Sturgis - 2023

[bigjohnsd]

It is Sunday, and the sun is finally out. Two and a half inches of rain since noon Thursday, campgrounds surrounding Sturgis are a muddy mess. I left home in Spearfish at 0800 and headed to our little Black Hills BMW Riders group "Rally Avoidance Coffee" on a ranch SE of Rapid City. I took the I-90 down but rode home up through the Black Hills with thousands of my finest friends.

155 miles.

We had a pretty good turnout for this group, at one point I counted eleven folks sitting on the porch. Not all made my photos.

https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcyc...wFWK/0/12a417c7/1920/20230806_103031-1920.mp4
I don't know why I can't make the video of the group show a preview, click on it if you are interested.

On the way home, traffic was heavy and slow on US 385 from Hill City to SD 44, speeds averaged 40-45 mph, once North of SD 44 speeds were 40-55 with lots of Southbound traffic but not much headed North.

As always, the din is deafening!

 

[oldcamper]

Yeah, the noise is annoying but they’re just out enjoying the day on two wheels the best they know how, and I think we can all relate to that.
Let’s hope they all get through the week safely and have good memories of THEIR annual rally vacation trip.

 

[mikegalbicka]

Yeah, the noise is annoying but they’re just out enjoying the day on two wheels the best they know how, and I think we can all relate to that.
Let’s hope they all get through the week safely and have good memories of THEIR annual rally vacation trip.

Amen.

 

[akbeemer]

It is much more than annoying and covers a much larger area than Sturgis. There are convoys of loud, poorly equipped and, in many cases, bikes with incompetent riders on the roads hundreds of miles away. HWY 12 and I-90 in Montana are sometimes awash in these groups. Try visiting Yellowstone NP around rally time. Imagine your park experience being ruined by a parade of 20-30 bikes running straight pipes, wearing shorts, tank tops and not much more, and doing 20 MPH. Inexplicably, the park service lets them in. The danger is that the park service will respond to the complaints by banning all motorcycles because of selfishness and sophomoric behavior of these yahoos. I think there are many rally goers that are law abiding, moral and ethical people most of the time, but when at the rally they adopt a different persona.

The rally is a huge money maker for Sturgis and surrounds, and the rally will continue for as long as it continues to pay. But it is not just people out enjoying a day riding.

 

[pglaves]

I like Bike Week at Sturgis. I liked the Jackpine Gypsies. And the Black Hills Motor Classic. I especially enjoyed watching the hill climb. Voni and I been there during part of the rally - usually arrive early and leave midweek - four times I think. I call it the world's largest costume party. And I call the ride through Spearfish Canyon as the Great American Wobblefest. But I like Sturgis. I don't like the noise.

 

[skibum69]

No interest in going anywhere near there any time close to the rally. I'll go visit in the off season.

 

[61996]

Its almost like being there: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d66NPsy_MPg&ab_channel=UDriveTechLIVEStreaming

 

[Visian]

Its almost like being there: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d66NPsy_MPg&ab_channel=UDriveTechLIVEStreaming

I wonder where all the R18s are?

 

[pglaves]

I wonder where all the R18s are?

Still at the dealers I suspect, but I could be wrong, maybe.

 

[bigjohnsd]

I've seen a few R18's, I'm seeing a lot more GS/GSA and other ADV bikes than in past years (I've lived here since 1994).

You can easily identify a new ADV convert - they ride in a doo rag, jeans, and a leather vest and they don't lean the bike in a corner.

 

[61996]

You can easily identify a new ADV convert - they ride in a doo rag, jeans, and a leather vest and they don't lean the bike in a corner.

Yep. I rode with one while on a group ride, recently.
He looked very confused and was the target of much ridicule from the other riders. Took it in stride. Nice guy.

Joe

 

[oldcamper]

You can easily identify a new ADV convert - they ride in a doo rag, jeans, and a leather vest and they don't lean the bike in a corner.

Yeah, hopefully by this time next year they will have at least learned the basics like how to ride up and down Main Street asphalt while standing on the pegs.

 

[bigjohnsd]

 

[oldcamper]

BigJohnSD,

From the linked camera feed, it appears this year’s Sturgis rally has been fairly tame. Of course, the riders are getting older and it appears most are on expensive baggers. The last few days the weather has looked excellent too, at least from what the camera reports.

Have there been many accidents this year? Any local reports of estimated attendance?

I miss Sturgis, the ride there, the roads in the Black Hills, the bikes, the smell of pines on a warm day. I’ve been there a dozen times but only downtown twice, and learned early on its best to go the week before the official event. It’s not as crowded and just more pleasant. I never stayed more than a couple of days either because the noise and crush of people everywhere, including the campgrounds, quickly got old. But yeah, I still miss Sturgis. Lots of good memories there.

 

[bigjohnsd]

BigJohnSD,

From the linked camera feed, it appears this year’s Sturgis rally has been fairly tame. Of course, the riders are getting older and it appears most are on expensive baggers. The last few days the weather has looked excellent too, at least from what the camera reports.

Have there been many accidents this year? Any local reports of estimated attendance?

Estimates are that the attendance is down about 20% from average.

Certainly a lot more trikes/spyders than ever before.

Accidents are a little ahead of last year, 3 killed so far.

I do believe the demographic of the average attendee continues to age.

What was once "perky" is not so "Perky" anymore but still dresses the same way, hard to stomach some times.

 

[akbeemer]

I read somewhere that Sturgis is having difficulty maintaining their power grid, and that officials attribute the problem to a huge increase in the number of CPAP machines, O2 generators and defibrillators on the system.

 

[bigjohnsd]

I read somewhere that Sturgis is having difficulty maintaining their power grid, and that officials attribute the problem to a huge increase in the number of CPAP machines, O2 generators and defibrillators on the system.

Can I have some of what you have been smoking next month?

 

[pglaves]

I read somewhere that Sturgis is having difficulty maintaining their power grid, and that officials attribute the problem to a huge increase in the number of CPAP machines, O2 generators and defibrillators on the system.

As a regular frequent user of Oxygen concentrators I could surmise the irony of that.

 

[oldcamper]

Seriously though, the large number of 50A campers with multiple air conditioners has to put a significant “surge” load on Sturgis’s electrical grid for a week or so.

 

[Visian]

Interesting take

Video is really uplifting.