Will be in Sturgis in a week. First time for me and my bro. Staying in Hill City for the week. Gonna ride our butts off. Looking for hints & sage advice. Thanks

 

I stayed in Hill City in 09, nice place. U gotta have the Buffalo burger, good eatin. Hit all the highlights, none will dissapoint. Stay safe and take lots of pics.

 

Be aware of other riders and cagers. The traffic can be really heavy and a lot of riders that can not ride especially in the hills and mountains. Gas up out side of Sturgis the lines can be pretty long in town. Some of the scenic areas also have big crowds. There's usually plenty of parking spaces in Sturgis you just may have to park a couple of blocks away. Don't miss the Harley tent (free parking for Harleys). Go to Full Throttle Salon it's a super interesting place even in the day time. Black Hills Harley is also a don't miss, allow at least a couple of hours there. We enjoyed just walking around in Sturgis. There's no shortage of interesting people and bikes to see and some vendors with super bargains. You are there to have a good time, no hard schedules and if you miss something it's a great reason to return another year.

 

Ride man Ride! Vanocker Canyon, Spearfish Canyon, Iron Mountain Road, Custer wild life loop, Needles Highway and ride to Crazy Horse monument, Devil's Tower and visit Custer, Deadwood, Bella Fourche and many many others.

Just pick up the map that every place had and see it you can get to all the places.

 

Be prepared to do some sitting in traffic, even on the scenic routes through the hills. There is a spot where there is a one lane tunnel through a mountain and that always backs up. Custer Park is a slow roll tour but it backs sometimes too. Still is very worth the trip through. Take water with you and drink it when sitting in traffic so you don't get dehydrated. The bike will do OK, but will give off some good heat.

When riding stay off the center line, its easy to drift your bars across and whack an oncoming bike, which will be bad news for all involved. Rain will pop up all over the place at anytime, usually just ride on through and you will hit a dry spot. Hail can pop up too, very prevalent in Deadwood for some reason. Check out the cemetery there, Wild Bill Hickock and Calamity Jane are buried there. Its at the top of a steep road so pay attention riding up.

When you go to Mt. Rushmore you will get a pass that will attach to your bars or mirror and its good the entire time you are there. Both times I rode out there I would go to breakfast each day at the restaurant in Mt. Rushmore as it was cheap and excellent food with an outstanding view from a big air conditioned glass fronted room while you eat. Usually not too busy in the mornings either and if you go early the roads are pretty clear too.

Lots of places to stop and eat or drink wherever you go, but all will be crowded with parking a premium. Waiting in line for everything will be the norm. When you ride out to Devils Tower I would advise to leave early in the morning and get there early as it really gets hard to park as it gets more crowded. The road goes in, makes a small loop and comes back out so its slow tire to tire riding with plenty of campers, motor-homes and cars thrown in.

When in Sturgis itself check out the motorcycle museum right on Main street. Has lots of cool classic bikes, and customs, along with a very cool air conditioned atmosphere and nice bathrooms. Make sure, if you park on Main street, make a note of where you park and look for a store or business nearby as a marker. I nearly couldn't find my bike when I went back for it. They have some huge bars in Sturgis, but again be prepared to wait a while to get the high priced drinks. The waitresses seem to think twerking or playing sexy is more important than serving customers. At least that was my experience at One Eyed Jacks.

There was a small shop at the eastern end of Main street run by the Hells Angels. Don't bother trying to make nice with them as they are all dickheaded ********, but they have some pretty cool jewelry and other trinkets you can buy. I bought some earrings for my wife 3 years ago and she wears them quite a bit. Nothing says Hells Angels on it so some of the stuff can be worn in regular company.

Pretty much every town within about 40 miles or so of Sturgis is still part of the rally so they also will be crowded with bikes, people and bars and eating places packed. Hit Wall on the way in or out and hit up Wall Drugs. Its like an old west mall with all kinds of things and shops and an awesome restaurant. And some bars nearby too. I have bought knives in their knife shop every time I have been there.

Its an awesome experience out there.

 

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I went for the first time last year. Coming from Houston in August I would have never believed that leathers were necessary but they were. It gets cool there overnight. Have a great trip.

 

The Black Hills offer so many things to do. IH4X4 nailed it for the rides.
Never been there for Bike Week but have been there 6 times in the last 12 years.
We had a family get together in Hill City last month and here are a few things we did:
The train ride from Hill City to Keystone, Jewel Cave National Monument is just west of Custer, Wind Cave is south towards Hot Springs. Bear Country if you can find a cage to go in or just tour the walking part. Gold Mine tours, Stamper Gold has a store just outside Rapid for Harley jewelry.


If you fall in love with the area and want to come back when it's not so busy early Sept is our favorite time. Kids are back in school so the number of tourist are way down and the roads are not crowded.
I read a few articles up there last month about increased presence of Law Enforcement and zero tolerance so be careful.
It's a great place, hope you have a wonderful time, Ride Safe.

 

since your already near rushmore. do the Peter Norbeck Scenic Byway first. maybe it won't be as busy. it's a great ride but would be a lot better if you didn't have to stop for traffic

 

lh4x4 nailed it as one says...Sturgis itself is a freaking mess. We were there a week and spent maybe a 1/2 day in town. Beautiful riding out there and like someone said ..watch out for storms...Keep an eye on radar and be prepared to do some freaking high speed jaunts to stay ahead of some of them when possible