Bryan's Blog

I know, I know, it’s barely July, but Sturgis 2009 will be here before you know it, so it’s never too early to be thinking about the biggest biker blowout of the year. It won’t be long before Motorcycle USA joins a few hundred thousand of its friends for a week of motorcycle riding, hill climbing, burnout contests, custom bike shows, bar hopping and bikini contests. Hell, this is Sturgis, who needs bikinis?

What better way could there be to kick start the party than joining the Legends Ride? The ride benefits two local charities and gives motorcyclists a chance to make the 50-mile journey between Deadwood to the Legendary Buffalo Chip Campground with a growing list of custom builders and celebrities. So far the list of Special Guests includes Sugar Bear of Sugar Bear Choppers, Roger Bourget of Bourget’s Bike Works, Christian Clayton of Sucker Punch Sallys, Bryan Fuller of Fuller Hotrods, CJ Hanlon of Guilty Customs, Dar Holdsworth of Brass Balls Bobbers and Choppers, and more. The Legends Ride culminates in a party at the Chip when country singer Toby Keith will take the stage. All this on our first day in Sturgis. It’s going to be one hell of a week.

The next two days will be spent checking out some of the hottest custom motorcycles around. The Metzeler Custom Bike Contest is Tuesday, August 4th, and is followed by the AMD World Championships of Custom Bike Building on Wednesday. Can’t wait to see how the talent here in the States fares against its foreign counterparts. Will Roger Goldammer be back to defend his title in the Freestyle Class, or will there be a new champion this year? Be sure to check out our daily reports for the best Sturgis coverage around.

Like music? The list of live entertainment at the Buffalo Chip alone is impressive. One night they’ve got Chuck Berry, while another night they’ve got Buckcherry. Talk about a generation gap. Just goes to show you that there’s a little something for everyone at Sturgis, no matter who you like to rock out to. Bands scheduled to perform include George Thorogood and the Destroyers, Lita Ford, Aerosmith, Saving Abel, Tesla, Hinder, Red, The Guess Who and more. You could post up at the Chip and never have to leave with a lineup like that.

Except that then you’d miss out on all of the great riding the Black Hills has to offer. The Badlands, Mt. Rushmore, Devil’s Tower, the list goes on and on. We’re trying to land a first ride on a 2009 Indian Chief while we’re there to do some touring on and have been talking to our friend Kevin with Harley-Davidson about cruising around on the 2010 CVOs as well, so stay tuned for some cool ride reports.

Somehow we hope to work in a trip to the Sturgis Museum and Hall of Fame and we will try to get an opportunity to check out renowned photographer Michael Lichter’s Motorcycles as Art display as well. Getting excited yet? We are, so Climb On with Motorcycle USA the first week of August as we head to South Dakota for the biggest motorcycle rally around, Sturgis 2009.