Sturgis Bike Week
Sturgis Bike Week - One of the most famous motorcycle rallys in the United States. Ride out and see the action for yourself!
The Sturgis Bike Week motorcycle event goes back a long way. It all started way back in 1938. The most recent rally is now the 70th anniversary for this event.
Sturgis/Guide to the World's Greatest Motorcycle Rally
Do you know what the original name was? The Black Hills Classic was the first event started by Clarence "Pappy" Hoel and the Jackpine Gypsies. Back then, there were only a couple of race events and only a few people that attended.
Motorcycle racing was the main event in the early days of Sturgis Bike Week. Hillclimbing started to become more popular as the years passed. The hillclimbing events are still some of the more popular things to see while there.
The number of people going to Sturgis Bike Week has been growing. Crowds as large as 700,000 people have gathered in the scenic Black Hills for fellowship, fun and the riding - not to mention the vendors. The population of the town explodes during week leading up to Sturgis Bike Week. It doesn't start getting back to 'normal' until a couple of weeks after the huge event.
Many of the bikers pull or tow a motorcycle along the ride to the event. Once they get close, they offload the motorcycle and ride it the rest of the way. A few "die hard" riders ride all of the way to and from Sturgis Bike Week. They are not hard to spot, many of them have a patch that proudly says "I rode Mine" with the year that they rode to the event.
When is the best time to go? Sturgis Bike Week is a one week event in the first week of August every year. Plan ahead, take a few weeks at the end of July, get on your motorcycle, and make a run to South Dakota for a great time with fellow riders.
Enjoy the rides available around the area. Take a short ride up to Mount Rushmore. Pictures don't do this monument justice! The Crazy Horse Memorial is coming right along as well. Be sure to ride out to see this one. Ride on over to Custer State Park while at Sturgis Bike Week. The roads along the way are a real challenge. Another longer ride, but well worth it is to head east to the Badlands National Park. The best time of day to arrive is in the afternoon when the sun is shining on the landscape.
Take the ride out to Devils Tower to see this monument rise abruptly from the earth. On the way back to Sturgis Bike Week, be sure to give yourself enough time to take the long way through Spearfish Canyon for some spectacular scenery. Stop in Deadwood to see the rustic town and the old-time gambling halls.
You can see some great performances during your visit. You can catch a great concert at Sturgis Bike Week. Don’t forget to see the famous Full Throttle Saloon while you ride the beauty of the Black Hills.
Many of the riders camp out for the week’s events. Several campgrounds are available if you need a place to stay while at Sturgis Bike Week. Some of the better known campgrounds are Glencoe and the Buffalo Chip. Bulldog is another good one if you prefer it to be a bit more quite and actually want to get a little sleep while enjoying Sturgis Bike Week.
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