If you ride a motorcycle, you know about Sturgis. Heck, even non-riders know Sturgis.
Besides being a town of 6,800 souls in South Dakota, people who say they’re “doing Sturgis” mean they’re attending the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, a 74-year-old event that drew about half a million riders earlier this month.
The Oregonian reporter Tom Hallman Jr. rides a hefty cruiser, a Triumph Thunderbird, and in early August he rode 1,300 miles from Portland to Sturgis for the first time, then back. Hallman learned some key lessons on his 7-day marathon jaunt.
Heavier = stable and comfortable when choosing a bike to ride that far. - Use your power to throttle away from danger, which often is a distracted driver in a car.
- Don’t pass up gas stations when you’re low on fuel in desolate Montana.
- Drink plenty of water.
Hallman also got to test ride the yet-to-be-introduced Harley-Davidson electric motorcycle. Read about it in his Oregonian story.