Sturgis: bikes, rock and roll bands and hundreds of thousands of friends

Imagine throwing a party for hundreds of thousands of your closest friends. That's exactly what many riders feel is happening right now as they take part in one of the largest gatherings of motorcyclists on the planet: the Sturgis rally in South Dakota.

The event, which began August 5 and ends August 15, has grown so large that many rally goers take part in rally-related actiivities in neighboring towns. But the main action is still in Sturgis, and Main Street is ground zero.

Strolling down Main Street you see motorcycles parked handlebar to handlebar along both sides of the street with their rear tires snug against the sidewalk. But there are also rows of bikes down the middle of the street. In this mass of machines you find mostly Harley-Davidsons, but tucked between a couple of big dressers is a little Yamaha RZ350 two-stroke street machine, and just a few bikes down is a Kawasaki KLR650 with saddlebags. There are also custom machines with bright paint jobs and even brighter chrome.

As you saunter down the sidewalk you walk shoulder-to-shoulder with doctors, lawyers, salesmen and saleswomen and truck drivers. They are united in their love of motorcycling.

Wafting from the makeshift kitchens along the sidewalk are the smells of cooking chicken, beef, pork, sausages and other foods for the motorcycling masses. On the side streets are vendors selling everything from custom motorcycles to leather jackets to cellphone accessories to vibrating overstuffed lounge chairs.

The 10-day rally is packed from morning well into the evening with activities ranging from AMA dirt-track races to rides led by celebrities such as actor Kevin Costner to bike shows, a custom bike buildoff, Harley and Buell demo rides, a bike rodeo and much, much more.

You want rock and roll? There's plenty here. ZZ Top, Heart, REO Speedwagon and George Thoroughgood and the Delaware Destroyers are just some of the acts entertaining the riders.

For Michael Baldwin of Kansas City, Missouri, who is attending Sturgis for the first time, the rally is mind-boggling.

"I'm surprised by the large cross-section of people here," he says, "and if it's got two wheels, you'll see it here.

"You can hear about Sturgis and see it on TV, but until you've been here you don't really know what it's like," he says.

Teddy Bitner, also of Kansas City, has been to Sturgis eight times.

"Friendships bring me back," he says. "The relationships you develop, and building new friendships."

This is the fourth Sturgis rally for Keith Johnson.

"You have good scenery, good brothers to ride with," he says. "What more could you want?"