A Novice Riders Sturgis Tale

One of our readers, Donna Franklin, told us that she was going to be making her first long ride and it was going to be to Sturgis. She volunteered to tell us about her exploits on her first adventure on the road. So here is Donna’s excellent trip to Sturgis.

“I left on Saturday morning with my two friends from Georgia and the ride of 422 miles was wonderful, the weather good and my Harley Sportster 1200 L held the road well and was a more comfortable ride than what I thought it would be. I packed a weeks worth of clothes in my saddlebags and was able to fit everything in that I needed.

We arrived in Keystone around dinner time, got a good nights sleep and headed to Sturgis on Sunday. I was anxious to ride my bike down Main Street and that is just what I did before finding a parking place and joining the crowd of people, bikes, and vendors.  The smell of food was everywhere along with all the glitz and glitter of the t-shirts and anything you could wear or put on your bike.  One-eyed Jacks was cool inside so met some friends from Oklahoma then spent the day shopping and taking in all that we could in one long day.

The next few days were spent riding through Custer State Park, Wind Cave, Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse, Deadwood, Hill City and Keystone. While cruising through Custer State Park a large herd of buffalo decided to cross the road and there I was sitting on my bike with these huge creatures passing right before my eyes. A little scary but one of the highlights of the trip.

On Thursday I got up very early, donned my rainsuit and left in the fog and rain with a friend from the Marietta Georgia H-D chapter, through the mountains and headed again for Sturgis. As a new rider I did not have a lot of experience riding in the rain but sure accomplished that in the hour and a half that morning. When I got to Sturgis I poured the water out of my boots and waited for some friends from Denver. My Sturgis experience was only half over. From a condo and soft bed I went to an air mattress in a tent at the Buffalo Chip campground.  A ride through the Broken Spoke was next on the agenda and then back to Sturgis for Karaoke and back for the nightly concerts at the campground.

While in town on Friday the storm of the century came roaring through with tornado sirens and hail that changed from quarters, to golf balls and then baseballs.  The water was running down main street over the tires of the bikes parked along the curb.  What a storm! Headed back to the Buffalo Chip, we were unprepared for the damage that we would find. Our tent was gone and our clothes were blown all over the field. Leathers were drenched and full of mud. So that night I slept on an air mattress in the bed of the truck with my wet boots, chaps and coat all around me. All night you could hear the roar of motorcycles leaving since the people did not have anyplace to sleep.. My Sporty came through with a broken taillight, scarred windshield and a gas cap that looked like someone took a hammer to it (it  is still on my bike as a memento of my first trip to Sturgis).

What can I say about my first trip to Sturgis?  Lots of great memories to talk and write about.

Will I go back next year? You bet, but it will take a lot to surpass this 69th year celebration.”

Being a novice rider we asked if the trip had done anything to her confidence, were there any learning experiences and any second thoughts about making the trip.

“My trip to Sturgis did increase my confidence on my bike. I rode through sunny weather, wind, rain, and fog.  The trip through Wyoming is, of course, always windy. As I traveled up I-25 North towards Cheyenne it was all interstate. I usually keep my feet on my pegs (I do not have forward controls) but I thought – Hey….I’m cruising down the road – why not try the highway pegs? So I did. I put my feet up on the pegs …but only for a short time since I discovered the wind going up my pantlegs became like small sails on a boat and my Sporster did not handle as well – the wind was able to throw it left and right in the lane and I had less control. I tried the pegs several times with the same result. So I concluded since the Sportster is a narrow bike it must cut through the wind better without the “sails” (my pantlegs) on the sides. Even though I had my feet on the side pegs for the rest of the trip, it was not uncomfortable. Since I am short it is a comfortable position for me.

In preparation for the trip, I had some good tips from “seasoned” riders, Frank and Teresa Boorn, so I was able to pack everything I needed into my Sportster saddlebags. (I ended up purchasing the synthetic bags made for the Sportster – about $400.00). I rolled my clothes and included my rainsuit, a summer jacket, a small thin-soled pair of tennis shoes, sunglasses, toiletries and even a small spray bottle of soap to clean my windshield. I was able to wear my vented leather jacket all the way to Sturgis. I did pick up some T-shirts and ended up strapping them on the back of my bike on the way home. I did not have to buy anything but would maybe add a way to carry water that would be safe. Since Sturgis was only 422 miles for me and I was able to stop frequently….thirst was not a big issue.

The trip home was great. I left on Saturday and did not hit any rain. I heard later that the Sunday ride was wet and tough all the way from Sturgis to Denver.

I did have a ‘What the hell am I doing here?” moment when I was riding in the fog and rain from Keystone towards Sturgis, in my rainsuit, early in the AM (I am not a morning person) the fog so thick I had to look to the left of my windshield and follow the taillights of my fellow biker ahead of me. I am a new rider, without much experience in the rain and fog, add the mountains, add the early start time, add the fogged up windshield I could not see out of, my boots full of water. Yes I said, ‘What the hell am I doing?’ But after I arrived in Sturgis I was so proud of myself for making that wet, foggy trip I emptied the water out of my boots and I am ready to tackle a longer trip and the challenges it may offer.”

May her tale encourage other riders to take the highway.