Category Archives: Sturgis

Only the Strong Survive!

October 17, 2013 by Road Captain

I am able bodied, and fearful looking (6-‘3″ 265 pounds) and able to put a hurt on most people! This was the headline from a 62 year old reader’s email – we were wondering who we pissed off this time. The reality was that this came from Doug Fayle, a Massachusetts Local asking about details of the White Knuckle 300 Ride (http://on.fb.me/GM0PHD) . Doug, you got our attention and I hope we answered your questions. [Much more below] This led […]

Categories: Interviews & Anecdotes, Rides & Destinations, Sturgis

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Beantown Baggers Full Photo Collection

October 15, 2013 by thebeantownbaggers

If you haven’t already bookmarked the Beantown Baggers Flickr page, you should do it now. We post ALL pictures from our rides, events and site on the Flickr page. Have you missed a photo? Want to find it but don’t feel like sorting through Facebook? Look at some pictures that we didn’t post on the page or site? It’s all here – just click the link below: http://bit.ly/1bYLy0u

Categories: Letters from the Editors, Live Events, Rides & Destinations, Sturgis

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Sleet Storms suck!

August 21, 2013 by Road Captain

Today is Tuesday August 6, 2013: We are spending two days in Sturgis and have a little work to do. First things first – Jimmy and I have to get to the Victory store and check on parts for Josh’s bike (See August 5 here for details). That was a 35 mile ride from Sturgis to Rapid City but would give us a chance to motivate earlier than the rest of our crew. I was going for moral support as […]

Categories: Rides & Destinations, Sturgis, Sturgis 2013 • Tags: maps

Oh, sweet Cali-style!

August 20, 2013 by TheTravelWriter

Photo quality isn’t the best, but nonetheless this is a sweet ride in true SoCal form. Outside Full Throttle from Sturgis 2013

Categories: Amazing Bikes, Sturgis, Sturgis 2013

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Stranded, Roadside in the middle of Wyoming – 276 from Sturgis

August 12, 2013 by Road Captain

After a great dinner at the Local in Jackson full of raw elk meat and Black Maple Hill Bourbon followed up by a few drinks at the Million Dollar Cowboy bar the 5 AM wakeup time was not welcomed by anyone. We had agreed to get on the bikes at 6 AM but when 6 AM came only three of the six of us were out by the bikes. Saddle time would be 6:45 today as we headed toward the […]

Categories: Rides & Destinations, Sturgis 2013, Trip Journals, Whiskey and Cigars

Reflecting on Sturgis

August 12, 2013 by TheTravelWriter

Our last evening was spent again in Vegas. We didn’t necessarily have this destination in mind during the trip nor were we certain we’d make it the 705 miles all the way down from Leadville, CO but we did. It was a welcomed stop as we’d been up at the crack of dawn, started the day out at 11,000 feet and 37 degrees and ended in the 90’s. We were worn out from the week and the day’s ride, but energized by […]

Categories: Sturgis 2013

Darkness Does a Number on the Mind

August 12, 2013 by TheTravelWriter

I’ve had the fortunate pleasure of riding to exhaustion and once at that point to where my mind starts to wander about the finer things in life like high thread count Egyptian cotton sheets and plush pillows, I’ve had to find strength to push on to the destination. Nobody likes riding tired and it sure isn’t safe, but it happens and you’ve got to be prepared for it and its implications. I remember when I was a ripe 17 years of […]

Categories: Ride Preparation, Sturgis 2013, Trip Journals

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90 miles an hour, girl, that’s the speed I drive! Utah and WY

August 11, 2013 by Road Captain

Today is Sunday 8/4/2013. We arrived Salt Lake City last night around 2 AM and had planned on saddling up around 9 AM today for our trip to Red Lodge. This would be 550 miles including some of the hardest miles on the trip – Yellowstone and Beartooth pass. And then there were 8: Two of my friends with whom I had rode last year met us at 9 AM for our ride. Salt Lake City natives Bert and Jamie […]

Categories: Performance & Repairs, Sturgis 2013, Trip Journals

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An old, worn but nowhere near dried up rocker

August 8, 2013 by Road Captain

Last night I had a chance to see one of my all time favorite bands, Mötley Crüe play the full throttle saloon and they killed it. I anticipated a painful show with a haggard Vince Neil and some band members who couldn’t hold a candle to the original four who I saw at the Worcester Centrum in 1989 when they toured with Warrant. This was one of my fondest childhood memories – it was my first time seeing a hair […]

Categories: Letters from the Editors, Sturgis 2013, Videos: Riding & Event

That Place is really in the United States! Holy Crap!

August 6, 2013 by Road Captain

After a 300 mile ride that got us into Vegas around 2 AM, a few drinks,some food and more time than we needed at the blackjack tables, we would call it a night around 4:30 AM. Not bad for Vegas unless you have to be on the road early the next day. Sunrise came around and 3 of the 6 of us were awake. A few hours later the rest of us threw down some greasy breakfast sandwiches and guzzled […]

Categories: Sturgis 2013, Trip Journals • Tags: maps

The Pilgrimage | Sturgis Part 1.0

August 3, 2013 by TheTravelWriter

Here I am 34,000 ft in the air rocking like I’m in one of those heart shaped motel beds you feed quarters to. I figure the accommodations that we may be staying at along our ride from LA to South Dakota will be similar. Frankly, if we are lucky this is what we’ll come upon in the early morning hours when our buddies who don’t ride that often anymore are bitching. Ha! Fully prepared over here to be sleeping in […]

Categories: Rides & Destinations, Sturgis 2013

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A desert at night is still a freekin’ desert

August 3, 2013 by Road Captain

We left Malibu today at 7PM PST for our first leg to Sturgis. The first 100 of our 300 mile day was jam packed with traffic but still great to get on a bike in the 75 degree California sun. The comfortable climate wasn’t there to stay as we found out later. From the moment we pulled out of Malibu and passed through the canyons on the way to Rt 15 the scenery was spectacular. The ride to Vegas from […]

Categories: Rides & Destinations, Sturgis 2013

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“The Trip of a Lifetime”

August 3, 2013 by Road Captain

As the snow piled up in a brutal New England winter, one late December morning greeted five friends with that email subject line: “The Trip of a Lifetime”! The note would go on to call out the crossroads of our lives where we all currently sit. Between ages 30 and 50, live, work, family etc all normally get the best of us. As a result, of the group, only one of us has been to Sturgis though we have all […]

Categories: Rides & Destinations, Sturgis 2013

Ride planning Tool

July 25, 2013 by Road Captain

I’ve used a number of tools to plan rides in the past and some are better than others. The elements for a good ride planning application are: ability to upload images from mobile collaboration tools to receive contributions from other riders in my group check lists to keep track of packing items and destinations ability to import maps public and private switch. Some things I’ll share with the world and others should just be for my group to see potential […]

Categories: Ride Preparation, Riding Gear, Sturgis 2013

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Countdown to Sturgis – 13 days out

July 20, 2013 by Road Captain

Right now we are 13 days from Sturgis. I’ve been in touch with a lot of people I met along the road last year and look forward to riding a few miles with old friends. The bikes just arrived to LA where we will depart as a group toward Sturgis. Again, I would rather ride everywhere but part of the fun is going with your crew. Maps are done Major stuff is packed Only need to pack my clothes and […]

Categories: Sturgis 2013

Countdown to Sturgis: Maps are complete – old school style. 19 Days out

July 15, 2013 by Road Captain

In 19 days I head out to the 2013 Sturgis Motorcycle Rally with five other buddies. We are taking an unconventional route (for East Coasters) as we’re starting in Malibu and heading to Sturgis from there. The route maps have been finalized (http://sprng.me/ihsh7) and I have even gone through the task of highlighting the routes on some Rand McNally paper maps. I prefer riding this way rather than using GPS as you can really see the big picture of the […]

Categories: Ride Preparation, Sturgis 2013

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Countdown to Sturgis Motorcycle Week – 24 days out

July 9, 2013 by Road Captain

7 months ago I put out a call to action for 5 of my closest riding compadres titled “A Trip of a Lifetime”. I would ask them to join me on a 10 day ride to Sturgis this year leaving August 2 and returning the following Sunday. Taking time off work is never easy nor is fund allocation for such a trip. To my surprise they all said they were in! It would happen – 6 of us would ride […]

Categories: Letters from the Editors, Ride Preparation, Sturgis 2013

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Day 14 -San Jose CA to Santa Monica CA

August 18, 2012 by Road Captain

Got on the road toward the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH). Monterey was cold but Carmel was beautiful. Stopped there for lunch and to watch some of the cars from the prior day’s concourse (at pebble) pass by Found PCH – Incredible road. Stopped at one place on the way to eat and met somebody riding an old ducatti – must be a blast to zip around that area all of the time. Kept moving down PCH – I could really […]

Categories: Cross Country 2012 Remastered, Sturgis 2012

Day 13: Grants Pass OR to San Jose CA

August 17, 2012 by Road Captain

1. Breakfast at the inn. 2. Rode through the Redwood forrest 3. Extremely hot, then cold, then hot then cold. The weather in the Redwood forest is really unpredictable and the roads slippery. 4. Rode through a tree 5. Felt rushed as we had dinner plans 6. San Fran felt like the coldest place in the world for a few minutes especially after passing through Napa.

Categories: Cross Country 2012 Remastered, Sturgis 2012

Day 12 – Portland OR to Grants Pass OR

August 16, 2012 by Road Captain

This will be the first day riding with somebody on the back since starting this journey almost two weeks ago as I picked my girlfriend up in Portland last night. To start the day we repeated the ride to Cannon Beach that I had done the day prior. It was a scenic and easy ride that will welcome her to the ride. Before we left we had to tie all of our gear on the bike. My passenger packed lightly […]

Categories: Cross Country 2012 Remastered, Sturgis 2012

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Day 11 – A Day in Portland

August 15, 2012 by Road Captain

Day 11: A full day in Portland My day’s plans are simple: 1. Do a few hours of calls to get a jump on next week 2.Make the solo ride to the coast (aiming for Cannon Beach which is 82 miles West of Portland). The primary reason is to close out my coast to coast solo journey – my expectations are low but those are normally the best rides 3.Meet some old friends for a drink around 4PM in Hillsboro […]

Categories: Cross Country 2012 Remastered, Sturgis 2012

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Day 10 – Walla Walla to Portland Or

August 14, 2012 by Road Captain

I’m one week away from starting a new job, so my mind is already getting situated into the new role. This morning I would have to make a few calls in preparation for next week’s start and trip to Europe. After the calls I’d head into the thriving metropolis that is Walla Walla. My breakfast was similar to the one I had in Boise but more than twice as expensive. Apparently Walla Walla isn’t cheap, a point confirmed when I […]

Categories: Cross Country 2012 Remastered, Sturgis 2012

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Day 9 – Boise to Walla Walla

August 13, 2012 by Road Captain

Knowing that today’s ride would only be 250 miles I would have time to enjoy a proper breakfast. Foursquare indicated that a local spot on Main St would have great coffee as well as breakfast burritos. Both sounded great to combat the hunger that may have contributed to yesterday’s weakness. After packing and double checking my straps, I’d head over to the local restaurant only 3 blocks from my hotel. The 20-something girl behind the counter took my order: 1 […]

Categories: Cross Country 2012 Remastered, Sturgis 2012

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Day 8 – Jackson to Boise

August 13, 2012 by Road Captain

On Day 8 I knew that I needed to do my laundry as I really only packed for a few days and have been doing hotel sink wash-loads pretty frequently. Luckily the hotel I had chosen in Jackson (the Lexington) had laundry facilities and if I was up early enough I could get all of my belongings done and be out by 10. The waiting time also gave me the opportunity to catch up on the Day 7 Journal entry […]

Categories: Cross Country 2012 Remastered, Sturgis 2012

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Day 7 -And the herd of Bison Charged Me and my Road King!

August 12, 2012 by Road Captain

Started the day as always – reaching and strapping my bag to the bike. It’s a ritual at this point but still has to be done right each time or there’s a good chance you’ll be missing something when you get where you are going. I got a few texts from Bert and Jamie (the utah guys who I met yesterday) saying they would meet me in Cooke City, a town 55 miles over the Bear Tooth pass and on […]

Categories: Cross Country 2012 Remastered, Rides & Destinations, Sturgis 2012

Day 6 The Old Timer who dropped his Harley (and those who helped him up)

August 10, 2012 by Road Captain

The decision to leave Sturgis and skip some live Sweet home Alabama was not easy but there is a lot of the country I haven’t yet seen, so I pushed on. There would be ~400 miles between my start and destination – Red Lodge. I had planned on taking 90 most of the way but am open to calling an audible based on time and progress. I’d rather not get stuck up in the mountains after sundown as cliffs without […]

Categories: Cross Country 2012 Remastered, Rides & Destinations, Sturgis 2012

Day 5 -Do Not Taunt the Buffalo – Really?

August 9, 2012 by Road Captain

I’ve got 2 nights booked in Rapid City- the only place on the journey where I can do that. It’s a little more relaxing and my body needs some rest. I woke up today with a pain in my back – right side only and have to assume the riding + ridiculous heat is taxing on the old kidneys. I’m hydrating like it’s my job right now – if that doesn’t work I’ll assume it’s a muscle pain and will […]

Categories: Cross Country 2012 Remastered, Rides & Destinations, Sturgis 2012

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Day 4: Rochester MN to Sturgis SD

August 7, 2012 by Road Captain

Woke up on Day 5 to recount day 4. I wrote a ton of detail but due to poor internet connection it didn’t save – complete user error as I tried to send it to Twitter before hitting save. Wish I had backed that up. To quickly detail the day I’ll keep it in bullets – quicker and I want to see Rushmore and Crazy horse this morning. Rode 600+ miles. Most ever on this trip or in my life […]

Categories: Cross Country 2012 Remastered, Sturgis 2012

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Day 3: South Bend to Rochester MN

August 6, 2012 by Road Captain

This was a day of major ups and downs all the way through the end. The day started with visiting the Notre Dame campus and snapping some pictures of the gates, the Lou Holtz statue and Touch Down Jesus (sorry for the slight blasphemy but everybody calls it that). I even approached a groundskeeper to try and take a snapshot from inside the gates – i was quickly denied due to construction in the stadium. Normaly i would’ve left and […]

Categories: Cross Country 2012 Remastered, Sturgis 2012

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Day 2 – Niagara to South Bend – On the road to Sturgis 2012

August 5, 2012 by Road Captain

Original Post 8/5/12 The day started out with a tremendous view of the falls and some welcomes misting on what was a muggy day. The first 50 miles were the toughest riding thus far due to a 30MPH south-north wind. I’m riding dead west so this makes stability a but of a chore. Quick stop for fuel, check the oil and I’m back out. Around 11AM it started to rain. This was a great chance to stop and actually grab […]

Categories: Cross Country 2012 Remastered, Letters from the Editors, Sturgis 2012

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Day 1-The Road to Sturgis 2012 -Boston to Niagara Falls –

August 4, 2012 by Road Captain

Originally Posted 8/4/2012 I left this morning at 8AM into the sweltering heat. The trip is for the most part solo but a good friend of mine, AP is accompanying me for the first few hundred miles. We stopped at a rest stop in Western MA and were greeted by a group of riders from Salem, MA. Great group of guys – headed out to Rome NY to pay respect to the family of a fallen brother. After that I […]

Categories: Cross Country 2012 Remastered, Sturgis 2012, Trip Journals

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Recounting Sturgis 2012 – A 12 part series

August 1, 2012 by Road Captain

Over the next two weeks as I anticipate Sturgis 2013, I will be republishing some of the articles written during my road trip during Sturgis 2012 and the cross country solo ride that took 5141 miles for me to complete. I rode a 2008 Roadking Police that was pretty customized. Below is my mile tracker from the start of each day. The route took me from Boston to Niagara across the mid west from Detroit to the Harley Museum and […]

Categories: Cross Country 2012 Remastered, Sturgis 2012

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