A city block was shut down and bikers stormed the streets Monday. No, it wasn’t Hollister 1947 all over again. It was the 2009 Legends Ride, a benefit ride that raised over $61,000 for the Black Hills Children’s Home and the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum & Hall of Fame. The historic Silverado-Franklin Hotel in downtown Deadwood was the place to be Monday as celebrities, custom bike builders, and motorcyclists gathered to support the cause.

The sense of camaraderie was thick as over 200 motorcyclists took a scenic 50-mile route through the Black Hills from Deadwood to the Buffalo Chip. After the ride, a benefit auction was held, highlighted by the sale of the ‘Deadwood Special,’ a custom motorcycle built by Kyle Shorey of Shadetree Fabrications. Featuring brass highlights, a wooden seat, and .22 shells for rivets on the tank, the official motorcycle of the 2009 Legends Ride sold to the Silverado in Deadwood for $24,000. During the auction, the question was jokingly asked if it came with a warranty.

“It ain’t going to break,” replied Shorey.

John Paul DeJoria was also a candidate for man-of-the-hour, making a surprise $10,000 donation. Better known as the owner and spokesman of John Paul Mitchell hair care products, DeJoria and his wife Eloise rode a restored 1938 Indian with a sidecar in the Legends Ride, and sweetened the charity pot when he donated the bike to the motorcycle museum after the ride.

“Bikers make the planet a better place to live for everybody,” DeJoria said to a receptive crowd.

It was a star-studded event. When we arrived, legendary custom builder Sugar Bear was talking shop with Peter Fonda’s doppelganger. Turns out it was actor/writer Phil Pitzer, who stars in the upcoming sequel to the iconic biker flic, Easy Rider. Pitzer and fellow co-star Sheree Wilson were on hand to promote the new movie, Easy Rider II The Ride Back, and to take part in the Legends Ride.
 
But the arrival of Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler really set the crowd into a frenzy. Tyler was with his Dirico Motorcycles partners, Steven Talarico and Mark Dirico, and lead the procession out of Deadwood. At a Legends Ride press conference, Tyler said “The revving of an engine and a Joe Perry lick, it's like ‘Livin’ on the Edge.’”

TV Star Lorenzo Lamas was also on hand selling t-shirts for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. He also announced that he is starting up a small motorcycle company called Lorenzo Bikes. Lamas once played motorcycle bad boy Reno Raines in the TV series, Renegade.

Participants in the 2009 Legends Ride paid $150 each to be a part of the fundraiser. The ride included a police escort through Sturgis to the Legendary Buffalo Chip Campground where they received a catered dinner, got an opportunity to be among the first to see Michael Lichter’s 9th Annual Motorcycles as Art display, then were treated to a concert by rocker Lita Ford and country star Toby Keith.

The event was coordinated by the Deadwood Chamber of Commerce and the Buffalo Chip Campground.