Sturgis Rally and Races 2008
Sturgis Rally and Races Event Page
Whether other events are local, regional, state wide, or national events, they all seem to pale at the site of Sturgis or Daytona numbers. These really special events , are and always should be in a class of their own and will probably be ranked nearly 5 Monsters each year.
Don’t get me wrong, Laconia is nice, Myrtle Beach beautiful, but really nothing like Sturgis or Daytona.
Also when you judge the attendance and success of these events, it is hard to use the same standards as with the rest of the world. Having set up a different standard for the “two big boys”, I’d now like to say that when an event is down in numbers to maybe 400,000 from 550,000, you really can’t say it was not a success. It’s sort of like saying I earned only $400,000 down from last years $550,000.
Either way I’m “way north of rich and the event very successful”, even with only my disappointing 400,000.
Having set up this “way north of successful scenario”, I’d like to say that this years Sturgis Rally and Races was down in attendance but still very successful. Attendance was probably down a 150,000 folks from last year but still a very impressive show. I’m also not sure how you tell 550,000 people from 400,000 bikers spread out over hundreds and thousands of miles of highways and dozens of towns
The only thing I know is that there were thousands of great people in Sturgis and the Monster spent 11 days “cheesing to the camera” with several thousand of these fine biker folks daily. The line never seemed to end or the supply of Harleys and riders to diminish. I’d call it a bonanza of bikers.
Also the weather was perfect, the countryside roads inviting and the biker folks grand.
Ok, maybe a parking spot was a little easier to find and the lines were not as long at the restaurant.
So, I will admit that, this mega rally was down a bit in size, but still very successful, lots of fun, and somehow still very special to all those able to attend.
If you are a Harley person, you really need to attend Sturgis, at least once. I went to Daytona for 25 years before I made it to Sturgis. This may sound really corny, unless you have been to Sturgis. As a rider and motorcycle person, I wasn’t fulfilled in a “biker kind of way” til I landed on Main in Sturgis. If you have been there, you know exactly what I mean. That feeling you get when the winds in your face is multiplied in certain biker spots and Sturgis is one of them.
As long as the Presidents are at Rushmore, the buffalo at Custer, the curves and the “Pig Tails” and ZZ at the Chip, the Sturgis Rally will be good, very good. You just can’t find a place that has as much to offer riders as South Dakota with the natural beauty and great folks. It’s probably the best ever event for motorcycle types.
Is it perfect??.. not quite yet. Too many bad ass cops trying to look intimidating…. Too many “rip offs” at restaurants… too many $3.00 beers… too many $200.00 motel rooms, and too many 5.00 bike parking spots.
But one thing for sure, the Monster will be there as long as he can throw his leg over that old Harley and head west, on the first of August.
This years Sturgis Rally and Races gets a 4 and ½ rating “Almost a Monster Event”
See you in the Black Hills.
