I probably began preparing for the 70th Sturgis event at the end of last year’s run to Sturgis. And all of the adjustments and modifications to my 2008 Ultra and gear has been with an eye towards this year’s run.

There wasn’t a lot of changes I felt I needed to make to the bike for this year. But I did do a few things anyway. First, I replaced my handlebars with Wild 1 575 bars. These bars gave me 2 1/2″ more pullback, allowing me to comfortably sit back into my drivers back rest (this was added before last year’s run). I believe that Wild 1 bars are probably some of the best manufactured bars out there. They are heavy, with a good feel to them and are plated in heavy chrome. The holes are reamed, so you don’t have to do it. And you just can’t beat the look of 1 1/4″ chubbies!

Another important change I made was to the suspension. I noticed that I was getting real loose in the swingarm. It was getting hard to hold my line in corners, and the got so bad that it even felt like the front end was having a problem.

To solve this problem, I purchased a touring stabilizer made by Throttle-Up Industriesin Bend, Oregon. This stabilizer bots right to your tranny and frame, and eliminates the sway that our beloved Harley’s get when cornering. It was priced at $159, came with free shipping, and is comparable to similar items costing $400! I have to say, my bike now handles like it did when it was new. I can’t recommend this item enough!

Most of my pack is set from last year. I have my rain parka, chaps and leather jacket/vest. Winter and summer gloves (it can get cold on the road even in the summer). Boots are in great shape. Tent, Ultralight cot, and folding table, check. What I needed was a new folding chair that would pack easily on my bike with the existing gear.

I purchased the GCI PICO folding armchair. A little expensive, but what a great chair. And it packs small like a suitcase. And it fits perfectly on my luggage rack on top of the tour pack. But there is a problem. The width is such that it now puts my pack way to high in the air. This causes too much drag and makes the bike unstable at low speeds. Back to the drawing board.

I found the answer, and a lot cheaper, too. GCI also makes a folding chair that is 24″ tall when folded. I just had to pick up a stash sack for it, and I have solved my chair problem. And all for about $25.

The rest of my pack is standard, and can be found in the related article Biker’s Survival Kit.

It is hard to tell how the turnout will be this year. It is the 70th Annual Sturgis Rally. And yes, it is the granddaddy of them all. But it has been a very tough economic year for a lot of our brothers and sisters. A lot of motorcycle events have been cancelled this year, and the turnout has been dismal at best at a lot of other runs. Still, I would hate to bet against Sturgis and find myself camping along the side of the road.

I will be staying again this year at the Shade Valley Campground. I really like this campground for a number of reasons. New bathhouses. A great bar staffed by great people. Lots of trees in the campgrounds. This is important because you don’t want to come back from a day of riding to find that your tent has blown away. But most important is the free nightly shuttle to town. Now I can get tore up each and every night if I choose, without having to worry about riding back to the campgrounds. And since it is located right near the Buffalo Chip and the Full Throttle Saloons, I won’t miss the great entertainment.

Speaking of entertainment, check out this list! The Buffalo Chip has entertainment going all day, every day. Artists include Charlie Bechtel, Dave Mason, ZZ Top, Kid Rock, Bob Dylan, Motley Crue, Ozzy Osbourne, Scorpions, and The Doobie Brothers.

The Broken Spoke has some top entertainers as well, including .38 Special, Great White, and Eddie Money. And the Full Throttle Saloon will host Marshal Tucker and Jackyl.

You are going to have to select a few, because there are just too many to see them all!

But for me, the biggest attraction is the riding. South Dakota is home to some spectacular sights, including Mount Rushmore, the Badlands, and Custer’s Park. Old west towns like Deadwood spring up in the Black Hills providing a little history with that beer. And Devils Monument is just over the border in Wyoming.

There should be plenty of vendors along Lazelle Street this year in Sturgis. And of course you don’t want to miss the Motorcycle History Museum and the Biker Hall of Fame.

There are a few websites that offer great info to help you prepare for your trip. Both Sturgis.com and Sturgis-Rally.com have events and campground and rental info. Sturgiszone.com also has great information and plenty of pictures, too.

Sturgis IS the granddaddy of them all.  And of course, there are lots and lots of bikes, women, beer, and cool things to do every day. If you aren’t ready yet, what are you waiting for?

Forecast is mid 80′s in Southern Cali as I pull my Ultra out of the garage. A quick check of the bike, yup everything is good, and I point her nose south and turn the throttle. First stop, breakfast at the Rainbow Oaks Restaurant.

Traffic on the southbound 15 seemed especially light today. The morning wind felt great as the big Harley rumbled along the highway. Thoughts about the upcoming Sturgis ride kept creeping into my mind, as the Harley settled into her rhythm. But Sturgis is not today, time to stay focused.

As I started up the pass south of Temecula, I noticed a few more bikes trailing behind me. No doubt heading for the same place. I usually make this Sunday journey with my brother, but he just returned from a run to Eureka. Man, I wish I could have made that trip with him. The 101 above Frisco is beautiful as you ride through the redwoods.

Headed for the Rainbow Oaks Restaurant. Originally established in 1946, the Rainbow Oaks Restaurant was reopened in April of 2009 by Duke and Jonell Maples. The “Oaks” is located in Rainbow, between Temecula and Fallbrook on Old 395, off the 15 Fwy.

Duke and Jonell worked tirelessly to restore the interior of the historic building to become a great stop off for locals, travelers and of course bikers. Duke is a rider as well, so you know he is going to make sure that bikers feel at home there.

The “Oaks” provides a great American menu, and a sport bar that offers plenty of ice cold beer choices, all at great prices. And located in Rainbow, it is a great jumping off point for some terrific riding in the canyons south of Temecula!

As I entered, Duke was at his customary seat, rolling silverware. I ordered up a cup of joe and a chicken fried steak and eggs. Probably not what my diet calls for, but hey, they have the best (and biggest) chicken fried steak in So Cal!

Breakfast done, time to get back into the wind. I heard that the Hideout was reopened. A nice cruise through the canyons of Hwy 76, the Hideout is located along Lake Henshaw. Closed after last summer and put up for auction, this little biker hideaway was purchased and reopened in late spring of this year.

There was just a light breeze as I throttled up the canyons on Hwy 76. Traffic was still light, with just a handful of sport bikes and a couple of Harley’s on the road. Duke had mentioned that this was the first weekend since school was out. May have something to do with it.

There were just a handful of bikes at the Hideout. But the place was still pretty much the same. A cutout of an older and simpler time. The new owners took out the stage to make more room inside.

I ordered up a cold one and wandered into a conversation about rear tires. Just couldn’t help but put my two cents worth in. Go figure. But this strategy will usually keep me entertained through a couple of beers, anyway.

The Hideout is a great stop if you are heading to Julian. Another old west style town, Julian is a great biker haven and a place for great BBQ and apple pie! But Julian would have to wait for another day. Today I am riding northbound on the 79 through Warner Springs.

Hwy 79 is a great solitary ride. The road gently curves through Warner Springs and through the upper desert. Summertime temps can get rather uncomfortable, but today seems an exception as the temps stayed in the upper 80′s. The air seemed flat, as I noticed that even the gliders were not flying as I passed the Warner Springs airpark.

As I completed my run up the 79, I have one more chance for a little entertainment. Old Town Temecula. Front Street in Old Town is dotted with numerous eateries, many sporting live entertainment. You will always catch a number of bikes parked along the road. And at the south end is Quaid Temecula Harley-Davidson.

A quick cruise down Front Street, and nothing really caught my eye today. Maybe I will go play ball this afternoon after all. Ah, another park, another Sunday.

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Putting on West Coast Thunder is no small task. And this year the conversation about the West Coast Thunder event has gotten a little louder than normal. There have been a lot of concerns over the perceptions of the direction that West Coast Thunder may be taking. I believe it is important that we get the best information on what is taking place with the West Coast Thunder event, and I think the best insight in what took place comes from my recent interview with Jay Dabney, owner of Skip Fordyce Harley-Davidson in Riverside, CA.

Jay Dabney:

“This year there was not a change in the vision or the goals of the event. The idea has always been to pay tribute to the men and women who fought and died for our country, and give the riders on the west coast someplace to go that is somewhat parallel to the Run for the Wall since the Run for the Wall takes a couple of weeks. As we have gone forward we have raised money for the Riverside National Cemetery Support Committee which then uses that money to build monuments, memorials, and for the infrastructure of Riverside National Cemetery.

“That has always been the heart, or Fire of the event, and this year has been no different. But there were a couple of changes this year that led to us changing some things around. One was that the two men that have been the original organizers, and the guiding light and leading forces in making it happen every year, Pat Delahunty and Don Odell, were not able to participate as strongly this year. This has always been a volunteer lead event, Skip Fordyce Harley-Davidson provides logistics and financial aid and some manpower, and partners with the Inland Empire HOG Chapter. The HOG Chapter more or less started this event. This has lead to the event as it is today, providing the ability for the people in our community to pay their respects on Memorial Day.

“Because the original two organizers were unable to put in as much time and effort as in years past, they asked us if we would be able to talk to some promoters and take some of the burden off of them. After interviewing a number of promoters, we settled on KFROG’s promotion division to help us get organized and see if we could grow the event to something beyond what we had been doing to enable us to raise more money for the Riverside National Cemetery Support Committee.

“We were the primary donor for the POW/MIA National Memorial Monument. We are pretty proud of all those things we have accomplished at the Riverside National Cemetery, and I don’t think we would ever vary from that core idea.

“The current recession has made things more difficult. When you look out over the other large rides in California; the Love Ride has been canceled last year and again this year, the Sierra Hope Ride has been canceled, and the burden of putting on a big event like West Coast Thunder of Love Ride can put quite a bit of financial pressure on a dealership like Skip Fordyce, because you are basically putting up the financial means to make sure that everything happens. We have to secure the police department, the different cities and municipality fees, and such. Plus there is the manpower that we donate for marketing and logistics.

“Soboba’s role really came because they provided us with the means to have a concert without having to pay for all the equipment and the venue, lighting and the sound, with the idea that any monies that cleared the direct expenses would then go to the Riverside National Cemetery Support Committee. So we had to be a little more careful this year than in years past to minimize the burden put on Skip Fordyce’s balance sheet. It has proven to be a difficult year trying to achieve what we want to achieve, staying on track with the event, while staying on track with our business. A lot of dealers have not survived the recession to date.

“And finally, if you have been to the ride in recent years, you see how many people are out there. For years and years not everybody registers for the event. I would estimate that only 30%-40% of the people actually register for the event. The rest of them just get in line and just ride up for the parade, or just hop on somewhere along the route. We wanted to find a way to get more of the people a reason to register. We have taken the approach that if we give them enough value to register, that more of them will. This will allow us to provide more to the Riverside National Cemetery Support Committee.

“My major pride in this event, besides trying to provide a means for people to show their support for the military and honor the fallen soldiers, is to provide the funding for a permanent way for manifesting the motorcycle community’s support for the cemetery and the men and women who fought and died for our country. The memorials and monuments, if you have been out to the cemetery to see the POW/MIA Monument which is just amazing, brings me a great deal of pride because we have provided the major funding for this memorial. This is something that people can enjoy every time they go to the cemetery. I really enjoy taking people up there and show them what West Coast Thunder has done in terms of the funding for these kinds of things. It is not just ephemeral, but is always going to be there. We have several things here at the dealership that we keep up year round to show our support for the military and for the fallen soldiers and their families. This is something that we do to reach out to the community of riders and show them that we support the men and women that fought and died.

“In terms of what happened this year with regards to the route taken, we have always gone to the Riverside National Cemetery. Just as you wrote earlier, the veterans have fought and died to give people the right to make their own decisions. We gave the riders the option to go to the Riverside National Cemetery or go straight to the event at the Soboba Casino. It wasn’t really different this year, but we were concerned about the logistics at the cemetery, and whether the amount of people that would go through would be a problem for the cemetery.

“We added the casino and the entertainment to provide more value to the package so that more people would sign up, instead of just ghost riding. It has always been about the ceremony at the Riverside National Cemetery. The only thing that has changed is where we end up at in the end. We discussed in our planning meetings the best ways to balance all the needs of the participants in this event, the cemetery and their staff, the HOG chapter, the volunteers, and dealer and our employees. We tried to find the best balance for all these groups, but most of all for the riders who are coming out to pay tribute. If we made some mistakes in our early planning, I will take blame for that. But it was never to do anything other than to provide the best possible event for the riders who come out to pay tribute to our men and women who have sacrificed for our country.

“Over the years, for me the most satisfying and moving thing that we do every year is this event. Watching the Color Guard and the Honor Guard do the things that they do, and the Ultimate Sacrifice ceremony that these groups put together every year after practicing hours and hours to make sure that everything is done perfectly is moving. And seeing people gather here in the morning, and seeing people gather around the Ultimate Sacrifice Ceremony and watching bikers bawling and women and children in tears and inviting Medal of Honor winners and Purple Heart recipients, and see them moved by that event has really been the most fulfilling thing I have done in this business in all these years. Everything else is really secondary.

“This has been a very rewarding business. I love building my business, watching people take possession of their bike, and being a part of the motorcycle community. But the thing that most fulfills me and moves me is doing West Coast Thunder, and seeing what we have done and listening to the feedback we get from everybody that have done this event every year. Every year that I do it I get chills.

“The event has grown every year. This year the number of riders that lined up on Indiana was incredible. Some 10,000 bikes lined up this year. The event has become an incredible event, and I believe that it is part of this dealer’s destiny to be a part of this.”

Thank you Jay for all you have done in honoring the soldiers and their families. I am sure that I am joined by the other veterans out there in extending our appreciation for all you have done to help provide a great event that allows us the opportunity to come together and pay tribute to our fallen brothers and sisters, and their families.

I look especially forward to West Coast Thunder XII next year, and I want to encourage everyone out there to consider registering next year for this great event. Let’s really make an impact at the Riverside National Cemetery.

Displeased with the abandoning of the Riverside National Cemetery, veterans began sounding off. Starting as a low roar, just as our Harley’s sound in the distance, their voices became louder and louder until finally Skip Fordyce relented and reinstated the run to the Riverside National Cemetery. But they seemingly did so grudgingly, and maintained the run to the Soboba Casino. That’s where things stood on the morning of May 31, 2010, Memorial Day.

The sky was a beautiful blue, a light crisp breeze was noticeable as I made my way to Panman’s Garage. It was going to be warm today, a fitting day for honoring our nation’s heroes. My bike had been scrubbed the night before, new US and Navy Jack flags were flying from their poles. Kickstands were going up at 7:30, and I knew the others would not be patient with those that were late.

I arrived first (go figure), followed shortly by the rest of our crew. Quick hugs and a few short jokes, and it was time to ride out.

The roar of our Harley’s was a soothing sound, but nothing compared to what was in store for us. We road with anticipation along Lake Mathews towards Indiana Ave and Skip Fordyce Harley-Davidson.

As we turned onto Indiana Ave, we were immediately  impressed with the number of bikes that were there already, and it was still over an hour before the ride would begin at 9:11 am. We took our places in the line, and stowed our gear as more and more riders came in, taking their places behind us. The sounds of laughter and camaraderie mixed with the sounds of the v-twins rolling into the staging area.

We counted ourselves lucky this morning. In prior years our place in line was several blocks from the Harley dealer showroom, and coffee. Today, we found ourselves just a couple of hundred feet from the showroom. We quickly made our way in search of coffee and fellow riders, friends and family.

The ceremony began sharply with the Posting of Colors. The lead Color Guard riders bike’s were adorned with large US, state, and other flags appropriate for this solemn occasion. The Pledge of Allegiance was recited, and God Bless America sang, and it was time to return to our bikes and prepare to depart.

If you have listened in awe as 4 or 5 bikes roar down the highway, imagine what 10,000 bikes sound like. The street seemed to vibrate with the chorus of v-twin muscle humming loudly to all the participants. And then it was 9:11.

The Color Guard set out, following the lead of Riverside Police, and followed closely behind by the 10,000 riders and their steeds. Veterans old and young, young men and women that respect those that have served, proud parents of soldiers that never returned, and patriots, one and all. Today, today we honor those that have served. Those that have given so much for the freedoms that we enjoy. We honor those that returned, and those that never will. We honor the sacrifices of those that will give all to defend and protect America and her way of life. And we honor the families that supported us.

The ride is a relatively short one of 15 miles. But what a ride. The street sides are lined with people waving flags and holding signs while flashing peace signs and cheering us on loudly. The police close off the intersections to opposing traffic, making our transition to the Cemetery a full on parade.

As I approached the entrance to the Riverside National Cemetery, I was astounded (and frankly disappointed) at the number of riders that continued on to the casino, completely abandoning the National Cemetery and the presentations and ceremony that would be presented for our enjoyment.

The true impact of just how many riders chose not to honor our veterans on this Memorial Day became evident once I entered into the cemetery grounds. Normally parking would be at a premium, but today there was ample parking right alongside the presentation platform. I truly felt bad for those that worked so hard to put on a meaningful presentation. The Patriot Guard Riders, the Blacksheep, Jr ROTC’s and ROTC’s, and military personnel, and of course the employees and dozens of volunteers of the Riverside National Cemetery worked tirelessly to make sure everything was just right in anticipation of our arrival. A lot of people whose names will never be told worked diligently.

The Marine Band entertained us as we awaited the Presentation of Colors. This was followed by the Presentation of the POW/MIA Flag, the Pledge of allegiance, and the National Anthem. There were a handful of dignitaries present that spoke to us about the Cemetery and those heroes entombed there.

My disappointment with the other riders that had chosen not to attend the ceremonies at the cemetery had not yet waned, when Col. Karl McGregor spoke about the sacrifices that the military man makes, and the result of those sacrifices. He spoke of the freedoms that Americans have gained due to those sacrifices. And that is when it hit me.

Those other riders that chose to run off to the casino and forgo honoring the sacrifices made by so few on their behalf, had the right to do so given to them by those of us that have served. Who am I to complain about the exercise of those freedoms that I, and so many soldiers before and since, have given so much to secure those rights. We have a President that didn’t even attend Arlington National Cemetery and lay the wreath on the tomb of the unknown soldier this Memorial Day. Why should I expect many of my fellow riders to act any differently.

The ones that did show up and pay their respects, the veterans and their families, the true patriots and supporters of our freedoms, they were there. We all stood shoulder to shoulder and shed a tear when the buglers played Taps, and again when the bagpipes played Amazing Grace.

I am still disappointed by the low turn out at the Riverside national Cemetery, but I feel better with the realization that those people were exercising their rights. There are plenty of other things going on in our country today that disappoint me far more.

In the future, I pray that Skip Fordyce Harley-Davidson will put the casino activities after the presentations put on at the Riverside National Cemetery. But either way, I will be here, greeting those that have given some, and honoring those that have given all. Honor, Respect, Remember! Hoo-Yah!!!

This year’s Laughlin Run seems to shine a spotlight on these new realities. the first major run of the year, the Laughlin Run was always typified by high prices and a failure to deliver. Add in over 100 degree heat in the desert, and you have the makings of the Laughlin Run. And yet the biker’s always swarmed to this tiny desert town. And so did the vendors. Key word here is “did”.

Panman, Tallyho and his little “donkey”, and I  were going to make a quick overnight run for Laughlin this year. We packed up our Harley’s for this year’s run in last minute fashion. We were going to run out on Saturday, but a last minute schedule change set us out on Thursday. This year we are tenting it. Paying $250 for what would otherwise be a $29 room seems to grate on us more this year than normal.

The other thing that seemed out of place was the amount of cold weather gear we were packing. Light sprinkles were daring us to try the road, and we finally obliged, leaving out at 2:30 in the afternoon for the 4 hour ride to Laughlin.

As we moved up the 15 towards the pass, we were surprised by the amount of snow the current storm had dropped on the hills on both sides of the freeway. This is Southern California… and in late April! Strange! The temperatures quickly dropped below 40 degrees as we turned the throttles to work our way up into the high desert.

As we passed through Victorville, the showers once again began. This continued on and off until we were passed Barstow. And then the gloves came off! If you have ever been in a rainstorm in the desert, you’ll now what I am talking about. You can see the cloud coming. The tell tale sign of the rain falling out of it even before you get to it. The humidity rises quickly, and the smell of wet sage rises into the air. And then it hits you. Nothing to do but moderate the speed and get through it. Fortunately the highway is long a straight through the desert.

The number of bikes on the road seemed awfully low. And the gas stop in Ludlow lacked the long waiting lines at the fuel pumps that is normally typical. But it gave us an opportunity to see a few old friends. We ran into Betsy Huelkamp. Betsy is an avid rider and writer for Women Riders Now. She also occasionally pops up on Bikernet.com. I am sure she’ll have a great story to tell.

We also saw our old friend Dave and his crew as they pulled in to this desert choke point for fuel. A quick beer, a few laughs, and it was time to hit the highway again for our final leg into Laughlin. Funny how the 4 hour run seems to be taking closer to 6 hours. Go figure.

As we pulled into Laughlin, it seemed more like a ghost town than a biker rally. Just passed sundown, and the streets were bare. We made our way to the campground at the end of the strip and broke camp. We still had time enough for dinner and a few beers over a friendly game of dominoes before we hit the sacks.

The morning didn’t start as early as I expected. Must be getting old or something. But there seemed to be no end of visitors, including a visit by Jerry of Purple Slice. For those of you that haven’t yet met Jerry, make sure you catch it at one of the rallies and tell him Coach says hi! A real nice guy, and knows everything about cleaning your ride. Plus, he seems to always have a few samples of his Purple Slice spray. This stuff is the kind! Make sure you check it out.

After breakfast, it was time to check out the vendors. We parked our bikes at the Edgewater, and began making the rounds. I fully expected there to be less vendors this year, but I was amazed at just how few there actually was. Now don’t get me wrong. There were still plenty of vendors, but less than half compared to years past. I talked to a couple of vendors as we made our rounds and asked about the vendor fees this year. True to form, the vendor fees were higher this year, not lower. I guess someone didn’t get the memo that “it’s the economy, stupid!”

One of the blaring absences this year was the lack of custom bike builders. Big Bear Choppers was there, but not many others. And where were all the sexy girls? This is different! What a disappointment! Kuryakyn was  there, and had an equally sized area for installation of there parts. JP Cycles also had their big tent.

A couple of bloody mary’s  and a stroll through the vendors tents, it was time to make our way to Oatman. This was going to be a quick trip. First thing is first though. Gotta break camp.

Oatman is a little old (really old) mining town situated on old Route 66 in the hills of Arizona between Kingman and Laughlin. The narrow street is lined by old 1800 style flat front buildings offering t-shirts and trinkets, and a saloon and a couple of sandwich shops. The donkeys that wander the street now are more famous than the gunslingers that once played faro here.

In years past the temperatures would blast well over 100 degrees. Today it was comfortable around 80. What a huge difference as we wandered the streets of Oatman.

With the bikes already packed, it was time to leave Oatman and Laughlin behind and make our way home. Told you this was a quick trip! I had noticed that the Arizona police and sheriff were keeping a low profile this year. That is good. But the California Highway Patrol seemed to swarm the border like a pack of hungry dogs waiting for prey. It is sad to see a state try to settle their budget woes by forcing their police to become overtly aggressive. More signs of changes coming.

The ride home was generally uneventful, at least until the sun started gong down. Wow, it cooled off quickly. And as we once again entered into Victorville, the temps plunged below 40 degrees. And this time we weren’t wearing our cold weather gear. Wow, that’s cold. But we persevered and pushed on.

Laughlin was always the overpriced run that failed to deliver. But it is the first big run of the year, and typically packs a large crowd and lots of vendors and bike builders. A few good bands, a little casino action and some drinks with old friends and new ones too. It was all good. The sheer lack of numbers of both riders and vendors is concerning. I pray this is not a harbinger of things to come, but I am afraid it may be.

When you’re on your next run, look around for an Ultra flying US and Navy Jack flags. Panman and I will be out there looking for the next great ride. I hope to see you there too!

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