a little further out to the Southeast, you’ll find the Badlands (after a stop at Wall Drug), or heading west, to the country’s first national monument, Devil’s Tower. And this doesn’t count all the dirt roads many of my friends want to spend all their time on. The possibilities are endless!
I’d be remiss to not mention another contrast to the wild side. This was the particularly touching experience of being present as Brad Gregory surprised his girlfriend Lisa with a wedding proposal. I was part of the plan in setting the stage – the false pretense of shooting Brad’s bike for feature, which got them to a spectacular out of the way spot with Bear Butte in the background. It is so wonderful to see two people so in love making this commitment in Sturgis.
Having not mentioned the live music that many people come specially for, I’ll just say multiple big acts are performing on any given night. This doesn’t even account for the many regionally known bands that play and fill almost every bar. I was in Sturgis to ride (and report back to my readers), so I just took in a few, like Tech9 and Hairball at the Iron Horse, Jellyroll and Kid Rock at the Buffalo Chip. One show I never want to miss is Jackyl Thursday at the Full Throttle when Jesse James Dupree gets it on with the crowd. This year, he had a special guest, Darryl McDaniels, better known as DMC of Run-DMC. I would never have imagined putting a rapper on stage with Jesse, but they knocked it out of the ballpark!
Another piece I haven’t brought up is Racing. Did you know that the Sturgis Rally grew up around it? And it goes on to this day. It is much more popular now than when I first came to Sturgis and the most popular t-shirt read, “To hell with the races, I came to party.” The Jack Pine Gypsies MC is still strong putting on races on their track and hill just off the interstate, and big nationally sponsored races are staged in Rapid City. The one I particularly looked forward to this year was a new event. For the first time, American Flat Track staged a Sturgis TT on the downtown streets of Sturgis on the last Sunday. It was worth staying the extra day to see the singles, big twins, and even adventure bikes battle it out, so I believe this event has legs and will grow. Be sure to add this to your calendar for next year.
To finish what has essentially been my Sturgis experience, let me back up to mention how my trip started with a shoot for BMW. I rode up from Boulder with my son Sean and good friend Roland Stocker who came in from Munich. We altered the route to ride through Custer State Park and overnight at a place I’d ridden by and always wondered about, the State Game Lodge. As it turns out, this was Calvin Coolidge’s Western White House in 1927. What a great way to get to Sturgis. We continued through the hills, over the twisty Iron Mountain Road, and sailed into Spearfish to meet up with Paul Yaffe. My assignement was to capture Paul’s experience riding his custom R-18 big wheel bagger in Sturgis and around the Hills for BMW, along with people’s reactions to it. Everyone was so receptive to the bike, which you would expect after seeing the remarkable job Paul did with it. (Be sure to check out the Nov 2024 Cycle Source to see the 11-page feature.)
As for where I landed every day, I had the good fortune of having a camper at the Buffalo Chip, especially as cameras had to be downloaded daily and computer work had to be done (UGH!) Danger Dan on the other hand saw his good fortune as waking up each day wherever he ended up the night before (Yes–I’m a bit jealous) be that in the Badlands one night, in the yard behind the Canadians’ house, or in the back of the Full Throttle, where he woke to a stunning sunrise vista of Bear Butte.
Every person I talked to has their own exceptional stories and experiences of the rally.
Sugar Bear stayed out on the plains at his Chopper Flats Museum, and his time there was as different as anyone’s could be, especially as Fuji threw him an 85th birthday celebration where many came to show well-deserved respect.
Cary Brobeck explained how many of his favorite Sturgis experiences come from his chopper rides to and from the rally (even the break-downs, harsh weather, and getting lost.) And for anyone that says they’ve seen it all, Cary suggests, “Just change the route!”
Photographer Jerimiah Smith hasn’t seen it all after two years of attending the rally, but he does say, “I love the Black Hills. It’s such a spiritual place, and there’s nothing better than being with 20 friends and riding from one cool road to another.”
Even guys that are in Sturgis to work their butts off, like Brian Klock of Klock Werks, have a great time. He has to juggle two large, staffed vendor areas and compares himself to an NFL footballer in the Super Bowl. “Those guys are working and playing so hard out on the field, but they’re also so happy to be there, and that’s how I feel being in Sturgis.” (Which he first attended as a little kid with his family.)
Danger Dan said he goes “for the people” and then made a point that struck me when he explained how and feels responsible for “that someone” he meets who is there for the first time. He wants to show them how to use the back roads to get around and where are the best places to go. And in some ways, that’s how I feel writing about Sturgis. Just maybe, someone will read this piece and find a little tidbit to take away to make their next Sturgis experience a little better.
By this point, you get my point. Sturgis is a smorgasbord that with several hundred thousand versions of it, is basically impossible story for one person to tell. No one can do all it offers, but everyone can find plenty perfectly suited to their tastes. Whether a first timer (I met a few) or fifty+ year vet (more than you can imagine,) each rider brings their own state of mind to the rally, so let the stories begin.
@americanflattrack
@cycle.showcase
@brad_gregory10
@brobeck
@campzerosturgis
@chicken_fried_choppers
@choppersmagazine
@cyclesourcemagazine
@DangerDanimal
@daymonwoodruff
@dennis_kirk
@dozer_v
@dunworth_
@ives_brothers
@jellyroll615
@jerimiahsmith
@jessejamesdupree
@jrscycleproducts
@kidrock
@kingdmc
@klockwerks
@kyleives1
@ledsledcustoms
@lisa.case
@mamatriedshow
@michael_full_throttle
@montanner17
@motorcyclesasart
@mrcyclesource
@mrwerks
@official_fullthrottlesaloon
@officialjackyl
@outlawsquare
@paul.yaffe
@pybaggernation
@sashascyclesofsturgis
@shovelheadsasha
@showcasedesigns.stl
@sodabigjoe
@stacysgarage
@sturgisbuffalochip
@sugarbearchoppermuseum
@themouseandthemoto
In 1979, Easyriders started to publish some of Michael’s motorcycle photography. He photographed a number of smaller events and features specifically for them, proved his abilities and then was off on his third trip to Sturgis in 1981, now on assignment for Easyriders, for whom he has returned there ever since. Also in 1981, after a solo exhibition of his work at the Gallery of Photography in Dublin, Ireland, which was boycotted by the League of Decency, Michael became disillusioned with the “art world” and again changed course. He stopped publicly exhibiting his photographs in favor of publishing his motorcycle work in Easyriders and simultaneously began developing his career as a commercial advertising and corporate photographer. By 1982, his studio was open in Boulder, Colorado. It wasn’t long before he developed a clientele that included companies like IBM, Sun Microsystems and Kraft Foods.
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