Need input from long distance motorcycle riders.

No, we haven't made any plans yet. The trip is not till August you know. And no Mr. Funnyyankeeman, no airfare will be needed thank you very much. Besides, the Bismark is at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean anyway. Sturgis is in South Dakota, at least it was the last time I checked google earth.

 

Yeah but you want to have enough road grime on you to make it look legit.
My brother and a few of his buddies road their bikes up to Sturgis two years ago. They had a blast but me admits his bike is not the sort for long rides.

 

Do they do special rental deals for retired old people in the States.................???

 

Yep, $35.00 a day (US) to rent scooters. Not a bad deal.

 

Time to dust this thread off and get it going again. I went and picked up my brand new 2011 HD Road King earlier today from Northshore Harley-Davidson in Slidell, Louisiana. I got it for $17,900 plus, $2200 of in house accessories (comped I might add). I ended up getting about $2,800 of add-ons, but who cares, I have great credit! It is merlot colored with red metal flakes, and really looks nice. Put a couple of hundred of miles on it tooling around on the way home getting used to it. It's going to be a nice trip. There's been a few changes in the trip, but we're still going. We'll be in two groups, my three cousins and I will be leaving Thursday August 3rd, and the rest (about a dozen or so) will be leaving Saturday August 5th. We all will arrive in Sturgis Monday August 8th. We'll all stay there and leave Thursday the 11th and work our way home.

I'm still collecting gear, and need only a few items before heading out. Life is good.

 

Say Bobby, glad to hear you are almost ready to "hit the road" (don't do that literally!). I was sort of surprised to see you went the purchase route, I was under the impression you were going to rent the scoot. Sounds like a beauty though, hope you and your group have a great ride and a fine time at Sturgis. Here's hoping for good weather, no hail storms, or God forbid a twister.

 

Have a nice ride! Do not forget to bring your H.O.G. card to the special H.O.G. member only events/food tent. Rich A. in Pa. Member Lehigh Valley Chapter Harley Owners Group

 

Yeah Clint, I was intending on renting but I figured I would just go on and buy it since I retired today. I paid my house off (again) with my severance package and just had to get into debt again. Being free and clear just didn't seem right. I had to do my part in getting the country rolling by stimulating the local economy with a massive impulse purchase.

I got a free 90 day membership with the H.O.G. when I bought my bike. Does that get me in the members only tent RRA227?

 

Yes. As long as you have a H.O.G. card. Do not forget to get a Event pin form the H.O.G. tent. Have fun! Rich A. in Pa.

 

Congrats on the new bike! I'm what most HOG owners consider a rice burner...Kawi Vulcan 900 Custom. But, I don't consider myself a wanna be either. I ride every day, rain or shine to work and ride as much as possible on weekends. I also wear all gear...full face helmet, armored mesh jacket (summer)...armored leather jacket (winter), armored pants (mesh in summer), motorcycle boots, and leather gloves.

My 2nd bike (hopefully next year) is looking like it will be a Victory Cross Roads.

Anyway, it looks like you already have great advice in this thread. The only thing I would stress above all other advice is hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. Plan your stops with the rest of the group before hand. Don't drink too much caffeine before taking off (don't ask me how I know this...)

Hope you have a safe and fun trip.

 

tlwmsu,I still have my 1976 3 cylinder 2 stroke Kawasaki.Rich A. in Pa.

 

Two of my cousins who are going on this trip drive Kawasaki's too, and dress out as you describe as well, and put about 25-30K miles a year on their bikes. They went through their Harley phase in the 90s. Another cousin has some sort of showboat Harley that cost him $35K to dress out. He went off the deep end I think, but he rides as much as he can since he sold his H2 and corvette he says. This is my first bike to purchase, so I wanted to get what I wanted. My Kawasaki riding cousins wanted me to go the rice burner route with them, but I just couldn't do it. Had to go HD. And yes, I will study the earlier (and serious) posts on this thread before hitting the road, and maybe through in a screening or two of "Wild Hogs" for good measure!

 

Well, I'm off to Sturgis in the morning. We plan on rolling out of the driveway around 0600 or so and head that way. Appreciate all the help and pointers along the way. We'll be gone for about two weeks or so. When I get back I'll report in, so catch y'all later!

 

I got back to the house at 8:30 in the PM this past Monday night from Sturgis. Man, what a ride! The written (or typed) word cannot describe it. If any of you people ever plan on taking the ride there, ride all the way there and back. Trailering your bike there will take 95% of the trip away. I had 903 miles on my scooter when I pulled out of the driveway, and now I have 4,597 on it. The break down on the trip was five days on the way there, three days there, and then five days back. We rode 470 miles the first day to Irving, Texas through 110 degree heat. It was like riding on a skillet in a sauna. I do not advise riding through Dallas, Texas during rush hour. Those people there do not know how to drive. Most of the second day was just as bad until we got into Kansas. Then we got rained on and wind-whipped which was a welcome change. Nebraska and South Dakota were beautiful. When we finally got into the Black Hill county, the scenery was breathtaking. We stayed in Spearfish, SD instead of Sturgis, and toured the countryside a bit there before partaking in the Sturgis experience, and that was an experience in itself. That was the only day I got face down in the gutter, but it was worth it. On the way home, we took a different route. One cousin's bike broke down in Springfield, Missouri. He left it there and took a rental car home. My other cousin and I rode all the way home through Arkansas, North Louisiana and Mississippi. I highly recommend at least on trip to Sturgis on a bike if you own one, You'll never regret the day or the dollar spent in the process.

 

Glad you had a good time Bobby! You are certainly correct, if you like to ride and have a bike that destination has to be the one at least once in every rider's life. Happy the weather cooperated for the most part, no hail no tornadoes, just some rain and wind. That is an experience for a ride, fortunately for myself Sturgis isn't that far away and when I used to go I had friends living in Gillette WY., and that split the ride into a nice two day with a good bed and fine breakfast both ways. All I had to do was bring Gary a souvenir or two from the rally. He was always happy with a T or three, as was his wife.

 

Double post, This one deleted. Don't ask me how that happened 'cause I don't have a clue.

 

Glad you had a good time and a safe trip. What did you buy there? Rich A. in Pa.

 

Thanks for the well wishes guys, it is most appreciated. Yes, it was a great trip, but it's also good to be home.

RRA227, I got some custom pin stripping on my bike, and about a dozen T-shirts from various bars and eateries I patronized while in town. I also picked up some deer skin gloves. They fit good and feel good too. I forgot to pack any cool weather gear, and the mesh gloves I had didn't get the job done when it got cool. The windbreaker worked fine over a long sleeve T-shirt. I also bought a bandanna to wear on my face to keep the wind and sunburn to a minimum. It fastens in the back with velcro and works pretty good too. And no, it doesn't have the skull printed on it.