STURGIS the Grand Rally

Everything about Sturgis is huge, magnificent, grandeur or in the simplest of terms….just plain big! However you want to put it, Sturgis is one of the largest motorcycle gatherings on the globe.

Sturgis itself offers much to do and see, however the beauty of this rally isn’t Sturgis alone. The rally offers much more than the famous La Salle or Main Street vendors, bars and restaurants. The history that is woven into the jagged edges of the Badlands, the soil beneath the windswept grasslands, the wooly mining towns and the intricate carvings of magnificent Mount Rushmore…throw you into a time warp with little effort.  And even though Sturgis isn’t about….just Sturgis anymore, the name stuck with a slight addition…Sturgis, The Black Hills Motorcycle Classic.

 A Bit of Sturgis History 

There was a time when folks tried to change the name from Fort Sturgis to Fort Meade and even though the name changed successfully, somehow in this little town’s determination to stand on its own and continue its legendary heritage, the name “Sturgis”, sprung up once again in a nearby town, just outside of Fort Meade.

Because of its proximity to Fort Meade, Sturgis catered to soldiers like George Armstrong Custer, and the Seventh Calvary offering them the comforts of home cooking and other needs of a sexual nature. Poker Alice was probably one of the more famous entrepreneurs of that day, as she built a very thriving service oriented business. The Seventh Calvary eventually moved on and the little town of Sturgis went on to offer the distant rider a haven of a different sort…the grandest social event of all.

In August of 1938, The Jackpine Gypsies Motorcycle Club put on some motorcycle races just outside of town. The first year was but a few spectators and a total of nine racers. Even though they were disappointed with the turnout, the Jackpine Gypsies decided to make this an annual event. And by 1940 the Annual Black Hills Motorcycle Classic and the legendary Sturgis Rally was born.

 Hospitality, Sturgis Style 

Today, Sturgis is host to over 500,000 motorcycle enthusiasts, carrying on their heritage of hospitality with hundreds of businesses catering to riders during their week-long pilgrimage. Nothing much has changed for this little town, with the exception of the number of guests they entertain. And when I tell you, they really know how to put on a party, with what seems like so little effort…they do. Even the police presence seemed minimal and relaxed. I mean it was obvious that they were there, but it seemed like they had things under control with many fewer police than in Hollister and certainly what seemed like thousands less than Laughlin. And I didn’t see any hassles or anything out of the ordinary to warrant more protection. It was like biker’s had a great respect for this rally and to thank the town of Sturgis, people behaved themselves.

 Grand Biker Bars  

One Eyed Jacks had an “Anything goes as long as it is not dangerous” attitude which was a big change from last year. The female bartenders were busy lapping up whipped cream off the tummy’s of adoring men, while two female bartender’s were making out at the other end of the bar. Female guests across the bar from us were flashing for my camera, and I am not talking flashbulbs either! Another bartender shot several guys with a powerful water gun, who were drooling over the very hot blonde bombshell, Jessica. Meanwhile, another couple dressed in wedding garb appeared to be having sex, right there on the bar! I felt like we were in the middle of one huge orgy! One Eyed Jacks was very BIG on fun!

The Broken Spoke seems to cater to the traditional old school biker more than any of the other biker bars in Sturgis. The Broken Spoke drew crowds with Billy Lane’s Blood Sweat and Gears show. Even in 100 degree heat and humidity, hundreds of people waited patiently for Billy to arrive on the stage before us. Throughout the week, folks came out to watch Billy, Paul Cox, Aaron Green, Mondo and Kendall Johnson work miracles on a bike built for that special service person who would be the lucky recipient of their generosity.

The Full Throttle Saloon, with its rustic design is a sprawling open air bar and is there, specifically, to cater to bikers during the weeks of the Sturgis Rally. The Perfect Angels along with many other big name entertainers drew the looky-loos, locals and long distance travelers.  And even if they didn’t have a single entertainer, this saloon would still draw the antics of bikers with a need to make a lot of noise, kick up dust and just have a good time. If you think about the fact that this bar is only open for the weeks of the Sturgis Rally that should be an indication of the number of bikers who visit this famous bar. That’s some big bucks, folks!

 The Biggest Builders at Thunder Road 

Touring Thunder Road is like walking through an art gallery of the finest motorcycles in the world. These famous big name builders made themselves available to the public to proudly discuss their past works or upcoming projects. If you were lucky you could get a picture with the “Biggest” of the Big Builders. Orange County Choppers lovers waited patiently in line for an autograph, but I saw no one in sight. I decided to visit a couple of my favorite guys, Randy Simpson and Lee Stamper from Milwaukee Iron. And guys….that laugh is for real!  I just had to hear him giggle, to send me reeling into hysteria. We also met up with Matt Hotch, Branson and Arlen Ness. Shorty was running around on her Shorty, Inc lime green and silver chopper. Her bike was absolutely awesome and one of the few things that were little in size but big on style. It seems “Big” has not gone to their heads, because they all took time to chat or allow me to snap a picture.

While visiting Thunder Road, we met Vinny, also known as Big Daddy in the motorcycle world. I could have nicknamed him Very Verbal Vinny. You know, sorta like Chatty Cathy. (Just kidden Vinny!) He grabbed a hold of my arm and gleefully told me about his many accomplishments. Vinny claims to have built the largest motorcycle in the world, back in the day with Ultra Custom Cycles. His Limo is so large that passengers can enjoy a dip in the spa while awaiting their destination. The Kustomizer, Limocopter (soon to be seen on the Discovery Channel) is Vinny’s latest toy. We were honored with a very private tour of the copter because as Vinny says…he loves Quick Throttle Magazine!!!  Rock and Roll Paint does all the artwork on Vinny’s very big creations. Meanwhile, Pizano was a bit distracted by another blonde work of art…Vinny’s very beautiful model!

 Lots of name brands with big prices! 

Some of the prices on apparel were big as well. Willie G’s jacket was a huge, $950.00 and Arlen Ness wasted no time taking advantage of his well known name, although he was more reasonable at $450.00. A favorite vendor of mine, Lupe from Malanalove is selling her custom Bling Bling Helmets for about $165.00. Now, that may seem like a big price but they are total glitz and glam and very unique. I ordered two, one with the colors of the chopper and another to match the Fatboy and all the designs are created with different colored rhinestones. She even engraved my name in rhinestones on the back. Hey this is some very cool stuff!

So now I get to boast a little about Quick Throttle! We ran into several vendors and bike builders who are regular advertisers with Quick Throttle Magazine and were kind enough to share their success stories with us. One in particular Colorado Cowboy Customs said he was very grateful to Quick Throttle for bringing them a whole lot of business. He told us that one of their bikes made the cover of our magazine and the phones never stopped ringing! They had our magazine framed on display, featuring one of their custom bikes on the cover along with an article about their business. Realizing that the magazine played a part in helping even one person become more successful was an extremely rewarding feeling for both of us.

Tags: Sturgis Motorcycle EventsJackpine Gypsies Black Hills One Eyed Jacks

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