Upcoming 75th Sturgis Rally. Five Things People Are Talking About.

sturgisrally1- How Many Will Be In And Around The Black Hills? 1 Million As Announced?

Most say that 1 million people are expected to converge on western South Dakota. Why is it that some anniversaries ending in 0 andr 5, like this year’s 75th Sturgis Rally edition, are perceived as being more important than other “normal” rallies? For sure the 75th is probably going to be the most epic of all other motorcycle rallies in history. The average age of the American V-twin biker being around 50+, many baby boomers want to enjoy this edition because they guess they will not be strong enough to participate to the 90th, 95th or 100th… During the rally, everybody from vendors to visitors is going to try to estimate the number of attendees. And when the rally ends we will get conflicting statements regarding this number, and of course nobody will ever know for sure… Factually we just know that the coefficient of occupation in hotels and campgrounds is at an absolute record high. A climbing consumer comfort, at least in the US, will help inflate the number of participants. Slight disappointment may come from foreign visitors penalized by a much stronger US dollar versus most major currencies. It’s especially true for Europeans for who a trip to South Dakota costs about 20% more than last year.

SturgisRallyLogoxsm2- Security And Traffic.

This 75th rally – officially August 3 – 9, but starting sooner and lasting longer -requires extra preparation from all parties involved. How will it feel for those living and working locally and for those working the rally? What about those traveling  to ride the Black Hills and around, about those wanting to attend as many events and concerts as possible?. State and local law enforcement, tourism officials and health professionals have been preparing during the last 2 years with staging exercises to prepare for the extraordinary. It goes from a terrorism act to Black Hills fires, from evacuation of the injured to traffic patterns and gridlock evasive roads. Transportation officials have taken such measures as the extension of the westbound lane off-ramp at Interstate 90 Exit 30 in Sturgis, the placement of automated and manned traffic signals throughout the hills and more than 30 remote-controlled message boards along major routes. A rally command center, including a Department of Transportation traffic monitoring operation, has been installed at Camp Rapid in Rapid City. Ambulances and law enforcement officers will be available from Nebraska and North Dakota through emergency agreements. Extra National Guard Blackhawk helicopters will be available if needed for medical evacuations. We all know that South Dakota is famous for its summer hail storms, but plans are in place to quickly clear Main Street in Sturgis and warn area campgrounds in case of approaching bad weather.… In 74 years, there was no major emergency event in Sturgis requiring the governor to declare an emergency. So, stop worrying about the traffic, of potential unpredictable events and just enjoy each minute of your stay in South Dakota.

SturgisRallyLogoxsm3- The Harley-Davidson Rally Point.

Building on the 75-year agreement that makes Harley-Davidson the rally’s official motorcycle brand, the Milwaukee company has built at the corner of Main St. and of Harley-Davidson Way (formerly 2nd St.) the Harley-Davidson Rally Point, a permanent year-round space for riders. Opening ceremony is today July 31st at noon. Should become the most congested Sturgis block with a multitude of events, concerts…and of course weddings. For the commotion, add bikers lining up to bring their motorcycles to an elevated area to take pictures with the iconic Sturgis sign as the backdrop. And if while visiting this Harley Plaza you may wonder about the price tag to build it. It’s about $2.3 million paid with funds from Harley-Davidson but also from vendors adjacent to Second Street during the annual Sturgis motorcycle rally.

SturgisRallyLogoxsm4- New Sturgis Indian Dealership. The Only Dealer Where All New Bikes Carry The Sturgis 75th Badge.

Indian Motorcycle Sturgis just opened on time the doors of their brand new dealership at 2130 Main Street .  One of the selling points of this dealership is that each new bike bought from Indian Motorcycle Sturgis has a name badge that says “Sturgis” on it. And this year being the 75th Sturgis edition, the badge says “Sturgis 75th.” The 24,000 sq ft showroom is a must visit. When you are done touring what is probably going to become the world’s number one seller of Indian motorcycles, go to watch the amazing show sponsored by Polaris at “The Wall of Death” just right around the corner.

SturgisRallyLogoxsm5- The Sturgis City Park Is Back.

The historic park in Downtown Sturgis at 599 Lazelle Street is back on the rally map as a new venue and opened yesterday Thursday, July 30 for a week-long celebration on the park grounds ending on Saturday, August 8. Each day, from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. the City Park is going to host no less than 7 bike shows, many concessions of custom parts vendors, clothing manufacturers, motorcycle stunts, bands, etc. The Sturgis City Park features a massive paved parking lot for riders not only to visit the events and activities in the Sturgis City Park but also allowing convenient access to Downtown Sturgis with a short walk or a quick, complimentary shuttle to the bars, restaurants, vendors, sponsor displays, etc.

And when you read this, I will be on my way to Sturgis, ready to report as “live” as possible on all major events.

10 Responses to “Upcoming 75th Sturgis Rally. Five Things People Are Talking About.”


  1. 1 grmp54 Jul 31st, 2015 at 11:29 am

    More cluster f*ck for the tourist biker set.

  2. 2 Highrider Jul 31st, 2015 at 8:21 pm

    Have fun for us!!!!!

  3. 3 Moe Dickstien Aug 1st, 2015 at 9:14 am

    Another year or I miss the Sturgis Rally been riding for 50 years you think I would make at least one but between financial planning ex-wives etc. ECT. I missed another one

  4. 4 ROGUE Aug 1st, 2015 at 9:57 am

    I am here and a lot of traffic coming in. It will take some planning to get to see and attend things you want to.
    I expect the normal amount of issues when the expected amount of people gather in one area.
    I will be covering some of the events but expect to enjoy my time while in Sturgis and the Black Hills

  5. 5 Boomer Aug 1st, 2015 at 10:02 am

    I’m in Sturgis now and everyone is saying there are way more people than ever before. Not sure that’s good thing for the folks but definitely a good thing for the people putting in all the work to make it happen.

  6. 6 john reed Aug 1st, 2015 at 11:11 am

    People say you should not break the law but if you live close to the edge and fall off in Sturgis there are things you should know.
    If you live out of state your bail could be many thousands of dollars,possibly about $17000,
    You can pay cash to get out of jail but If you haven’t you would have to leave your nuts behind as collateral if you use a bail bondsman
    If you and your buddies have that amount on your credit cards they will not take it,then you have to get a bondsman who has an account with the jail, he will come with
    a credit card machine and consolidates your cards up to the needed amount and gives them a check to get you out ,you will get the money back less fines,court costs and his fee when you have squared everything away.
    I recommend Shaun at Chaffee bail bonds (they have his number in the wall at the jail).
    Something that is a misdemeanor in your state is a big deal in South Dakota because they make a lot of money from fines so they are ridiculously expensive .
    YOU MUST NOT PLEAD GUILTY
    If you want any of your savings left after you finish this exercise you have to get a good lawyer immediately
    I think the best lawyer in Sturgis is Matt Kinney ( mention my name and he will give you a discount joke joke joke)
    PS,
    If you have the right attitude Deadwood city jail isn’t all that bad

  7. 7 Rodent Aug 1st, 2015 at 8:36 pm

    Damn, I missed getting gouged again.

  8. 8 B. D. Aug 1st, 2015 at 11:08 pm

    I went to Sturgis once (twenty years ago) and won’t go back. I spent the night of my fortieth birthday in jail for catching a ride home with a guy who was drinking and driving. He got pulled over and stashed his open can of beer under the seat and busted for DUI. I was told that I wasn’t under arrest and that, since I passed a breathaliyzer, I could drive the guy’s truck back to the campground to avoid having it towed.

    Then the cop found the open can of beer and proclaimed that if I had $75 on me (the fine for having an open container in a car) that I could pay it and was free to go. And I would have paid it to avoid going to jail but I only had about $65 on me (the rest was locked up in my motorhome) and that didn’t cut it.

    Even though the driver and I both insisted that it was his beer, I was arrested and taken to jail. And I was pissed off.

    The next morning, they nol prossed the charge and I walked. But the point was made – they wanted to arrest anyone that they could because making guys like me pay fines during the motorcycle event is big business for the town of Sturgis.

    I’ve gone to Daytona at least twenty times and never had anything remotely like this happen. So guess where I’ll go for their 75th anniversary?

  9. 9 hdrider Aug 3rd, 2015 at 12:09 pm

    I go to Sturgis every other year. This is not the year. The crowds are bad in the off years, can’t imagine 1 million this year. Usually stay at the dorms at Black Hills State Universuty in Spearfish. Great accommodations reasonably close.

  10. 10 EZJ Aug 4th, 2015 at 7:28 am

    Sourpusses. Here with pals from 3 states. 2 couples trailered. 1 couple from ID rode. We’re @ Glencoe having a blast.

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Cyril Huze