The Twists and Turns throughout one of the Most Wild Years in our History
A Transformative Year for Me, Bikernet, Sturgis, the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum, the Country and the World.
An Amazing year with challenges and awards constantly. It’s been one of the strangest years of my life; worldly, wicked, perplexing, testing, stressful and transcending.
I attempted a timeline and made notes, but shit is still happening fast. I’ve thought about all the guys I’ve known who have come to the Black Hills, settled down, and then five years later escaped. Tom Motsko, who has worked for Drag Specialties forever, prides himself for adapting and staying for the long run. He moved from Excelsior, Minnesota 18 years ago and lives on a steep hill in snowy Spearfish. He’s being inducted into the Sturgis Hall of Fame in 2025.
Robin, the bookkeeper of the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum for 20 years, spoke to me at length about the history of the Museum and how businesses struggled to survive the winters. She owns Black Hills Rally and Gold on Main Street. It’s open year-round.
Everything is relative. My contractor and friend, Jason, who has lived in Sturgis all his life, frowns at the thought of driving his kids to North Dakota for a game. So, it ain’t so bad here.
So here goes. At the beginning of 2024, I settled into my fourth year living in Deadwood with my shop/second home in Boulder Canyon (Sturgis address), three miles door to door from the Jackson House. We fixed it up and detailed the 100-year-old home in the Presidential District and the real estate market was kind to us.
Keep in mind, I was 75 and about to turn 76. The pain in my right hip increased, and I received a cortisone shot. It helped, along with chiropractic and massage therapy through Veterans Affairs (the VA). I enjoyed the VA support, except they had a problem providing me with a primary care physician. Only sporadically did I speak to or consult with a doctor. I thought it odd. Primary means the first doctor you can approach, ask questions or confide in.
He or she is someone you get to know and who gets to know your aging ailments inside and out. Nope, sorry. I needed to basically self-diagnose anything and everything and take action, like make a call or run to the emergency room. From that point, the very responsive VA took care of me at every turn.
Moving right along. I knew I wanted to be involved in any aspect of motorcycling in the area. I met the local Antique Motorcycle Club of America (AMCA) chapter and joined. Of course, I attended local Hamster parties. Plus, I have been a fan of the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum since Pepper Massey became the Executive Director in the ’80s. I followed, and worked with, every Executive Director, and supported the Museum every chance I got with donations, giving them advertising on Bikernet, featuring their exhibit bikes, etc.
Plus, I knew lots of the motorcycling family in the area, from Hamsters, to Uglies, AMCA guys, Sinners MC, industry folks and Jack Pine Gypsy riders. Before the New Year hit, the snow flew and the area sparkled with Christmas gatherings of the antique guys, the Hamster party at the Loud American, Deadwood tree lighting in Outlaw square, etc.
Also, weird shit surfaced. A brother in Sturgis died and his wife’s (Vickie) in-laws moved in and tried to take over. Vickie would only tolerate so much, and a flare-up ended the insurrection. The kids left and mom went to jail. She had a handful of weapons which were confiscated, and I became the custodian. She owned her husband’s chopper and Irish Rich offered to switch it back to a foot-shift.
Remember the dragon art I salvaged from the deck in Wilmington? It crumbled under the extreme SD weather conditions. I reached out to Tim Peterson, the fine artist and master sign painter. He took on recreating the Dragons. His signs may look like carved wood, but they’re not. They are made from laser-cut aluminum sheets, powder-coated white. It’s like the paint on the side of your car. The process is beautifully handled with automotive finish and cleared. In December, he installed the dragons and changed the 5-Ball to 35 for 35 Jackson Street. Just about then the market grew, the Redhead complained, and I felt another aging change. Handling the steps to the Jackson house challenged us additionally to the steep twisting street to Mt. Moriah and Wild Bill’s grave. I didn’t want to sell the Jackson home. It was perfect, except it needed new garage doors. I spoke to my contractor, Jason, and he started putting the bids together.
Suddenly, upheaval exploded at the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum. The Executive Director quit, and two board members bailed. I felt the Museum effort was critical to us, the city, the Rally and the motorcycle industry. I stepped up, but felt concerned. Was the problem the staff and a few board guys, or was it tied to other board members? Keith Terry, another Hamster, who had considerable board history, listed all the wrong doings by previous administrations. His reasoning seemed compelling, but… You know the drill. Who oversaw these administrations and allowed them to stumble and fail? Who hired them and why? You can always blame an employee, but who was at the helm and responsible for the decline?
I felt two things: One, I wanted to help. Two, I couldn’t find out what was wrong until I stepped into the board shoes. So I did.
In the blink of an eye, another Executive Director was hired. Did the President follow hiring protocols and procedures?
Heidi, the new Executive Director came on board and discovered locked computer systems, password protected accounts, limited access to emails and accounting QuickBooks systems locked up. The previous Executive Director wouldn’t help and filed a complaint with the labor board.
The President of the Board asked me to be the Secretary and the Chairman of the Marketing Committee. I started to ask question and the answers weren’t good. Other than Hall of Fame Committee, the Museum lacked programs, procedures, oversight, etc.
One more thing, we had 30 days to complete the annual Sturgis Magazine in conjunction with the City of Sturgis. Nothing initiated, we hit the paper road with a blank sheet.
So, suddenly I discovered the small Board with several members out of town, tried to run a multi-faceted business with no staff and just one or two active Board members. The President, a cool guy, grappled with being on another dozen boards, including the United Way in Rapid City, running two high-tech businesses, keeping track of nano particles and living 30 miles away in Rapid City. Plus, recently divorced, he searched for, packed and moved into a new home. Busy guy!
That left a bunch of dire needs to be handled by Keith Terry, Heidi and myself. I’ve been on several boards, but nothing like this. I went after this mission with gusto! I felt the Museum was majorly significant to itself, the City, the Rally, the State and the motorcycle industry, worldwide. We had to make something happen!
I started to make lists and do research, which directions we could go and how. I scrambled and watched the staff grow. I looked to expand the Board with active industry giants like Marilyn Stemp, Steve Piehl, Ari from Law Tigers and Kirk “Hardtail” Willard, the President of the Motorcycle Riders Foundation (MRF). Everyone in the industry wanted to help.
Keith Terry filled me in on all past issues. Seems a previous administrator forced the City Attorney to write a restraining order against AMCA members. How ridiculous was that? A motorcycle museum bans members of the Antique Motorcycle Club of America.
In addition, the staff fired Robb, the only antique knowledgeable employee. I started making daily trips to the Museum, working on the magazine, writing articles, editing and making suggestions. Twenty years past since I published a magazine.
I enjoyed meetings with the Sturgis city staff regarding communications, zoning, planning and such. What a great group! Only the City Attorney posed a problem. But, from the city basement, problems surfaced. The Sturgis city government was about to implode.
I went to them, regarding expanding the size of the Museum. I had previously heard a lot of stories about floodplains and such. The city crew were very responsive and helpful, except for the City Attorney. He was snarky regarding the restraining order claim, denied it and pushed back, wanting proof. Mike Kane, a local AMCA member and talented antique bike restorer, had a copy framed in his underground shop.
Heidi found a copy in a filing cabinet, filed in no organizational order. She just happened across it. I presented the document, signed by the City Attorney. He reviewed it and chased me down the hall. “It’s up to the Board,” he said. “If the Board votes it down, it’s of no significance.”
Elated, I reported back to the Museum and Rob returned to his beloved job. We needed someone in the Museum who knew antique bikes and worked on them. Rob also worked in Lonnie Issam’s shop, restoring Knuckleheads, Panheads and Flatheads.
I finally received a call from Arehart Customs in Whitewood. My ’58 Chevy was finished. I picked it up, the brakes didn’t work, and a wheel fell off on the freeway. I returned it, but obviously became suspicious. I needed another mechanic.
I also worked on my S&S Knucklehead project chopper. I called it the VL for the modified frame from Irish Rich, XA for the stock front end with mods, and FL for the Knucklehead engine. As I got close with the build and collected the paint, the Museum projects exploded.
As January slipped away, we enjoyed a tremendous Holiday Season filled with friendship, snow and sparkling lights. Gina Woods invited me to be a guest on her Open Road Radio Show. We discussed 2024, the threats against our culture, building scooters and the opportunities for truth and integrity. For over 50 years, I worked and supported the motorcycling rights world from my first job as the Manager of ABATE (A Brotherhood Against Totalitarian Enactments) in 1971.
A new threat loomed behind another trumped up excuse, Climate Doom. From the beginning, with Al Gore’s film, I listened and watched. It sounded okay. It also threw down a gauntlet, we had to do something, or we were doomed. I started to research through the workings and studies published by Marc Morano, Alex Epstein and Gregory Wrightstone. I started to learn the truth and fought back. Al chose to lie to kids all over the world and make himself rich in the process through carbon credits.
I could write about this evil process for a week. I may write a book from a biker’s perspective. Al proclaimed if we didn’t do anything to eliminate all use of fossil fuels, we would perish. Then, folks started to bully other folks, businesses and whole industries. We found ourselves living in a control-freak era.
The whole evil enterprise made no sense. We can’t stop fossil fuel use; hell, most medicines are made from oil. If America stopped tomorrow, what about China, India, Russia and Turkey? It made absolutely no sense, but still we had a cabal of ardent leaders, including the President of the United States, trying to shove the notion and severe regulations down our throats. All of our motorcycles and chopper-building enthusiasts would be regulated to death. I had to question it and fight back.
On a personal front, I ran into my insurance bills. I was being pushed in multiple directions with my State Farm Agent. I reached out to my previous agent of 25 years for input. I blew off the Deadwood agent because he didn’t have time for me, but I decided to give him another shot. Here’s a major lesson which I faced numerous times in the last five years. You need to oversee everything. It’s one of the complications of modern life. Everyone wants a piece of you. Either you have a partner, wife, secretary, bookkeeper or… to check and watch out for you, or it’s on you. It’s on you anyway, whether you like it or not.
I researched, called, asked questions and finally found someone who could make it happen. Victoria, in Deadwood. She researched all my options, bundled stuff and saved me two grand a year with better coverage, all around. It can be done, but you need to push.
February hit with a storm of action. I got on the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum Board of Directors. I took the Chevy to another mechanic in Spearfish. Berry Wardlaw called. A couple of years ago, a TV crew approached the Panhead Master with a notion to build a bike and take it to Bonneville. I said, “Berry, we have the ‘Assault Weapon’ in the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum. Come and get it.” The TV deal fell apart, like so many do. But, two years later, Berry was able to put a team and sponsors together. He called and asked if he could take the ‘Assault Weapon’ out of the Museum, and of course I said, “Yes.”
In February, Haul Bikes sent a rig and we loaded the ‘Assault Weapon,’ a 120-inch Panhead, into the 40-foot rig and off it went. I asked for an understanding. Berry could do anything he wanted mechanically to the beast, but the configuration would remain the same. That agreement lasted about two weeks. He made plans to slip it into a wind tunnel.
My roll at the Museum erupted into a wild chain of responsibilities, controversies and egos. I saw only potential. The Sturgis Motorcycle Museum, located in a 1937 brick Post Office building, expanded into about a 10,000 square foot historic museum full of wonderful motorcycles and Sturgis Rally artifacts, wild motorcycle art, custom motorcycles and rare motorcycles, dating back to the teens, maybe even 1911.
My dream to expand the Museum into something truly world class in size, structure and exhibits grew. Plus, the opportunity to create educational opportunities and introduce high school kids to the motorcycle industry loomed largely. After meeting with the city, I discovered every dream was entirely possible, but we needed a solid museum infrastructure first.
This will sound stranger than wild fiction, but the city of Sturgis seemed to be going through similar structural pains. WTF, over?
I found myself in the middle of every aspect of the Museum from curation to the Hall of Fame nominees. I also discovered our relationship with the Harley-Davidson factory slipped away, as did our rapport with the City of Sturgis. I found myself flying in various directions, mostly because of my long-standing connections with the industry.
Okay, while scrambling for the future in a world turned upside down, a brother of mine called. Deeply involved in the antique motorcycle world, he lived on a ranch in Texas. He caught illegals trying to break into his tool shed and chased them off, but they didn’t leave, and he pulled a gun. The cops came and took a report, but it was never filed and the perps never arrested. My brother was. He must have raised his voice… In some places a man is not allowed to protect his home or family. He’s still dealing with this issue more than a year later and unable to attend the Mecum auction in Vegas.
As the Ides of March arrived, I attended editorial meetings for the Sturgis Rally magazine. We developed a guiding mantra to create a serious resource guide, full of Museum, Rally and racing history.
I wrote several articles while learning the history of the community, interviewing locals, attending City Council meetings and once in a while cruising into Lead (just south of Deadwood, deeper into the pine tree strewn hills) for a concert at the Lead Opera House, originally built in 1914 through the devotion of the wife of William Randolph Hearst, Phoebe, who owned the Homestake gold mine down the street. In 1984 a fire ripped through the auditorium. A magnificent building. The crew, through public donations, partially restored it under the leadership of Panhead John’s wife, Sharon. She’s the President of the Board and a Deadwood City Councilperson.
I sat in on Sturgis City Council meetings, introduced myself as being part of the Museum and met with the Mayor. The former Mayor resigned after nine years under a cloud of suspicion. I discovered gray clouds of suspicion everywhere in the Black Hills.
The City Council meetings stumbled along as if they followed no mantra. The Mayor ran the city like a CEO and the City Council questioned his or her every move. It wasn’t a team effort.
Here’s the city’s mission statement:
City Mission Statement:
Our Mission:
To provide an attractive, growing community being served by a
professional staff that offers reliable, quality municipal services.
In an inspiring moment I wrote a new Sturgis Mission Statement:
Sturgis, South Dakota the City of Riders
Our Mission: To Celebrate our Historic Past as the City of Riders and the Home of the largest Motorcycle Rally in the World. We are determined to provide our community with a vibrant vision of the future with an active city government and reliable staff forming a team dedicated to the growth and the citizens of the dynamic city of Sturgis.
April came around and shit flew everywhere. All good shit. Keep in mind I’m the new/old guy able to brush along the top of issues. I could help and inspire, while dodging the evils of the past. Still, evil continued to fester like mold in a basement wall after a flood.
I watched for suspicious problems and checked for evil signs. Some issues started to pop to the surface like weeds through the snow. Take the City! The Mayor split, and so did the City Manager, and then the Finance Officer. Suddenly, the city turned on Angela, a Detective and the Interim Mayor.
There seemed to be a financial issue, but nobody knew. The Finance Officer disappeared, and an accounting firm hired. But, we still don’t know, hence the city panicked, cut funding, cut the Sturgis Magazine budget for 2025, etc. That put me in the position of negotiating with the city. Some Museum staff didn’t want to produce it. Major time drain, lots of work and little or no profit.
Marilyn Stemp wanted to produce one more for the 85th and then call it quits. I went to work negotiating a more profitable deal for the Museum. I came up with a plan and found out later the staff didn’t like it. No matter, the city turned it down and offered us billboards or motorcycles, Harleys.
You can imagine the hubbub and the mounting stress. About this time, we put the Jackson house up for sale. I started to work with a neighbor-realtor, which turned out to be a bad notion. Here’s another life lessons. Don’t use a real estate agent you know, is a relative or a neighbor. The problem becomes the Agent’s mantra. They want to seal the deal as quickly as possible. They don’t care who wants what, just close the books and move on. I found myself fighting the Agent to support my counter offers. More stress.
My agent wanted to me to make it a turnkey deal. She defined it as ‘leave everything including my underwear, just leave.’ I looked it up. Turnkey means you leave the appliances and it’s completely up to the seller what they leave. We went to war, but ultimately it worked out nearly perfect.
A break from all the stress surfaced at Pizza Ranch in Sturgis. They have a seniors dinner deal once a month on Wednesdays. It’s fried chicken dinner, all the pizza you can eat, buffet and amazing desserts with soft ice cream for 10 clams. The AMCA guys go once a month, and I started to tag along. We’d laugh, joke and eat too much chow. What a relief!
Then, as I’m scrambling to switch Bikernet from the old, antiquated CMS platform to WordPress, I took my first glance at a property in Downtown Sturgis. I just couldn’t see putting the Jackson property profits into another lack-luster mutual fund and stare at it as it creeps slightly up… Seemed like a waste of time. Plus, while being more active in Downtown Sturgis, I discovered Richard Lester’s building for sale, kitty-corner from the Museum.
Okay, so testing the waters began directly with the owner’s son, Joey Lester. I discovered the 1800s block building with a basement of the same size might be under contract or in escrow with the Hells Angels. Hell, if it’s in escrow, the deal is done. Not so fast…
I looked at the building next door, which was part of the same block structure, but the owner, Dave Wilson, a longtime real estate agent in the area was tough. He wanted more than 100 grand over the Richard Lester price, although he had performed several upgrades to the building, new roof, ceiling and it had a couple more amenities. I made a lowball offer and he turned it down. I left the thought of buying a building in downtown in the snow-filled gutter for the time being.
The struggle to move 16,000 Bikernet articles from the CMS platform coughed and sputtered. It’s not easy. Plus, every article needs to be placed in the appropriate department, dated, new tag words added, the correct credits; you name it. Nothing was easy, we struggled to make sense of the move.
I started a Museum expansion effort, introducing a construction group in Rapid City. I started to work with David Uhl’s longtime partner, master artist, graphics designer and bike rider, Danial James, who gladly kicked out concept drawings. I met with Gustafson builders. I’m not a contractor, but I’m an old biker who’s been around lots of blocks. I’ve had my hand in construction projects, city developments and zoning and planning issues. I’m not an expert, but I know enough to keep me out of trouble.
Everyone wanted to help, except a couple of Board members, but I kept moving. Here’s the issue: This is a city of 7,000 and some people. It needed something monumental to strike a match for growth. Two things could help immensely. It needed a real, massive Harley-Davison dealership and/or a world class motorcycle museum. More and more bikers moved to Sturgis. Unfortunately, many thought Sturgis was second class, and they moved to more upscale Spearfish 16 miles away.
Unfortunately, the action wasn’t in Spearfish. It was in Sturgis and Deadwood. Deadwood was cool, historic, in the mountains and held the only gambling town in the state. Sturgis is the epicenter of the motorcycle industry but needed a spark, a monument and a place for all the brothers and sisters to come to anytime of the year; a centerpiece.
Keep in mind, I turned 76, another hip replacement loomed, my heart spoke to me, pain was an everyday occurrence, I dealt with skin cancer threats and my teeth fucked with me. Yet, brothers died all around me on regular intervals. I considered myself lucky to the bone. I worked out four days a week and stayed active, but the evil specter of death loomed and I became a smiling ghost every time a brother passed away.
As I turned the page on May ’24, I still fought with ’58 Chevy repairs, the Jackson house deal started to close, The S&S Knuckle chop project eked slowly ahead, and I stare at a 1913 H-D board track racer (another story), which would be my next project. The local newspaper wanted to write a story about me, and I was part of the crew for Hamster Highway clean-up day. I also attended Jason Mook’s, Deadwood Custom Cycles show meetings. A judge the previous show, I decided to retire from judging bike shows.
About this time Scott Jacobs offered to sell my books in his Deadwood Gallery and I created a promotional poster and delivered books. I drove by the Lester building on main and the real estate sign remained intact. I decided to have my agent make a call. The price reduced, I considered an offer.
Fortunately, the new owners of the Jackson house didn’t care about the dragon art over the deck sliders, and I took it quickly down and stashed it, spackled the screw holes and touched them up. I gave the center piece back to Tim at Flat Earth. The 35 needed to be switched back to a 5-Ball.
After considerable stress and negotiations, we moved furniture from the Jackson house, and it closed. The Lester building on main was still for sale. I hesitated again because of the club efforts. They didn’t make a move. It hadn’t sold and I made an offer in June.
I negotiated the deal on Main Street in Sturgis and got an even better price. Suddenly, we were in a frenzy to set up the building at 1008 Main Street for the Rally, about six weeks away.
I called Tim, at Flat Earth Art Studio in Spearfish, for signage. He measured and went to work. Meticulous about his schedule, I was fortunate to slip my project in, just in time to be completed before the Rally.
We touched up the floor in what was to become Bandit’s 5-Ball Emporium. I reached out to my friend at Carpet Buyers Outlet and he came to consult with me. A brother from the AMCA, Mike Kane, toured the building with me and coached me on codes and shit I needed to deal with, like installing a metal fire protection floor in my workshop area of the shop. New flooring installed in the main area, I ordered 4×8 foot sheets of thin steel plates for the deck in my small workshop/office area.
Whitewood held a car show in town at the end of June, and I wanted to drive the Chevy. It still wasn’t up to it, although, it had been to three different mechanics. From time to time, I drove it and prayed it could make it to the next destination. More and more it called to me. I needed to take on a couple of mechanical checks and adjustments by myself. But, not until after the Rally.
July hit. I met a pie lady and she promised us an apricot pie. There were parties to attend. I built a counter for the Emporium out of the bottom of one of the crates used to move from LA. I used other crates for displays. A Hamster brother with a magnificent home on the way to Belle Fourche offered me barn wood. Alison and I went to work cutting chunks of molding planks in high weeds and hauling them back to the house in Boulder Canyon.
Just over the center of the July, with the Rally two weeks away, I touched up and prepped the front of the building so it would be ready for Tim to install my signage. We worked with Legendary Electric to improve the basement wiring. We worked with Maverick at Wolff’s Plumbing and Heating to service the heating and air system.
Finally, two weeks before the Rally, a female tattoo artist confronted me about her historic Rally spot. Connected to the Longmont chapter of the Hells Angels, she wanted to know what was happening. One thing led to another and Doug, the Chapter President, called. Unhappy, but not with me, we planned to meet during the Rally. They controlled the building that I bought for 40 years and still had a stash of tools and tattoo equipment in the basement.
Part of my mission for the Museum included city involvement. Suddenly, a new twist slammed into the city limits. Some guys from the AFT (American Flat Track) wanted to throw a FT race in downtown and launch a new All-Terrain racing program on the streets of Sturgis at the end of the Rally. The first proposal called for a $600,000 annual expenditure from the city. It was voted on and approved. Unfortunately, a City Councilman mouthed off and it went public. It became a public referendum issue and didn’t pass.
Done deal, but the AFT guys, who were sanctioned by the AMA, didn’t give up. They returned with a smaller race, only around one block and not two. And, according to their report, the city wouldn’t be on the hook for a dime and would share the profits once costs were covered. I attended meetings.
Here’s the deal. This dinky city, once considered a South Dakota key city has had everything under the sun thrown at it by carnies, hucksters, big egos and flim-flam guys. I woulda thought they’d be armed with an iron clad business strategy and would always come out on top.
There’s one issue most dreamers miss, the seasons. They think it’s Rally time all year long. It ain’t! Most folks who move here don’t last many winters before they escape to Arizona or beyond, not good for business.
In many respects, the grim photos of snow-covered fields and icy streets is fading. More action happens daily. More businesses are open year-round on Main. It takes resilience and patience, but it’s happening. The AFT race passed the City Council and planning has started.
The Rally threatened with only two weeks to go. I reached out to Danial James, “Would you like to place your art in the Emporium?” I asked.
He offered to rent a space, but I told him to exhibit his art throughout the building. Danial and Yvonne brought a trailer load of displays, easels and a variety of art. I didn’t realize how prolific Dan’s creative spirit was, from portraits to motorcycles, logos, horses, dogs, babes, you name it. Stunned! I couldn’t believe it, but it was just the tip of his artistic abilities. A partner with David Uhl for 29 years, he also backed and created logos for Scott Jacobs for decades.
The Redhead and I attended the magnificent Buffalo Chip flag raising ceremony at the Chip. The moving ceremony took us away from other controversies looming between our local small group of talented motorcycle artists.
We stayed focused on opening the shop the week before the Rally. You can imagine the cash register, WIFI, security, locks, inventory systems we grappled with.
Eric Herrman called, wanting to donate a piece of anniversary art to the Museum. I jumped in the van and hauled ass into the hills, where Eric set up for the Rally and polished his new KTM all-terrain bike. He recently rode through Alaska and weekly covered every Arizona highway from where he lives in Cave Creek. He also gave me a box of his painting instruction books, published by Tim Remus, to sell in the Emporium.
I had a couple of goals for the Museum prior to the Rally kick-off. We wanted to blow up the historic Rally timeline from the magazine and post it on the wall in the Museum. We completed the task. We also wanted to greet newcomers to the Museum with something historically telling about the Rally; an introduction. I worked with Michael Lichter for 40 years, mostly through his photography for Easyriders Magazine, including Rally coverage. Together, we selected a group of shots and then worked with Scott Jacobs’ team to blow-up and mount for the Museum foyer. At the same time, we blew up a couple of images for the Emporium.
Shit came together in record time and the party list for the Rally expanded, starting with the Saddleman Party at their magnificent facility in the Hills, overlooking I-90 heading west to Sturgis.
I also worked with the staff to create an inspirational blow-up of this Danial James image of the Museum expanded. I wanted to tease the Hall of Fame breakfast induction crowd with what could happen down the historic road. A sneaky Board member killed the notion without consulting with me. Fortunately, we covered the prospects in the Sturgis Magazine and on Bikernet for a broader reach.
Suddenly, we rode smack dab into the center of the Rally. Fortunately, Danial James and Yvonne ran the shop most of the time with back-up from the Redhead. I flickered in and out like the outlaw I am, hitting gatherings and parties along the way. Kenny, the silver Jeweler set up and was a great help, along with Tate, who offered to handle the heavy lifting at Two-Wheelers shop, down the street, and at the Emporium.
Being downtown ‘round the clock became reminiscent of working backstage at the circus, sorta carny-like with big crowds of scooter-tramps, club guys, lotsa tattooed folks and artists. AMCA guys held their annual show at the Iron Horse on Monday, but I had to make the mandatory Hamster banquet in Spearfish.
The Hall of Fame Breakfast received a special guest appearance from the then-seated South Dakota Governor, Kristi Noem. A brother and his wife were dying to attend, so I gave up my tickets and did time in the Emporium, but slipped away for the Ugly Dinner in Sturgis at Pappy Hoel’s original digs.
Thursday, we rode out to the ABATE of SD Social in Whitewood where we met up with legislative leaders from all over the country.
Hammered, I waited for quieter days, but a call came in from Micah McCloskey, “Are we going to Bonneville?”
I told him I thought about passing, and I immediately could sense his melting form on the other end of the line. I stumbled, coughed, dealt with a summer cold and agreed to give it a shot. In a sense, our readiness level peaked. The new trailer prepped, we started the registration process, collected tools, bought a generator and loaded the 5-Ball Racing van. Several of the team bailed out or couldn’t make it, but John Martinisko, Panhead John, and Heidi’s husband Steve, who dreamed about attending Bonneville all his life, all showed.
This historic streamlined trike endeavor, and its mega-positive outcome, was covered on Bikernet thoroughly in this report.
https://blog.bikernet.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=74549&action=edit
Keep in mind, I’m responsible every-other month for the Cycle Source World Report by Bikernet.
The more deals you make, the more chances of something going south. I feel very fortunate for so many things, but I’m also learning who the slippery characters are in the Black Hills of South Dakota.
I’ve also stumbled on amazingly talent folks who are artistic, creative, wood workers, bakers, pie makers and mechanics. Unfortunately, not old Chevy mechanics. I ended up jacking up the stern of the Chevy, removing the electric fuel pump near the gas tank and going through the rebuilt carb. I checked, changed, adjusted, cleaned and detailed. Finally, it started to run properly, and I could drive it around the Black Hills without wondering if I would make it home.
As everyone knows, the last few years have been politically tough on our country and the world. I’m immensely proud of Americans for stepping up for freedom and integrity. What we have done will save our country and turn the tide all over the world. I don’t care what CNN says. Over the rest of this year corruption will be exposed in all corners of our government.
Are you getting the picture of 2024? It’s now the middle of February 2025. We are remodeling the bathroom in the Emporium and the Hells Angels are trying to buy the building next door. I needed to call the P, Doug again about Easyriders Magazine. The last publishing group to buy the license ripped off the owners Joe and Ellen Teresi. Joe’s health failing, Ellen found herself on the hook to pay everything. Bad deal all around.
Seems one of the previous bad-deal makers was the relative of a club member and I need to call and alert Doug about the failing prospects.
Ellen offered the Easyriders Streamliner to the Sturgis Museum, and I went to work trying to haul it from Albuquerque, NM to Sturgis. Finally, a Hamster, Scott Peterson, stepped up and bada bing, done deal. We met recently to discuss the mounting system with Ron Waldron, the metal master.
In January, I fired the Knucklehead. So, are you getting the picture of the Life and Times of Bandit in 2024 and into the beginning of 2025? I hope so, there will be a pop quiz later this week.
I can’t ever give up or give in. I am now the Chair on the newly formed Fundraising Committee. We kicked off the Museum’s first raffle program for the 85th. I donated the Hugh King Discovery Channel Biker Build-off bike. Danial James offered a painting of the bike and Sturgis has additional prizes. Of course, we ran into problems and folks who wanted to kill it. We will deal with it and move forward.
Next week, we will start on a membership program, an endowment program and a corporate sponsorship program. Somehow, someday we will have a world class motorcycle museum in Sturgis, as the center of the Motorcycle Museum Worldwide.
Let it be written, let it be done. Let me know if you want to be involved or donate… We have a program just for you…
–Bandit
