STURGIS RALLY 2011
My Collection of where to go and what to do at Sturgis Rally. I've been going up every couple years since 1995. This is a bunch of information for the Sturgis Rally as well as some Tips and Tricks if you haven't been to Sturgis before.
Sturgis, Rally, 2011, sturgis rally 2011, Motorcycle, South Dakota, Biker, Events, Full Throttle Saloon, Buffalo chip, camping
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HISTORY
The Full Throttle Saloon
One eyed Jacks Saloon
Great place to stop off on your Rushmore ride
My story about dropping by Sturgis in 2000 on the way to Grandmas House
Sturgis Rally Official Site
Pinboard
Top 10 Tips if you've never been to Sturgis

The Golden Rule as shared by an old biker:
Treat me good and I'll treat you better. Treat me bad and I'll treat you worse.

1) You are not a bad ass.
Seriously, you will meet people who are. It's not always easy to tell who really is until it's way too late. Remember rule #1 and you'll have great time.
IF you don't believe rule number 1, head over to the open extreme fights at the Knuckle Saloon. Sign up and have fun.
BTW Don't stick a 1% patch on you're vest. It's pretty obvious who is and who isn't a 1%er and those who are take it Very seriously.

2) Show respect
Despite what Hollywood and the media says, bikers are really big on respect. Give it and you'll get it back.   I've hung out with members of outlaw clubs many times at Sturgis. Remeber the Golden Rule and all will be well.
The funny thing is, once you get back home, you'll think everyone there is rude.

3) Ride your Bike! Leave the trailer home
This is a biker rally. If you trailer your bike, you're not a biker. Nobody really cares what you ride as long as you rode it.
I ride a Kawasaki Vulcan Classic. About the only time I was ever given any real grief was the first time I went. Then this scary looking outlaw club guy comes into the bar and shouts that someone's Vulcan's leaking all over the place. Figuring I was pretty well screwed at that point I went out to assess the damage. The guy had poured a bag of rice under my bike. I went back in and bought him a beer. He was laughing so hard he had tears running down his cheeks. Turned into a pretty fun night and I made some new friends.

4) Carry $250 cash on you at all times.
Relieving yourself in an alley will get you a $100 fine cash on the spot OR a night in jail if you don't have cash on you.
Everything is expensive. You will spend more money that your planning on. The Full Throttle's ATMs only give out $50 bills. That should be a clue.

5) Don't Drink and Ride!
It's dead obvious and you'll be arrested. The cops have a zero tolerance policy about that one.
Use Da Bus - most campgrounds have a shuttle stop these days.
Any drugs are an automatic arrest. "Came on Vacation Left on Probation" is only funny on a T-shirt. SD has very harsh drug laws.

6) Cell Phones /wifi
The population of Sturgis is 6,000. That's what the cell phone towers are designed to handle. It takes alot of speed dialing to manage to make a call. What's getting to be a running joke is it's easier to find a wifi connection. Oddly enough, it turns out a lot of Geeks are bikers. It's prety damn funny when you walk up on bunch of "scary looking bikers" discussing LINUX server configurations.

7) Buy your beer at the gas station
Campgrounds charge a fortune! Bars even more so.
Make yourself a Sturgis Cooler! Put a trashbag insde your saddle bag and fill it with ice and beer. :-)
Share your beer. Best way to make friends at Sturgis is to walk up to the neighbors and offer them beers.

8) Essential supplies -- Rain Gear! Bandanna! Pepto!  Sunscreen! Trash Bags! Water!
Rain Gear - Rain, hail, high winds. It happens every year.
I like to pack a few trashbags in my saddle bags. Wrap a couple round your legs before you put on your chaps and you'll thank me later when you hit the monsoons. Same goes for a fleece. Riding long distances in rain gets damn cold!
Bandanna - Always have a bandanna on you. It'll take the sting out of rain on your face and you can soak it in water and stick it on your head when it's too hot.
Pepto - good for all sorts of maladies you want to deal with on a long ride. Did I mention grease is a food group in Sturgis?
Sunscreen - You're going to be outside ALL day everyday.
Water bottles - Hyrdrate or die. If you're not used to all day rides you won't believe how dehydrated you get.

9) Bring tools
Duct tape, adjustable wrench, metric and regular Allen wrenches. You might not be the one who broke down, but you will meet people who have. If you save someone a tow from the middle of nowhere, you just made a friend for life!  BTW - when I busted up my ankle I was able to duct tape it back together well enough to make the 500 mile ride home. Fantastic stuff!

10) Have Fun!
Everybody came to have a good time. Kick back with a cold one and enjoy the freak show.  Talk to people. Drinking beer and swapping stories is what it's all about. Well that and the three B's.   You'll be back...

BONUS TIP! Everything is half price on the last day. Wait till the 14th to do your shopping.


    Information SmartMark:
    Shows Information found on the Internet
    site name:  weather.com
    page title:  10 Day Weather Forecast for Sturgis - weather.com
    added by:  Eric May
    added on:  July 28, 2011, 12:50 PM
    Sturgis Weather Forcast

    What a surprise, hot with isolated thunderstorms. Just like every year... You can check the latest weather here. The reality is pretty much always the same. It'll be really hot, then you'll be freezing in the rain. Then it gets hot again and you dry off.

    Information SmartMark:
    Shows Information found on the Internet
    site name:  buffalochip.com
    page title:  Sturgis Rally 2011, Buffalo Chip Campground, Concerts, Sturgis
    added by:  Eric May
    added on:  July 27, 2011, 08:08 PM
    Buffalo Chip Campground

    The Biggest and Most Famous. Great place to party. Pretty much it's own little world during Sturgis. This place has a well deserved reputaion as being insane. Also very expensive these days. Of course they also have some of the best bands.

    First time I went to Sturgis this is where I camped. When I asked the waitress for directions she said "You don't want to go there. Those people are bug F*ck insane." She was right! I had a blast.

    Information SmartMark:
    Shows Information found on the Internet
    site name:  sturgismotorcyclerally.com
    page title:  71st Annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally | Events | Concerts | News | Rally Guide | Lodging | Black Hills | Mayors Ride | 2011 | City Of Riders
    added by:  Eric May
    added on:  July 28, 2011, 12:30 PM
    Sturgis Rally Official Site

    Good Starting point for events and general Information.

    71st Annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, August 8-14, 2011

    Information SmartMark:
    Shows Information found on the Internet
    site name:  sturgis.com
    page title:  The 71st Anniversary Sturgis Rally 2011. Schedules, Lodging, Merchandise, 135,000+ Sturgis Rally pictures and more....
    added by:  Eric May
    added on:  July 27, 2011, 08:06 PM
    Sturgis.com

    Basic Info on Sturgis. Lots of Ads...

    The 71st Anniversary Sturgis Rally 2010, Schedules, Lodging, Merchandise, 135,000+ Sturgis Rally pictures and more....

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Pinboard
    Information SmartMark:
    Shows Information found on the Internet
    site name:  theknuckle.com
    page title:  Sturgis Rally
    added by:  Eric May
    added on:  July 27, 2011, 10:42 PM
    The Knuckle Saloon

    Fun bar and a great place to go watch people beat the crap out of each other. Fights are open to anyone and start at 5:00. Great Burgers.

    The Knuckle Saloon & Grill is located in downtown Sturgis and rests on property once owned by Sturgis's namesake Colonel Samuel D. Sturgis. Steeped in the rich history of the black hills

    Information SmartMark:
    Shows Information found on the Internet
    site name:  fullthrottlesaloon.com
    page title:  Sturgis Rally 2011 | Sturgis Concerts | Events | Bike Shows | Dancers | Sturgis Rally | Sturgis Rally | Sturgis South Dakota | Full Throttle Saloon
    added by:  Eric May
    added on:  July 27, 2011, 10:38 PM
    The Full Throttle Saloon

    My favorite bar in Sturgis. This place is just plain fun! And it is huge. Bring cash and lots of it. Admssion was free. Food and beer costs a small fortune. The ATMs at the Full throttle only give out $50 bills - that should be a clue.

    Get Sturgis Rally Concert Information, Sturgis Rally Photographs, Video and more from the leading world's Largest Biker Bar, Michael Ballard's Full Throttle Saloon. Visit Sturgis South Dakota during the 2011 Sturgis Rally.

    Information SmartMark:
    Shows Information found on the Internet
    site name:  brokenspokesaloon.com
    page title:  The Legendary Broken Spoke Saloon - The World's Biggest Biker Bar - Sturgis, Daytona, Laconia, Myrtle Beach
    added by:  Eric May
    added on:  July 27, 2011, 09:41 PM
    Broken Spoke

    Great bar!

List View
Party at Night - The day is for riding

There's a reason the biggest biker rally is in Sturgis. And that reason is the Black Hills are awesome for riding. Here's a few of my favorites. Also it's very, very likely there will still be beers available in Sturgis when you get back. And you'll have some new stories to tell.


Great place to stop off on your Rushmore ride
My story about dropping by Sturgis in 2000 on the way to Grandmas House
List View
Camping is the way to Go in Sturgis.

For people who haven't been here's a few tips.

1) Beer is VERY expensive everywhere.
By it at the gas station, get a keep styrofoam cooler and fill it up with beer and ice. Repeat as neccessary.
In 2009 $5 for a can of Bud was pretty normal at the bars. Get yourself ready before you go out and look for Da Bus.
Share your beer! It's agreat way to meet new friends. Especaially after the bars and liquor stores close.

2) You will get rained on or hailed on. I hit the campground shortly after the baseball sized hail hit it.
Great insight into Biker mentality. Everyone covered their scooters with their sleeping bags. No one slept that night. Good party.

3) There are no campfires in any campground I've stayed at.
If you're planning on saving a few bucks and cooking for yourself, bring a propane burner. Or just buy outragously priced greasy food like everyone else.

4) Bring Trash bags and duck tape
Trash bags make great rain gear when you need them. Keep you stuff dry when need be.
Duct tape is just essential.  One year I completely jacked my ankle during a rainstorm. I thought it was broken.  With a duct tape wrap I was able to get through the 500 mile ride home.

5) If the sound of loud pipes keeps you up, don't even bother to come.
Someone, somewhere is always got their bike reving. Oddly you get used to it pretty quick.


Pinboard
You Made Your reservation 10 years ago Right?

The only time I ever stayed in a hotel was the first time I went up. Got in way too late to find a campground. Closest place I could find was Hill city. I rented a room that had a big sign on the back of the door that said "This hotel has fixed rates. This room will never be more than $45..." I paid $350 for the night.

Camping is the way to go!

If you absolutely don't want to camp you can rent a tuff shed to sleep in at the Full throttle for about $150/night.