Sturgis, the world’s largest motorcycle rally

For those who have heard of this event, many images may pop into your head. I had many photographs I hoped to capture; the rough gnarly guys riding their hogs, the tattooed and pierced faces, the wild parties, the tricked-out motorcycles and of course the beautiful women dressed in black leather. I also hoped to listen to great bands and dance the night away while having a few drinks with my friends.

This trip to Sturgis presented itself because my childhood friend Linnea was visiting with her husband and 3 South African friends to spend 18 days on motorcycles traveling throughout Canada and the US. Since they planned on spending a few days in Sturgis I chose to join them.

What I found Sturgis to be didn’t live up to my expectations. I found that most guys were just a bunch of Harley lover’s using this event to spend the week together and possibly take on another persona for the week. I would guess that 90% of the motorcycles were Harley’s or custom bikes. Also 90% of the riders didn’t wear helmets; it is not the law in South Dakota. Many people spend the week riding throughout the country side on one if not all the curvy, smooth, Black Hill roads that lead to such places as Mt Rushmore, Devil’s Tower or the Badland’s. 

Everyone seems to spend at least a day cruisin’ through Sturgis looking at the latest and greatest bikes, eating fair type food, stoppin’ at the saloon to order a cold beer from a female bartender that is dressed in lacy undergarments, buy this year’s “Sturgis” t-shirt and some even add a tattoo to their collection.

This rally isn’t boring by any stretch of the imagination. I had a great conversation with a Harley riding gentleman who introduced himself to me as “Blood”. This was his 8^th rally and he was very willing to show me Sturgis and make sure I enjoyed myself. I kindly passed on his offer and through our conversation discovered that he worked for the state of Nebraska when he wasn’t “Blood” during his week in Sturgis. I also met 4 gentlemen, 3 from Kansas and 1 from Florida that used to party at “Full Throttle” but were “too old for that now” and enjoyed the friendship and riding around the Black Hills during their week at Sturgis.

Dave, the gentleman from Florida, was living part time in a 1971 converted Trailways bus. My friends from South Africa were fascinated by this concept and wanted a tour of the inside of this home on wheels. Dave was very accommodating showing us that the inside included such items as a washer and dryer and dishwasher. However he surprised us with a modification he made to one of the storage compartments in the belly of the bus. The modification allowed for his Harley to be stored there due to a hydraulic lift platform. (Please see photos for a better understanding.) It was fascinating to watch him drive his motorcycle into the bus!

My final thoughts are that even though I never saw the rough part of Sturgis, I didn’t dance to good music, and I never found my gnarly man to photograph; I still enjoyed myself and would like to go again to spend more time focused on my photography and enjoying new friendships.