USA TODAY International Edition
Sturgis 2018 rally to draw 500,000 motorcycle riders
STURGIS, S.D. – The rumbling of thousands of V-twin engines says one thing: The annual pilgrimage known as the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally is officially underway.
The 78th rally – it was started in 1938, but suspended during World War II – is the world’s largest motorcycle event, drawing visitors from around the globe for 10 days. An estimated 500,000 people will participate in the rally that runs through Aug. 12.
Participants are here to ride their motorcycles along the winding roads of the Black Hills, to shop for all manner of biker-related gear, and to bask in a gas-fueled two-wheeled celebration of all that is loud, fast and shiny.
“Oh my gosh. It’s cool. Crazy. Wild,” said first-time visitor Diana Voakes, who lives in an RV with her husband. “I’m here to see everything that Sturgis stands for.”
Voakes started her Friday by posing for photos with a motorcycle rider before heading off down the sidewalk among families, Hells Angels and retired veterans.
Many attendees are staying in encampments outside of the city, which has few hotels.
For many Americans, Sturgis conjures up images of an anything-goes motorcycle festival, where drugs flow, fists fly and nudity runs rampant. But most attendees today are professionals. The top three professions at Sturgis are doctors, lawyers and accountants, city officials say.
New Harley-Davidson or Indian motorcycles start around $20,000, although high-end models can hit $50,000 before any real customization.
This year’s rally is drawing celebrities from reality TV star Richard Rawlings of “Fast N’ Loud” to former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.
“It’s all commercial now. It’s a human zoo,” said Keith Eccles, an airbrush painter who’s been coming since 1978. “It’s so totally different.”
But for first-timer Jacob Elliot, the spectacle borders on overwhelming – in a good way.
Elliot, 20, rode with his father from North Dakota and was instantly hooked: “I love it."