I know the big annual rally at Sturgis is a Harley thing, but do riders with foreign bikes attend? Would they mind if someone showed up on a Yamaha, Honda, Aprilia, BMW or whatever? Or are you likely to be attacked and your bike vandalized?
Certainly, yes. My best friend used to attend with his Honda. You just dont brag about it. Act like its your beater bike and that your Harley is being restored or something.
You should be fine. Everyone is there to have a good time and there are plenty of non-Harleys. Guys with any type of modified or custom bike get lots of attention, Harley or not.
Depends on how big you are…I’ve been to Sturgis and it’s really fun. Lot’s of police, lot’s of biker clubs. I had a 89 HD Hurricane, so I was ok. But I’m also a big guy. 6’2 220.
Oh and if you go, never ever even look at a Hells Angel the wrong way, they are not very friendly to people who do that.
My uncle was in a club for a long long time. He had some stories of the old day Hells Angels back when Sonny was the king…They’ve done some bad stuff. But Generally guys in Bike clubs are really nice good hearted people.
Yes foreign sleds are fine at Sturgis.
If you go keep a look out for Hunter S. Thompson… He usually shows up with a passel of people.
I wasn’t planning on going; I was just curious. I noticed that Jesse James rides a Japanese sportbike (but he rode the Harley to Sturgis).
Yeah he’s probably got what ever kind of bike he wants… I’m not allowed to ride my bike anymore so I had to sell it. (mrs.phlosphr said so)
I love Monster Garage and Orange County Chopper’s… Did you see that bike last night???
Yeah, it was all right. Harleys aren’t my style though. If I were ever to get one, I’d go for a panhead (or a knucklehead) that was restored to “original” (sort of) condition. I’m thinking white, with a big ol’ spring-mounted “tractor seat” and a springer front end. But a Harley is way down on the list, after a red Yamaha R1 (which I may be getting!) and a British Racing Green Royal Enfield “Bullet”.
Glennis Yeager in The Right Stuff: “I knew you were a pilot when I married you, so I don’t have a complaint coming.”
Oh did I forget to mention I was in a really bad accident with a friends bike that nearly killed me… That’s the main reason I sold the bike.
Why the heck didnt JJ bring one of his own custom bikes? Doesnt he own West Coast Chopper?
You were waiting for someone to say something so you could brag, huh?
Merican made the way to go. Show up on a 125 honda get laughed at. Depends who you are/with.
Smee riding old softail/ no Sturgis this yr.
JJ just built the bike/ not a HD. One of the reasons he missed opening day.
The first time I went to Sturgis, I went on my Kawasaki cruiser. The second time I went, Mr. Athena took his Suzuki sport bike.
There’s always a small segment of the Harley crowd that want to hassle you for not riding a Harley, but they’re easily avoided. I had no problems at all, even though I was alone on my Kawasaki for the first couple days I was there (Mr. Athena couldn’t get off work that year, he met me a couple days in.)
There is always a segment of the harley crowd that will hassel you for a foreign job. But narry a one hassel the guys on custom choppers, regardless of where it’s made.
Pul Tudle Senior (orange county choppers) was down here not too long ago doing a wish for the Make A Wish Foundation.
How cool is that.
Wild guess: his own bikes are way too 'spensive to be riding to biker rallies. if he was going to take some to show off he’d probably prefer to ship them, and if he was going to ride there would take something more stock.
Paul Tudle … oops.
psst… He’s Paul Teutul (Then click “About Us” license plate.
Minor nitpick to the Teutul clan - the name looks extremely German, in which case it “ought” to be pronounced “TOY-tul” but if they prefer “TUT-ul” I won’t argue.
What amazes me is that they’ve only been building bikes for about four years. How does someone take a garage business (or in this case, a back shed off an existing fences and gates business) and do so well at it to catch the attention of Discovery Channel, become the stars of a popular TV program and be thereby assured a never-ending stream of people wanting your product?
As for Jesse James riding up on a rice rocket or whatever - just keep in mind the old adage about the cobbler and his family and the condition of their shoes. With the Discovery-induced spike in his business, he’s probably got no time to make anything for himself, or perhaps, to make some repair to his favorite bike, so he grabbed whatever was road-ready and not a customer’s.
Re: Jesse James and the Japanese bike. He was riding around near his shop. There was some footage of him giving his little daughter a ride (without a helmet) on it. He drove the Harley he built to Sturgis.
Color me uninformed, but when he built that bike, didn’t he build it from scratch? I thought he did the frame, tank etc.
Wouldn’t it not be a Harley? It’s a chopper for sure, but not really a Harley… is it?
Sorry to nitpick, but Jesse builds his own bikes, and the bike he rode to Sturgis, The Sturgis Special, was one of them.
He has been known to customize other bikes though.
Both Jesse and the Teutels are supposed to be at Sturgis this year, and I for one will be front and center. I don’t know what you guys are worried about… at least you’re showing up on a bike. Me, I’m taking my car because, although bikes fascinate me, I don’t own one.
My buddy rode his 19teens Indian motorized bicycle all the way to Sturgis from Minneapolis. Some people gave him a hard time (Those people clearly had no clue as to the historical relevance of the bike) He impressed alot of people when he told them that he rode it that far.
Another pal got a hard time for his BMW. That was, people would give him a hard time until Reiner shot back that it wasn’t a foreign bike, it was a German bike. Since this was said in his thick german accent, his argument was always accepted.
IIRC, I saw photos of a Honda strung up into a tree in the mid eighties, but I don’t think that happens any more.