Same round here. Lots of posers on Harleys in front of Starbucks. Nothing wrong with riding a hog but stock broker weekend badass guys annoy the crap out of me. There's a nice ride not far from my house along the water. Last year I crawled behind a guy that would not pull over to let faster traffic go through. Giant HD, chaps, ape hangers, tasseled jacket and loud pipes. Saw him later at a cafe that lots of riders stop at. Turned out to be my bank manager. The most milquetoast guy imaginable. He recognized me and regaled me with his "epic" ride tale. Didn't have the heart to tell him I followed behind his 'epicness' for 10 miles. :D

I used to have to push them over the cascade Hi way with a loaded semi !
Piss me off!
The putt puters and Viagra go getters .
Pretty sad.

Love the Cascades hway. Electric City to Winthrop is one of my fave rides. Try to do that trip at least once a year.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1424469910.jpg

It is one of the BEST rides in the USA.
Three finger jacks next door and camping up on the river.
Not to mention the car show there in the fall where the Twn Marshall encouges all to light up their tires.
Not like around Lake George , they want to ticket you for having the radio on.
I am doing one man boycott LOL

Never been to the car show but I have slayed a few burgers at Jack's. Have stayed up the road at the Sun Mountain Resort a couple of times. Great road and beautiful lodge up top. Spendy but worth it.

Do the car show!
Now who is going to sturgis, not who is not.......................LOL

Ah, Sturgis - it used to be pretty fun. I first went in 1980, riding my Sportster (the one I just rebuilt), wearing a backpack and my sleeping bag and tent stuffed inside garbage bags and tied to the bike. Talk about one hell of a week for a 20 year old - I alternated between wild-eyed amazement and abject terror. I'll never forget that week...

Fast forward to 2001 or 2002, the next - and last - time I went. My crazy Czech riding buddy just had to see it, just once... so we did. For a couple of hours. It was an absolute freakin' zoo. Way, way too many people, everything way, way too expensive, nowhere left to camp by the time we arrived, and on and on. We left without ever unpacking the bikes. Took a run up to Mt. Rushmore, then Crazy Horse, and then beat feet for Wyoming. We wound up riding to Yellowstone instead, and had the time of our lives.

I can't imagine Sturgis has gotten any better in the intervening 14 years...

I was there just once about the same year as you.
Now I hear there are police everywhere to add to the escalation dept.
Last time there were vendors all over the streets. It was a Harley whore House of parts.
A real trap for the money if you wanted blow it.
I stayed up up Belle Fourche with some guys that were on Ducati stuff.
That all said, i am doing it for the ride (like last time) stay for a couple days, do the Rushmore gig and other site see things and drift away back on home....I love the old West.

My friends and I are getting a little up in years... so much that we even sometimes vacation in Laughlin (I know... old folks Vegas... but it is really, REALLY cheap)

Anyway, my friend went there with his wife and they had some kind of biker thing going on... my buddy said the bikers took over the town.

That might be a fun weekend for me... I do dig seeing the bikes.

I don't know about Sturgis, but I have considered buying a Harley just to ride it across the American west. It really seems like it would be a beautiful ride.

If you are OK with a wrench buy the older 5000.00 variety, do a top end if needed and go for the ride.
Or buy brand new, but its a pretty hard hit to deal with.
You dont need a harley to go for the ride.
There a lots of other great options , unless you want tradition !
Most people do not know Sturgis held a big race there at one time. i think there s still a drag strip there(was)
Its the Mecca and homage should be payed once .

I'm only into Red bikes that have knobby tires, I have never considered a cruiser bike, especially a Harley, it seems like a lot of money to look just like everyone else. I understand that people customize their bikes to personalize them, but you get them all in a pack, and you can't tell them apart.

All dirt bikes look the same to me. knobby tires big gap between fender and tire .
All going no where ...............LOL

About 14 years ago, I helped out a customer of mine who was a vender at various bike events. Such as Bike Week (Daytona), Biketoberfest (Daytona), the one in Gulfport, Mississippi on Memorial Day weekend, and Sturgis. I did all of those except Sturgis.

He and his wife had been doing this for years and had a couple tents and boxes of biker merchandise. Clothing, pins, decals, stickers, badges...stuff like that. We'd man the tents throughout the entire event and just rake in the dough.

It's an interesting perspective when you are a merchant at these types of events. You interact with a cross section of attendees.

I had my digital camera with me and took a ton of pics - including some of the ladies who came in and tried on the halter tops we sold. They loved having their photo taken. :)

I'll try to dig out some of those photos one day and share.

Never had a Harley myself and don't see myself getting one but to each their own. People who participate and engage in that lifestyle.......they are just looking to belong. Some don't have anywhere else to go where they'd be "accepted", really.

I love the look of (some) Harleys and if I had a disposable income I would pick up one of those nice mild prebuilt choppers for weekend cruising.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1424538960.jpg

I have a buddy who goes every year. Four of them rent a house for the week. $1200 for the week. ($300 per person/couple).

He told another guy who was interested in going about renting the house and the other guy thought it was a good idea so he found one online. He found one $1500 for the week. Sent $750 deposit. Showed up with 3 friends and found out there was 6 more groups to which the house was rented for the same week. The real kicker was the owner of the house knew nothing about the rental. :)

I'm not going either. :)

I went in '07 and '09, the ride was great. It's a bit under 400 miles for me and pleasant for the most part.

Tent camped both times at Lamphers, worked well.

I'd go back, just have to have the right expectations.

Bill

That's the way it's supposed to be. I have done a few cross country rides. Heading down the road is where it's at.

+1

at the top of 250 coming out of W Va.

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http://biz164.inmotionhosting.com/~d...ystonewall.jpg

My current ride.

And this is exactly like the one I rode cross country 35 years ago. Found it in New Jersey with 540 miles it. Original owner......

Got it running and put new tires on it. Other than that it is box stock. Has about 1200 miles on it now. A 1977 Kawasaki 1000 LTD.

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