Sturgis 2016

Started by tj, January 04, 2016, 09:25:55 AM

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tj

4 days til we're off...


tj

Quote from: Gredwar on June 05, 2016, 10:42:50 AM

I'm leaving on the first swinging by Calgary for a day then I'll make my way will be staying at BHSU in the black hills when are you planning on riding back?

wed the 10th.

Gredwar

I'm leaving on the first swinging by Calgary for a day then I'll make my way will be staying at BHSU in the black hills when are you planning on riding back?


tj

Quote from: Gredwar on June 03, 2016, 23:24:38 PM

I'm making the trip for the first time also and looking to ride along with others

we will be leaving the 3rd from woodstock. arriving on the 5th and staying in rapid city.

when do you plan on leaving? and where you staying?


Gredwar

I'm making the trip for the first time also and looking to ride along with others


tj

yes it's rigid and it can be used as a backrest!

google "bikers friend bag" and it will come up. i found them to be expensive...located this one on kijiji for $75.


greenbarn

Quote from: tj on March 11, 2016, 19:22:12 PM

new bag for the rally. holds about 30 litres of stuff.

Nice looking bag.  Do you have any contact info for us?  Is the liner PVC?  looks like it would be rigid, even when empty,and water proof....     
No Worries

tj

Quote from: CDNRatMan on March 11, 2016, 19:47:47 PM

tj just to let you know........I had a sissy bar pack with a roll pack on top. This was super cool and packed a lot of stuff, and I had my throw over saddle bags. Last minute I bought a modular helmet for bad weather. had all this cargo netted on the back of my bike. In the state of Maryland, had to stop for a pit stop......came out and someone seems they had more need to the modular helmet then I did and removed it off my bike, never noticed it gone till that night at the motel........but did notice the bike looked funny after the pit stop but not sure why......so bought a new sissy bar pack that will fit a modular helmet inside it.....bit higher then I like but it will carry all my gear for my 2 trips this summer......

makes you wonder about people sometimes.

CDNRatMan

  tj just to let you know........I had a sissy bar pack with a roll pack on top. This was super cool and packed a lot of stuff, and I had my throw over saddle bags. Last minute I bought a modular helmet for bad weather. had all this cargo netted on the back of my bike. In the state of Maryland, had to stop for a pit stop......came out and someone seems they had more need to the modular helmet then I did and removed it off my bike, never noticed it gone till that night at the motel........but did notice the bike looked funny after the pit stop but not sure why......so bought a new sissy bar pack that will fit a modular helmet inside it.....bit higher then I like but it will carry all my gear for my 2 trips this summer......

GPS is not to get you THERE but rather to get you home from THERE

tj

new bag for the rally. holds about 30 litres of stuff.


tj

Just checked out the Ludington/Manitowoc ferry, thanks...food for thought.


Troll

Personally, I think you'd be better served by the Ludington/Manitowoc ferry....getting out of Milwaukee is almost as bad as Chicago....If it were me, I'd go around the lake at the UP, and in by Green Bay...but that's just me. The ferries are ok, done that...

Recovering H-D owner...W-650 Cafe' No excuses...Ride it or sell it to someone who will!

tj

A couple years ago we went to the tail of the dragon. That was 2 days of riding each way...great experience, although on the way back I was thinking how nice a trailer would be!
From Ontario, we figure Sturgis is 3 days of riding each way...roughly 2200kms or about 1400 miles. We will be taking the ferry from Michigan to Milwaukee...trying to stay out of the mess they call Chicago.
A different route on the way back is a good idea...have to look at the map.


CDNRatMan

 ;) like I did for Drift In, was an awesome experience.......and stop along the way and met Drifter riders in all of the states......

GPS is not to get you THERE but rather to get you home from THERE

Troll

The long ride, there AND back is the best part of the whole experience! Make it a loop so you don't have to go back the same way!

Recovering H-D owner...W-650 Cafe' No excuses...Ride it or sell it to someone who will!

bambam0099

#6
Quote from: tj on February 22, 2016, 10:23:52 AM

I've heard that the riding should be done before or after the rally because of all the traffic...don't know how true that is...

Part of the fun for us was to ride among hundreds of others bike.  There were a few instances where you could feel the ground shake at a stop light.  It was a really great experience and one that we are looking forward to again.  The only downside is that certain areas like Devils Tower, etc., took forever to get into.

You're riding from Ontario?  We thought of riding from our area, Utica NY, but one guy kept telling me, "The problem with that long of a ride is that you have to ride back!".  Needless to say, we trailered our bikes and make the 26hr drive driving straight through both ways.  Have to admit, glad we did, especially when we ran into a few big rain storms.

Remember, last year was the 75th Anniversary with over a million bikers; I doubt there will be that many this year but who knows.

Government's first duty is to protect the people, not run their lives.
- Ronald Reagan

tj

Quote from: gdrudd13 on February 22, 2016, 08:05:05 AM

The riding around Sturgis is fantastic. Part of what there is to do depends on how far away you want to ride. There is great riding in the badlands. If you want to go farther away, Beartooth highway is fantastic to ride, so is Chief Joseph Highway. Ride beartooth second as it is a much better ride and nothing seems as good after you ride it. Also a little bit of ride is Cody wyoming. If you're into firearms at all, you'll want to go to the buffalo bill museum. One entire wing is firearms. You have to go to the basement though, phenomenal gun collection. Both those might be a little far to ride during the day, but if you have time on either side of your trip they're worth a stop.

Can't help much with the Sturgis part. I went there last summer, but not during the rally. There were still a ton of motorcycles there.

I've heard that the riding should be done before or after the rally because of all the traffic...don't know how true that is...

tj

One suggestion, never let your tank get under 1/2 if you can if you ride out of the state like we did.  There were a couple times that we thought we were going to run out of gas and barely made it to a filling station.  In fact, the next time, we are each bringing an extra 2 gallons of gas to keep on our bike.   Obviously, common sense things like water, rain gear, tools and battery jump (yes, our friends ride Harleys!  LOL!) were important.

We'll be staying in Rapid City also.   Counting the days!

Here's a link to a few pictures we took last year
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B7dDzA_iCGZJfm1HM2JLY3paR3pUalVNUklIZGJBQUhXR3k5cmp5UG5xbERUMzB4UTBVY1E
[/quote]

2 gallons...wow. I was thinking to put an extra litre in the bag. I'll have to rethink that.

Alot of nice pics! Love the customs. Nice trailer and a sharp looking drifter you have there. We talked about trailering the bikes, but we're riding instead...still not sure if that's a good idea lol.

We'll be at the econolodge. Not sure if we're booking hotels on the way there and back yet.


gdrudd13

The riding around Sturgis is fantastic. Part of what there is to do depends on how far away you want to ride. There is great riding in the badlands. If you want to go farther away, Beartooth highway is fantastic to ride, so is Chief Joseph Highway. Ride beartooth second as it is a much better ride and nothing seems as good after you ride it. Also a little bit of ride is Cody wyoming. If you're into firearms at all, you'll want to go to the buffalo bill museum. One entire wing is firearms. You have to go to the basement though, phenomenal gun collection. Both those might be a little far to ride during the day, but if you have time on either side of your trip they're worth a stop.

Can't help much with the Sturgis part. I went there last summer, but not during the rally. There were still a ton of motorcycles there.

2000 Drifter 800

bambam0099

Quote from: tj on January 04, 2016, 09:25:55 AM

My stepson and I are planning a trip to Sturgis in 2016. We have booked (booked in September last year...crazy how far in advance you must book) a room in Rapid City, staying for 5-6 days. Departing from southern Ontario, we figure it will take 3 days each way.

Neither of us has ever been. Any advise on the do's and don'ts is appreciated.

Anyone attending this event?

I'm going again but this year, I am leaving a week early so I can ride Yellowstone, National Glacier and Grand Canyon.  We will "come back East" and do Sturgis.

last year was my 1st year and it was awesome.  The fun is not Sturgis per se', it's the riding outside of Sturgis.  I mean, once you ride into Sturgis and spend a day there, how many more times do you want to see the same thing?

I'm not a bar guy without my wife (she didn't go last year) but we did stop into Full Throttle and The Buffalo Chip to see Shinedown and Brett Michaels and got caught in a hell'ascios hail storm that verged on tornado winds.  It was the scariest night ride I've ever had but fun to look back on now.

Bring a laptop and a gps and plot out your routes.  We left every morning at 7:30 and rode everyday until dark.  The small towns are the best and of course, the Badlands, Mt Rushmore, Devils Tower, Black Hills, etc., etc.    2200 miles in 5 days is alot of riding!

One suggestion, never let your tank get under 1/2 if you can if you ride out of the state like we did.  There were a couple times that we thought we were going to run out of gas and barely made it to a filling station.  In fact, the next time, we are each bringing an extra 2 gallons of gas to keep on our bike.   Obviously, common sense things like water, rain gear, tools and battery jump (yes, our friends ride Harleys!  LOL!) were important.

We'll be staying in Rapid City also.   Counting the days!

Here's a link to a few pictures we took last year
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B7dDzA_iCGZJfm1HM2JLY3paR3pUalVNUklIZGJBQUhXR3k5cmp5UG5xbERUMzB4UTBVY1E

Government's first duty is to protect the people, not run their lives.
- Ronald Reagan

tj

My stepson and I are planning a trip to Sturgis in 2016. We have booked (booked in September last year...crazy how far in advance you must book) a room in Rapid City, staying for 5-6 days. Departing from southern Ontario, we figure it will take 3 days each way.

Neither of us has ever been. Any advise on the do's and don'ts is appreciated.

Anyone attending this event?


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