First held in 1938, the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally has grown from a small gathering of enthusiasts to the premier American biker event, attracting half a million riders to Sturgis, South Dakota, every August. For decades it’s been the rallying cry of bikers from across North America. Whether you are riding to the region or the rally, start planning now and check out some motorcycle rally riding tips before you leave!
Explore
Riding in the Black Hills of South Dakota quickens your senses and offers an elixir for the soul. The Black Hills National Forest surrounding Sturgis and nearby Badlands National Park offer miles of twisty roads, awesome scenery and memorable motorcycle rides, no matter which direction you’re coming from.
While it is worth the extra time to check out the following specific destinations, they are only a sampling of many amazing and unforgettable sensory-overload opportunities throughout the region.
Custer State Park
If you’re looking to reconnect with nature, Custer State Park should be first on your list. More than 70,000 acres of scenery, free-roaming wildlife and twisting, winding roads give riders a sense of awe at the spectacle of their surroundings.
Custer State Park is where you’ll find legendary scenic routes including Wildlife Loop Road, Needles Highway and the “Pigtail Bridges” on Iron Mountain Road. You’ll enjoy riding through rock formations and narrow tunnels with stunning views, including the Mount Rushmore Natioanl Monument. When you think you’ve witnessed the most picturesque setting imaginable, another unforgettable experience appears seconds later.
Devils Tower
America’s first national monument, Devils Tower is massive volcanic column rising 1,265 feet from the river plain that draws almost half a million visitors per year. The tower is considered sacred by indigenous populations, has become a destination for professional rock climbers, and was featured prominently in Steven Spielberg’s 1977 Sci-Fi film “Close Encounters of the Third Kind.”
While a bit farther away from Sturgis than other popular scenic routes, a motorcycle ride to Devils Tower is worth the extra time. Take the popular 100-mile “Lasso” route through South Dakota and Wyoming directly out of Sturgis and you’ll be accompanied by plenty of bikers with the same idea.
Badlands
The striking geologic colors of Badlands National Park contain deposits from one of the world’s richest fossil beds. The park’s 244,000 acres are an expanse of mixed-grass prairie and rugged topography that bison, bighorn sheep, prairie dogs, and other wildlife call home. The animal kingdom and otherworldly palette of colored terrain are typically best viewed during sunrise and sunset.
Start with the steep passes and low speeds of Loop Road through the North Unit of Badlands National Park while keeping your eyes peeled for wildlife. There are numerous overlooks and pull-outs for sightseeing and scenic photography of the multicolored hills that give the park its name. For more adventurous riders, the unpaved Sage Creek Rim Road can also be accessed from Badlands Loop Road, just north of the Pinnacles Overlook.
It wouldn’t be a trip to South Dakota without stopping at the tourist trap Wall Drug. Afterward, head south through the town of Scenic and continue 47 miles west around the southern side of the park to Red Shirt Table Overlook on your way back into the Black Hills and Sturgis.
Spearfish Canyon
Just 22 miles west of Sturgis, Spearfish Canyon Nature Area is considered one of the most beautiful locations in the Black Hills and is also one of the most popular destinations for annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally attendees.
More than 20 miles of scenic roadways include many places to pull over and awe at spectacular views of thousand-foot limestone palisades and stunning waterfalls. An elevation change of nearly 2,000 feet along the length of the canyon adds to the beautiful backdrop found along the Spearfish Canyon Scenic Byway.
Grand Tour
For those who want to see all the above and more, the Black Hills Grand Tour might be the king of all motorcycle rides. Starting in Sturgis, wind west through the historic Old-West towns of Deadwood and Lead, South Dakota, and continue north through the Black Hills into Wyoming for Devils Tower, before looping back east through Spearfish Canyon.
The next day, continue south from Sturgis through forest scenery to Custer State Park and continue east toward Badlands National Park. Along this route you’ll have the option to visit regional mainstays including Mount Rushmore and the Crazy Horse Memorial.
A true Black Hills touring experience, this route is made for bikers and will leave you with eternal memories. Watch the video below to find out more!
Don’t forget the concerts
After returning from a long day riding in the Black Hills, there are few better ways to unwind than with some live music. From Anthrax to ZZ Top, the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally is a premiere music destination, featuring plenty of country, alternative, rock and metal bands to get you pumped for your next ride.
Change your oil!
As the Official Oil of the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, AMSOIL maintains a huge presence around town, including a corporate booth on Main Street, near Junction Avenue, where enthusiasts can learn how AMSOIL products help their motorcycle perform at its best.
Stop by the following locations to get your V-twin, touring, street, adventure or dual-sport motorcycle oil changed when you arrive, during the rally or before you ride home:
- Downtown Sturgis – AMSOIL on Main Street
- Vale – Pappy Hoel Campground
- Rapid City – Black Hills Vendor Park
Video transcript: AMSOIL Signature Series: Sturgis
You know, motorcycle riding in the Black Hills of South Dakota is a bombardment of the senses. It’s an elixir for the soul, truly. I think racing is the absolute core of the rally, racing and riding in the hills. I can remember when we stood in front of the shop and counted 300 motorcycles were going to the Mount Rushmore tour.
Nobody had ever seen 300 motorcycles together. Couldn’t have known at that time it would develop to be the biggest motorcycle rally in the world, by far. Join us for an exclusive inside look. Connect with racers, gearheads, and others pursuing their passions.
Welcome to the AMSOIL Signature Series. [ Music ] My name’s Jack Hoel, and my dad and mother are credited as being the founders of the motorcycle rally. I was born in 1935, and the first official rally was held in 1938. And I can’t remember what my first rally was that I do remember, but I can remember when we stood in front of the shop and counted 300 motorcycles were going to the Mount Rushmore tour.
And that was awesome. Nobody had ever seen 300 motorcycles together. Highway patrol out in lead, pick up in the back to catch any stragglers, and that was awesome. 300 motorcycles.
Now there’s that many parked around any bar and it is awesome. When I was a little boy in my dad’s motorcycle shop here, he was an engine dealer. And they added posters and stuff. He’d tack them up on the wall from the engine company.
They ruled half mile in those years. They had a famous engine wrecking team they called them. And here’s guys like Bill Tuman and Bobby Hill, the best rider in the nation. They’d show up here and come back in my dad’s motorcycle shop and might work on their motorcycle all night long.
Here I was, just a little kid. My heroes were right here in my own dad’s shop. [ Music ] Well, racing started this thing. It was the first half-mile races and then later developed into hill climbs and short tracks and everything else.
But the competition is the reason for having this whole thing. The short story is Pappy Hoel would say to the young guys, If you think you’re any good on that motorcycle I just sold you, you come back here the first week of August and we’ll have races in the field back here, and that field and that first outing of nine guys was the genesis of the rally. Every year they came back, brought more friends. The races became a little bit bigger.
By gosh. Now for the 77 years that the rally has gone on, the races have been a very big part of it. Flat track racing’s the original extreme sport in America, and the young guys that do the flips on their bicycles are going to start watching those guys at 110 miles an hour going around that half mile and say, Wow. That works.
I think racing is the absolute core of the rally, racing and riding in the hills. That’s what they did in 1938. They rode here through beautiful country, had good food and they went racing. They didn’t have bands and they didn’t have big light shows.
They rode motorcycles. I tell people I’d rather lose a race out here at Sturgis Rally, the rally races, than win anywhere else in the world. [ Music ] You know, motorcycle riding in the Black Hills of South Dakota is a bombardment of the senses. It’s beautiful to the eyes.
It’s sweet to the smell. It’s an elixir for the soul, truly. There’s nothing better than getting up early in the morning before everybody hits the road; and I can get up in the hills, whip the throttle up. You just get lost in everything in the beauty and just — it’s just a place for me to unwind, really.
There’s a lot of beautiful places in the world, and the Black Hills are one of them. The way the weather and the roads and the topography, they’re beautiful. There’s big sweeping corners. Every time you come around a corner, there’s a new vision and a new vista.
Pappy Hoel was known for taking in guys that were driving across country after World War II. There was no VA in those days. Those guys came home from Europe shell-shocked is the term in those days. He would feed them.
He would give them a place to sleep. He would fix their motorcycles. And he would say, I know you don’t have any money right now. Send me a check when you can.
People don’t understand us motorcycle folks. We need to be brothers to one another. We need to look out for one another, be on your way. And, by God, I like to think that any time two bikers meet each other on a street corner anywhere in the world and go, Hey, bro, how are you doing?
And a lot of that brotherhood started right here.
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David Hilgendorf is an AMSOIL Technical Writer who develops content for automotive, powersports and industrial audiences. His work includes technical data sheets, magazine articles, blog posts, white papers, product literature and application guidance. Hilgendorf works with engineers, laboratory personnel and technical specialists to communicate lubricant testing, product performance, maintenance practices, metalworking fluids, grease, motorcycles, marine equipment and industrial reliability.
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