Photos by Rogue and Frank Kaisler
Here's the Sturgis 2004 enigma. Was attendance overwhelming or were the biker underpinnings faltering? This dire question and so much more will be covered in our vast, strident Badlands reports. Hang on as Rogue, CrazyHorse, Jose, Frank Kaisler, Doze, Harley-Davidson and newspaper clippings make up the most complete Black Hills coverage in the Biker Nation.
Hang On,
–Bandit
It had been a couple of years since I roamed Sturgis, and getting ready this year was no different than in the past. I had last minute changes in plans and a ton of things to finish before I left. At least I split on the day I planned, though. We arrived in Sturgis August 5th
Made good time getting there and the map took us right to our stay location. Berry Wardlaw of Accurate Engineering hooked us up with a friend of his Kathy who let Bill and I stay at her house. Of course Berry was off to Deadwood for some early partying and we didn't get to see him until the next day.
Kathy, Tim and her son Jake made us feel at home. There is so much to do and see while in Sturgis and the Black Hills.
Kathy and Tim took a few days off from work and were going to show us around including riding some of the canyons and showing us the back roads in and out of places. Boy that sure came in handy as more and more people arrived and traffic backed up.
First thing was always breakfast. That started with a 20 mile ride through the canyon to the Nemo Fire Dept. The ride is beautiful and the food delicious. Afterwards I was ready for whatever came up.
The speed limit on the interstate was 75 mph and you can do 80 with out getting hassled. The canyons are fun but you need to pay attention to the speed limit and watch the curves as they come up quick. Also, you are out in the country where animals live. Yeah, they do think they own the road and will hurt you if you hit one. But it is some wonderful riding.
Back in the city the bars were rocking. We made the rounds, stopped in Gunner's on Main Street and said, “HI,” to John, over to the Knuckle which was to turn out to be our in town bar.
Took a run out to the Buffalo Chip and got signed in as I was shooting Charlie Brechtel Band later in the week. Well hey! the Full Throttle was on the way so checked that out too.
Kept the party pretty tame when we were riding as the cops were real serious about drinking and riding and a lot of people were getting pulled over especially on Rt. 34 heading in and out of Sturgis to the Full Throttle, Chip and camp grounds.
We partied at the Knuckle one night and were dropped off and picked up. Big Fun. Charlie was playing and I was having a great time dancin' and Shit you don't want me to snitch on myself, do ya?
There was one thing I had to do while in Sturgis this year and that was to make sure I got to the Sturgis Museum Hall of Fame Breakfast on the 11th to accept the induction award for my friend and brother Donald “Pappy” Pittsley. I was Honored to accept it on his behalf. Pappy fought the mandatory helmet law in Connecticut. As it turned out numerous other people I know received awards and of course the audience was filled with the who's who of the motorcycle industry. It was good to see a lot of old friends.
I got to visit Keith Terry, Terry Components, at his new shop in Spearfish and he installed a fuel management system on my new bike. (More on that later)
Blasted into Rapid City to the Harley Show and also attended Michael Lichter's show BOB'S BACK at the Journey Museum.
I had a great time, met a lot of nice people, rode, partied and didn't get arrested for anything. Shit can't beat that.
Look at the pictures, They should tell a story themselves.
Yeah, I already made up my mind to do it again in 2005. Good Lord willin'.
ROGUE
DEADWOOD – Deadwood Police Chief Kelly Fuller on Monday credited a strong effort by officers on foot and in cars for reducing DUI driving during the recent motorcycle rally, which ended Sunday.
“With our efforts I think, and this is not scientific but based on my observations, that we definitely saved lives of motorcycle drivers during the rally,” said Fuller.
“There were many motorcycle riders who were on their bikes and stopped who were not in any shape to have been able to make it 'home,' where ever that was for them,” said Fuller.
This year it was easy to spot the work being done by the foot patrols acting to stop the potential DUI motorcycle driver. Officers were stepping out from the sidewalk to waive a driver over to the curb, sometimes running as fast as they could to catch a driver to get them to pull over.
The Black Hills Pioneer
–from Rogue
http://www.bikerrogue.com
STURGIS – As hundreds of thousands of bikers rumble through the Black Hills this week for the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, driver safety takes on new urgency.
“There's a lot of bad drivers out there,” said motorcyclist Roger McDonald. “They've just got to slow down.”
The American Motorcycle Association has formed “Justice for All”, an effort to increase penalties nationwide for nonmotorcycle drivers with poor records who kill or injure motorcyclists, pedestrians and bicyclists. The AMA set up a tent in Sturgis on Tuesday to raise awareness of the program.
Tom Lindsay, spokesman for the AMA, said the formation of Justice for All began in February, partly spurred by motorcyclists' reactions to the sentence for former Rep. Bill Janklow, who collided with a motorcycle driven by Randy Scott of Hardwick, Minn., on Aug. 16, 2003. Scott was killed in the crash near Trent.
Janklow, who was convicted of second-degree manslaughter and three misdemeanors, served 100 days in jail and was fined $11,009.
“What we saw as a light sentence in the Janklow case is not unique to South Dakota,” Lindsay said. “It happens everywhere.”And not only in response to accidents involving motorcyclists, he said, but for those involving bicyclists and pedestrians as well.
While Justice for All was not formed in direct response to the Janklow accident, Lindsay said the former congressman's case drew national attention that puts the AMA's cause in context.
“This isn't about Bill Janklow,” Lindsay said. “The tragedy that affected the Scott family cannot be undone.”
The AMA is working with individual states to increase penalties for repeat offenders. So far, said Edward Moreland, vice president of government relations with the AMA, representatives from motorcycle groups in Virginia, New York and Massachusetts are seeking to change their states' laws.
Moore said there's no excuse for people to drive recklessly.
“Maybe if there's more uniform punishment, people would wake up and pay attention,” he said. “The excuse is, 'I never saw them.' “
By Monica LaBelle
–from Rogue
STURGIS – About 50 bikers gathered Thursday morning for coffee, doughnuts and breakfast breads at the house of the First Lady of Sturgis.Away from the congestion of downtown, they met in the back yard of Pearl Hoel's little red house on Baldwin Street.
Hoel, 98, has hosted the breakfast since 1976. It coincides with the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally and the annual reunion of the Retreads, an international group of bikers older than 40.
“They're a good bunch of people,” said Hoel, who, along with her late husband, John Clarence “Pappy” Hoel, was instrumental in starting the rally.
Each year, about 20 people set up residence at Hoel's place. They arrive the Thursday or Friday before the rally and stay in Hoel's garage or set up tents in her backyard.
“I tell them, 'I'll give you a place to lay your head at night, a shower, and I might even do some laundry,' ” Hoel said. “After that, you're on your own.”
The houseguests buy groceries and use Hoel's kitchen to prepare meals.
Carl Edeburn, author of “Sturgis: The Story of the Rally,” has been a guest of Hoel's and has attended the breakfast for the past 10 years.
“It's kind of interesting waking up in the morning and having a 98-year-old woman make you breakfast,” he said.
Preparing the meal is quite a task.Hoel baked 14 assorted breads. She made them in batches of four loaves and froze most of them beforehand. Retread members from Rapid City brought doughnuts, and a friend from Seattle brought two cherry pies.
–By John-John Williams IV
–from Rogue
STURGIS – Sturgis has long meant the rumble and roar of Harley-Davidsons. Nowadays, it also means the throaty purr, the burble — and sometimes the growl and roar — of Hondas, Yamahas, BMWS and custom choppers.
In the 1970s and '80s, Japanese motorcycles and most other non-Harley-Davidsons were not all that welcome at the Sturgis rally.Hard-core Harley riders sometimes hassled non-Harley riders, particularly if they rode bikes made outside of the United States.
“It was not uncommon to see a Yamaha on fire up in a tree,” Sturgis Police Chief Jim Bush said of the earlier Sturgis rallies, particularly the scene at city park.
Now, Hondas, Yamahas, Kawasakis, Suzukis, Triumphs, BMWs and Ducatis are parked alongside Harleys on Main Street in Sturgis. A burgeoning number of custom-made choppers and trikes has also joined the non-Harley parade.
On one stretch of Main Street on Sunday night, there were 123 Harleys, 13 Hondas, four Yamahas, one Kawasaki, one (modern) Indian, one Buell, two custom choppers, one BMW and one Boss Hoss (a huge, V-8 powered bike).
The non-Harley riders, for the most part, are being tolerated, even accepted.
“You have to forgive these people,” said longtime Harley rider Ron Belson of Rapid City, of the non-Harley riders. “At least they're here.”
“Now, I think there's a lot less discrimination,” Holmes said, as he stood near his ‘94 Harley Road King on Main Street this week. “It doesn't matter what you ride as long as you're putting miles on a bike.”Holmes has owned six Harleys and three Yamahas.
In any case, Harley is still a major player in the cruiser market and still dominates the Sturgis rally, even though the rally was originated by an Indian motorcycle dealer, Pappy Hoel.
Harley-Davidson built 291,147 motorcycles in 2003, nearly 30,000 more than in 2002. It plans to produce 317,000 motorcycles this year and 400,000 for 2007. Motorcycle sales for the first six months of 2004 are up 16.5 percent over last year, according to Harley's Web site.
–By Steve Miller, Journal Staff Writer
–from Rogue
STURGIS — Bear Butte State Park attendants are asking visitors to demonstrate sensitivity during the Sturgis motorcycle rally.With about 200 people a day coming to the visitor's center and up the butte east of Sturgis, park manager Jim Jandreau and his staff ask visitors to respect the American Indians who may be worshipping on Bear Butte.
“This is an outdoor church that's every bit as revered as a Judeo-Christian church in Philadelphia,” Jandreau said.
In preparation for the large number of tourists visiting Bear Butte, park officials overlapped staff schedules, scheduled longer work days and asked for extra help from the state Game, Fish & Parks department.
The visitor's center is open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. Park admission fees are $3 a person or $5 a vehicle.
A good beginning is to understand that the Indians they will see are the flesh-and-blood descendents of the people found in history books, he said.
“They're people, not myths,” Jandreau said
As part of their culture, they will perform ceremonies on the butte as their ancestors did generations ago. Although it may spark people's interest and imagination, Jandreau asks that visitors respect the privacy of the participants.With Lakota, Cheyenne, Arapaho, Mandan, Kiowa and other bands making pilgrimages to Bear Butte, a festoon of tobacco ties and prayer clothes, will decorate the branches of the park's trees. Visitors are asked to stay on the trail and leave the religious items alone.
–By Jomay Steen, Journal Staff Writer
–from Rogue
A rumor that sprang up in Sturgis motorcycle rally Wednesday afternoon and seemed to take on a life of its own today, is apparently not true.
Kid Rock, a.k.a. Robert James Ritchie, 33, was not arrested on drug charges in Pennington County, Meade County or any other South Dakota county that the Rapid City Journal could find.
“Nope,” Meade County Sheriff Ron Merwin said when asked this morning if such an arrest had been made. Calls to Pennington County authorities and the South Dakota Attorney General's Office produced similar answers.
Kid Rock was indeed in the neighborhood of the Sturgis rally. He's was the headliner on the stage at the Buffalo Chip Campground concert venue east of Sturgis.
Sanborn said he suspects that someone has been starting the rumors to sabotage the Buffalo Chip ticket sales. Rumors that headliners won't go onstage at the Buffalo Chip, he said, have almost become an annual occurrence.
–By Dan Daly, Journal Staff Writer
–from Rogue
STURGIS — Debbie Fromme is way beyond having the blues. She is hopping mad.
“I feel ripped off,” the Newell woman said Wednesday when she learned that not only had the Sturgis Music Festival's B.B. King show been canceled, but she also may never get a refund for her tickets.
“I've never been involved in a situation like this,” she said. “I just feel like I've been taken. Where's my $100?”
In a saga complete with nasty rumors and cryptic accusations, the Sturgis Music Festival came to a screeching halt Tuesday night, and ticket holders were left wondering where their money went.
Sturgis 2004 LLC, the company putting on the festival, canceled Classic Rock Night only four hours before show- time Tuesday. No further information was released until 4 p.m. Wednesday, when B.B. King's 8 p.m. show was officially canceled. The rest of the festival was canceled at that time, as well.
In a brief statement, Sturgis 2004 LLC promoter Erica Hansen apologized to fans and said that “in light of an investor pullout,” the festival had been canceled. She promised that she was “diligently working to solve the refund issue” with E-Tix, the venue's ticket vendor.
Hansen told ticket holders to stop at the venue box office in the parking lot of Lynn's Dakotamart on Lazelle Street, where they can leave their name for refunds. She also warned that it may take time.
Earlier in the day, however, Sturgis 2004 LLC investor Ron Rose gave very different information regarding refunds. In a phone interview, Rose pulled no punches. “They can't get a refund. … There are no funds left in the till,” he said.
Rose cited poor ticket sales resulting in an empty bank account for the festival's fate. “The corporation has zero funds. Therefore, we've lost everything,” Rose said. He said Sturgis 2004 LLC would be forced into bankruptcy.
By Lynn Taylor Rick, Journal Staff Writer
–from Rogue
When Todd “Red” Laube of Madison went to the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally last weekend, he never imagined he would be returning home early without his $35,000 custom bike.
Laube and his friend Wes Josephson, who own Titan Gecko RM Retro motorcycles, stopped at the Broken Spoke bar in Sturgis, along with their wives, to wait for a rainstorm to pass. When they went back outside, their bikes were gone, along with their leather jackets, chaps and other belongings.
Laube said they had been in Sturgis for only four hours when the one-of-a-kind bikes were stolen Aug. 7.
“We arrived at the Spoke around 1 p.m. and went in to have a beer and visit with people for a while,” Laube said. “By the time the rain stopped around 5 p.m., we went outside and they were gone.”
“We've had five bikes stolen so far this year at the rally, and we had 12 last year,” said Sturgis Detective Gerard Brennan.
“It's very unusual for us to recover these stolen bikes immediately. These thefts are usually done by professionals, and in many cases they get out of the area quickly.”
BY CRAIG HENRY,Argus Leader
–Rogue
STURGIS (AP) – Fans who bought tickets for canceled Sturgis Music Festival concerts with a credit card will receive refunds, according to the company that processed the transactions.
Etix, which handled online and box office credit card sales for promoter Sturgis 2004 LLC, said customers should eventually see a credit for the purchase on their statements.
Though the music festival is timed to coincide with the 64th annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, it's not affiliated with the city's main summer event.
–from Roguehttp://www.bikerrogue.com
After the game, he askedher how she liked the experience.
“Oh, I really liked it,” she replied, “especially the tight pants and allthe big muscles, but I just couldn't understand why they were killing each other over 25 cents.”
Dumbfounded, her date asked, “What do you mean?”
“Well, I saw them flip a coin and one team got it and then for the restof the game, all they kept screaming was: 'Get the quarterback! Get the quarterback!' Hel-LLLO! It's only 25 cents!”
–from Skooter
Troopers say they were called to four fatal rally-related accidents.A total of nine have been associated with the biker event. ThereWere 107 traffic accidents, eighty of those involving injuries. Asfar as drug offenses go, the Highway Patrol reports 238. Nearly 300Drivers were arrested for drunk driving. There were seven confirmedStolen motorcycles, and a average of 200,000 people a day hit theRally.
These numbers are only from the Highway Patrol.
–Rogue
The Harley-Davidson and Buell Ride-In Show took place at the Sturgis rally on Thursday, August 12.
Rally-goers were encouraged to enter their Harley-Davidson or Buell motorcycles to be judged in their choice of eighteen different classes. Harley-Davidson Vice President and Director of Styling Louie Netz headed up the judges panel as they evaluated each bike based on its engineering, paint, street function, seat/upholstery, style and plating/polishing.
Best of Show winners were awarded $200 cash, and $500 was given to the top Sportster and Big Twin utilizing Harley-Davidson Genuine Motor Company Accessories. All event participants were given a special-edition commemorative plaque.
Proceeds from the Ride-In Show were donated to the Muscular Dystrophy Association.
Winners are:
1.Antique Class
Best of Show: Brian Mask, Lansdale, Fla.
1st Runner Up: Bill “Hogg” Shelly, Gillette, Wyo.
2nd Runner Up: Will Stuart, San Diego, Calif.
Honorable Mention: Peter Schmidt, Dresden, Germany
Honorable Mention: Greg Gullickson, Minot, S.D.
2.VRSC Class
Best of Show: Steve Ward, St. Joseph, Mo.
1st Runner Up: Art Meisenback, Elk River, Minn.
2nd Runner Up: Terry Brown, San Diego, Calif.
Honorable Mention: Dennis Brigham, Berthoud, Colo.
3.Sidecar Class
Best of Show: Theresa Harvey, Worland, Wyo.
Runner Up: Jim Claypool, Hunts Point, Wash.
4.Custom Trike Class
Best of Show: David Hunter, Imperial, Pa.
1st Runner Up: Keita Davis, Kokomo, Ind.
2nd Runner Up: Julie Bachelder, Carson City, Nev.
Honorable Mention: Shirley McDermott, DeSoto, Mo.
5.Full Dresser Class
Best of Show: Gary Hill, Tamworth, England
1st Runner Up: Eddie Martin, Vancouver, Wash.
2nd Runner Up: Ed Woldt, Rapid City, S.D.
Honorable Mention: Myles Racine, Dayville, Calif.
6.Ladies of Harley Class (LOH Sportster)
Best of Show: Brenda Ringold, Eden Prairie, Minn.
Runner Up: Sharon Jones, Kansas City, Mo.
Honorable Mention: Joanne Duncan, Waco, Texas
7.Street Custom Sportster Class
Best of Show: Michelle Larsen, Tisdale, Canada
1st Runner Up: Daleen Brink-Michel, Marshaltown, IA
2nd Runner Up: Jim Bell, Fort Wayne, Ind.
Honorable Mention: Gary Nathanson, Vashon, Wash.
8.Radical Custom Sportster Class
Best of Show: Joseph Parent, Rapid City, S.D.
9.Pro Sportster Class
No Entries
10.Ladies of Harley (LOH Big Twin) Class
Best of Show: A.J. Venezea, Sterling Forest, N.Y.
1st Runner Up: Brenda Ringold, Eden Prairie, Minn.
2nd Runner Up: Dawn Powell, Thunder Bay, Canada
Honorable Mention: Jean Livermore, Rubicon, Wis.
11.Street Custom Big Twin Class
Best of Show: Michael Murphy, Redmond, Wash.
1st Runner Up: Jerry Fear, Lakeville, Minn.
2nd Runner Up: Tracy Reece, Edmond, Okla.
Honorable Mention: Tim Tomann, Waukesha, Wis.
12.Show Custom Big Twin Class
Best of Show: Robert Bashor, Edmond, Okla.
1st Runner Up: Bennie Botter, McClean, Va.
2nd Runner Up: Ed Pilarz, Riverside, Ill.
Honorable Mention: Stan/Eileen Thompson, Indianola, Iowa
13.Street Custom Big Twin Class
Best of Show: John Kallies, Thornton, Colo.
1st Runner Up: Sparky Sparky, San Diego, Calif.
2nd Runner Up: Bill Reddick, Slippery Rock, Pa.
14.Show Custom Big Twin Class
Best of Show: Marc Sonkin, St. Charles, Ill.
1st Runner Up: Michael Assarian, Birmingham, Mich.
2nd Runner Up: Jim McGrath, Janesville, Wis.
15.Radical Custom Big Twin Class
Best of Show: Chris Reed, Gardner, Kan.
1st Runner Up: Randy Connell, Townsend, Del.
2nd Runner Up: Tom Wohlman, Garwin, Iowa
16.Sport Touring Class
Best of Show: Jim Mason, Indianola, Iowa
1st Runner Up: Tom Ringold, Eden Prairie, Minn.
2nd Runner Up: Albert Chambers, Houston, Texas
Honorable Mention: Fawaz Charabally, Kuwait
Honorable Mention: Donald Cervantes, Houston, Texas
17.Pro Big Twin Class
Best of Show: George Marriott, Gardner, Kan.
18.Buell Class
Best of Show: Brent O’Connell, St. Charles, Ill.
Runner Up: Drake Matovich, Walkerton, Ind.
I'm not bitchin', you do what you have to do, but when you have a 2,000 mile trip after all the chaos and mayhem of building and shipping, I really don't know why i can't stand it.
But the story goes as it does, we were waiting anxiously in Jacksonville for our trailer. Yes, save the trailering crap for someone else, unless you can ride six bikes at the same time across the country and across water, from a Monday morning release (of the trailer) it extended to 4:30 PM Tuesday. We had to be in South Dakota by Thursday morning. Do the math, we have 2,000 miles to go in more or less than 30 hours.
Our first stop was a forced one, a flat trailer tire on the Georgia border. I say this, because it will be apart of the story later on. The tire wasn't the pain, it's just having to stop and get a new one quick, just in case. So we did it, and the only tire was a white wall car tire, Yeap, we pimped the ride.
Early in the morning we showed up at Hank Young's place. We picked up Pichigui's new '73 Shovel and Hank's chop, we scored another spare tire that Hank had lying around. So we took off once more to the Black Hills.
The rest of the trip into the Badlands was uneventful, and I won't bore you with details. We made it to the South Dakota border in 24 hours. A quarter of the trip awaited.We called our friends from Twisted Choppers but no answer so we sped up to Mitchell. Klockworks was there and we stopped to say hi, eat something and bash him for being a Hamster, (just for fun, please do not reinstate me on the Hamsters hit list and hate mail program).
We got a look at the new shop and got to eat a dinner bordering in breakfast. Also we met Scott from Road Weary films, time to haul ass once more. We stopped at a rest area 150 miles out of from Rapid City for a couple hours of shut eye. We drove twenty something hours straight. We arrived at the house in less than 32, including the stops and flats.
How many times have wished that the Black Hills and Sturgis where in the middle of Georgia or Tennessee, you have no fucking idea…..To some the trip there is like sailing, the fun part is getting there, riding their bikes and having a grand time on the road with friends. To me it's not, just a mad scramble so the fun can start. Maybe one of these days, if I get famous enough with TV and shit, someone else can drive up and I will ride there….
To me the fun is there, seeing all the friends who show up and we get to ride or party around with, the impromptu meetings and BBQ at my house. I mean getting to shoot the shit until the wee hours with people, some of you claim, I'm dropping names about, no crowds, no attitudes. That makes the whole pain of the drive more than worth it. Just friends.
On the trip up from I 90 we where received by a newbie, who came in too hot on a curve, I looked at what seemed a guy flying into our lane. I noticed the saucer eyes of panic, guess who would have lost that fight, a bike vs. my dually.
I guess God was with him that day, he just kept on going 'till a safe stop, and painting a double yellow line. Lucky bastard ! Five minutes later a deer was hopping next to us and in an instant crossed the road in front of us. Venison for the BBQ would not have been bad at all. It made me think of Bandit and his encounter, but we both got out safe this time. Welcome to the Black hills indeed, what a fucking start.
So before I forget, and I must mention this: no matter how much hate e-mail I receive from clueless riders, with all this sudden coolness and glamour of TV bikes, there seems to be a lot of new riders out there. What you've heard about feet draggers is not even close to reality. Sturgis and the surrounding areas is not a place for beginners. Add a couple beers and the attitude that comes with a new bike and there's a formula for trouble. This year there were nine fatalities. It's a shame, but two major components are nature and being stupid. Reality is, many of us can handle fast turns, some can't, ride to your ability not your friend's. There's no shame in being slower if it's safer for you. Remember, better to get there 5 minutes later than never. Don't try to carve Spearfish Canyon because your buddies are.
The second worst threat is deer. Those suckers will and do get in your way, and sometimes we are lucky, sometimes we end up with the loosing hand. I saw guys flying down I 90 at 3 a.m. How stupid is that? That road is dark as fuck and deer, mountain lion and other critters lurk in the dark. Like I said, better late than never. If you can't understand this go pick another hobby, or sell that 250 fat tire chop now.
Anyway, this is getting awful long ,so I better cut to the story.The museum was a blast, who's who in the industry was there. The coolest was that none of the bikes looked alike, everyone expressed their own style and there were some mean ass bobbers there. I'm sorry that I forgot some of the builders names, but they were all amazing bikes. I want to congratulate Michael Lichter for putting up one hell of a display, and the Journey Museum for being excellent hosts. If you go by Rapid city, you must stop there, and please make a donation, the survival of the museum depends on us.
The guys from WCC showed up by the house, steaks in hand ready for the grill, Jay Hodge had us laughing the whole night. Like I said, it's kick ass to be able to spend time and share stories with friends, Bill brought a bunch of primo stoogies and they all spent the night puffing away. Guys, you are always welcome at the house, anyday and everyday. We had a full house this year, with friends from all walks of life showing up and crashing there, and even people who we did not know, but quickly became part of the “circle”, again. That is the whole of it. The doors are always open.
One of our guests was Hank Young, and I mention this because there's a funny story coming, Alexis bike was put together by Fred from Phat Freddie's in Mo. He brought the bike all the way up, so we offered beds for the remaining of the week. One morning he wakes up and Hank's in the couch, “You are Hank Young” says Fred.
“Yes I know,” responds Hank.
Hank got This response when he introduced himself to Willie G, since WG was very interested in Josh's bike. Hank said, “Hi, I'm Hank Young.”
Willie responded, “Yes I know, my favorite bike is the Flying Pan.”
The guys from twisted choppers swung by as well. We had a hell of a crowd. We never had a quiet moment or a lack of mayhem. I really liked when Kai burned up a tire at our garage, and my mom got up to see what the fuck was going on. The whole house was full of tire smoke, for hours, to say the least she was not happy, but my dad was having the time of his life.
Even the nightly outings to Sturgis (which I never do) were a blast, Chad, Jeff and Kai, had all of us rolling on the floor with their antics and heavy duty jagger bomb consuming. One morning John from tribal rites in Ft Collin's showed up (as every year) with a bunch of friends. We met Carlos and Melissa, and I must say this: Melissa has a cool 1972 sporty, she kicks the damn thing and even gaps and changes the plugs if needed.
It was kick ass seeing all the yuppies drop their jaws when she started kicking the blue XL. They both stayed around and became part of the Motley crew of 318 Dixon, even Carlos lost his Sporty since Alexis scored it for Yari, his wife. Not before heading down to Mount rushmore and 16a in what seemed to be Polar bear butt temps. Everybody was making fun at me, since when I got to the Presidents,
What makes Sturgis, Sturgis is not the cool rides (which are a plus) nor the good times at the house, town or different booths, the photo shoots or museums, it was our friends. It's the people you spend a whole week with, day and night. No matter if I have known them for over 15 years or 15 minutes, true, simple, normal people is what makes this event an event to be at, no matter the long-ass drive, the cops or whatever else.
On the way back, which I hate even more than heading there, we stopped three more times. Yep, if you did'nt get bored after the first paragraph, three more trailer tires fucked up. We stopped once more at Hanks shop in Marietta and he hooked us up big time with four new trailer tires. He was busy getting ready for his new Discovery match, so we hung out for a bit and took off. I promised to come back soon if he needed help. That's what friends are for.
One thing is for sure, no matter what, we will see each other at the Black Hills next year….as simple or difficult as it may be.
–Jose, Bikernet Caribbean Reporter
I didn't make it to the Kid Rock concert… I was told that itwas the biggest crowd that the Buffalo Chip ever has had. Odd rumors floating around after the concert too – that Kid Rock wasarrested right after the concert – it was totally untrue – he was notarrested afterwards, and he went on to play a big concert in Sioux Fallsthe next night… He wasn't arrested there either… 🙂
The Sturgis Music Festival (the one that was cancelled) – I didn't haveany pics from there – didn't go to the first days events… And then ofcourse no one went to the later concerts…
–Randee Peterson
More Sturgis reports coming: The best Sturgis Bikes and Babes from Frank Kaisler, The CrazyHorse ride to the Badlands and anything else we may stumble on that might be of interest. Hang on.–Bandit
