Tips for having a safe and fun trip to
Sturgis
Rule # 1 - Ride Sober
Rule # 2 -See Rule 1
These tips are just common
sense to most riders, but some riders act like they have
something to prove by hot-dogging it and violating motor vehicle
laws as they feel like it. Use common sense. It is
hard enough for bikers not to get run over by a cage, we don't
need bikers killing themselves or each other by being unsafe.
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Every year that I go
to Sturgis some asshole comes across the centerline on me on a
curve. Pay attention to your riding and watch out for
the other guy who isn't.
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Do not overtake or
pass another motorcycle in the same lane. This is
against the law in SD.
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If you are an
inexperienced rider from the flatlands, park your bike in
Sturgis and leave it there. The winding roads in the
Black Hills are not the place to learn how to ride, especially
during the rally.
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Do not feed the
buffalo in Custer State Park. Do not go near them, they
are wild and dangerous. They will not think twice about
sticking their horns up your ass and tossing you and your bike
30 ft. through the air. They live there, you
don't. Keep the hell away from them!
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While in Sturgis pay
attention to the signs that say NO PARKING and the curbs that
are painted yellow. If you park by these your bike will
be towed and your dumb ass will be walking to the police
station to get directions to the impound yard. This can
cut into your fun money.
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Don't go deer
hunting while at the rally. Don't ride at night in the
Black Hills unless you have to. There are about 50 deer
per square mile in those mountains, and they like to stand in
the road after dark. Deer hunting at night is illegal in
SD. Over 50 % of all vehicle
crashes in SD involve a deer. I hunt deer in these
hills every fall and I know how many deer there are.
Be very careful if you ride in the Black Hills after dark.
Do not exceed 45 mph at night.
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On your day trips to
Hill City, Custer, Keystone, and Deadwood notice all of the
people drinking in the bars. These people will be
getting on their motorcycles to ride back to the campground or
motel.
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If you are in an
accident the first thing you will be asked (if you are still
alive) is: have you been drinking? |
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Lane splitting is illegal in SD.
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Don't ride two abreast. This is
legal in SD, but it is fucking dangerous. Don't do it!
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Don't exceed the
posted speed limit (or the suggested speed limit on curves).
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Don't fucking pass in a no passing zone.
Maybe solid yellow stripes down the middle of the road mean
something different in another state, but in SD it means no
passing. |
If you abide by these
simple rules and tips your chances of surviving your Sturgis Rally
experience get better. If you don't, you may wind up dead,
which I personally could give a fuck less if you kill yourself,
but you are endangering your fellow riders (which pisses me
off).
Also when you ride like an
asshole and kill yourself you are contributing to the per capita
motorcycle death rate in SD which is extremely high because of
the bikers that die every year while attending the Sturgis
Rally.
If you are going to
ride like an asshole please kill yourself somewhere else or stay
the hell home, we don't need your money if your going to kill
yourself before you spend it all here in SD.
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