The Sturgis.com Blog

  STURGIS — The 72nd Sturgis Motorcycle Rally has attracted thousands upon thousands of motorcycle enthusiasts this week, and officials reported the preliminary estimates show attendance is up, compared to the past few years. “We're having a great week so far,” said Rod Woodruff, CEO of the Legendary Buffalo Chip. “We're very pleased with the attendance, as it's the best it's been in years.”   Click to read the full story...

  STURGIS — There were almost exactly half as many entrants in this year's American Motorcycle Dealer Magazine (AMD) World Championship of Custom Bike Building contest as 2011, but quality was there in spades. UK-based AMD held its custom bike world championship Wednesday afternoon, pulling in 43 entries from all over the world, all vying for first place in their respective classes: Freestyle, Modified Harley-Davidson, Performance Custom, and Production Manufacturer. AMD Championship Dir...

  STURGIS — If you don't ride it, it's not a motorcycle. It's that simple. The Sturgis Motorcycle Rally draws all kinds of bikes and bikers to the Black Hills every year, including many high-dollar custom bikes that only see the light of the sun on short walks from trailer to display. For world-renowned motorcycle photographer Michael Lichter and a phalanx of hardcore bikers young and old, this is wrong. Yes, motorcycles can be works of art, but they must be ridden. Lichter curated a cus...

DEADWOOD — More than 100 women joined together Wednesday to celebrate motorcycling with the second annual Biker Belles ride. The ride was organized as a fundraiser for the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum and Hall of Fame, and the Helping with Horsepower project, which helps young women learn life lessons by rebuilding damaged motorcycles. Wednesday's event included a 77-mile ride through the Northern Hills, a reception at the Legendary Buffalo Chip Campground, a silent auction, a live auction, and...

DEADWOOD — Seven icons in the motorcycle industry joined dozens of legends before them when they were honored and inducted into the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum Hall of Fame Wednesday morning.   Click to read the full story...

  SPEARFISH — Seniors are receiving a helping hand this week, as a Minnesota man has dedicated his vacation to sprucing up a local home and volunteering his time at the Spearfish Senior Center. “If you have the ability to do something you have an obligation to do something because there's no sense in just sitting around,” said Ray Waldron, 66, of Minneapolis, Minn. “These are my friends, and I'm going to help them out.”   Click to read the full story...

  STURGIS — Dozens of dignitaries and motorcycle enthusiasts, including several local mayors, state legislators, celebrities, industry professionals and motorcycling legends joined Sturgis Mayor Mark Carstensen on a cruise through some of the Black Hills' most picturesque vistas on Monday for the 10th annual City of Riders Sturgis Mayor's Ride. The group departed from the Motorcycle Expo headquartered at the Sturgis Community Center at 9 a.m. on Monday, en route to Mount Rushmore and Cus...

  DEADWOOD — Special Olympian Jamie Davey surveyed Main Street Deadwood on Monday with a huge smile on his face, as he watched hundreds of motorcycles line up to support his favorite organization. Davey, of Rapid City, is one of 500 Black Hills Special Olympics participants who benefit from the Legends Ride every year. The annual ride, organized by the Buffalo Chip Campground and the city of Deadwood, benefits the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum and the Black Hills Special Olympics. Proceeds t...

  STURGIS — Bikers have taken over the streets as the 72nd annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally officially gets started today. Brenda Vasknetz, director of the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally said officials anticipate a 20 to 30 percent larger crowd this year. Statistically, she said attendance numbers are always down in the year following a major anniversary. Last year officials estimated about 416,000 bikers at the Rally, down from 467,000 for the 70th anniversary. This year, based on campground a...

  SPEARFISH — It's not Rally time yet and already the streets and highways are rumbling with the sounds of motorcycles. “It's pretty congested out there,” Christina Steele, a member of the Sturgis Rally public relations staff, said Thursday afternoon. “Main Street is mostly all bikes and it isn't even all blocked off yet. That happens tonight.”   Click to read the full story...