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Event Reports

Cycle Source Run Through The Hills ’12

Article By: Darren McKeag

Photos By: Bart Mitchell

Originally Published In The November 2012 Issue Of Cycle Source Magazine

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Arriving in Sturgis on Sunday, August 5th seemed like a great accomplishment in itself. Especially considering the fact that I was extremely hung over from my ritualistic pre-Sturgis evening in S.F.S.D., and the fact that we had fought, tore apart and re-assembled the fuel system on Roadside’s bike the entire 380 miles. So, the natural thing to do once we arrived in Sturgis would be to relax and have some drinks, right? Wrong! You see, being a part of what I consider the greatest ink on paper, motorbike related, reading material in the world, Cycle Source, involves the best time ever, with great family and friends. Translated, this means we had to get ready for the V.I.P. party Cycle Source was hosting, and plan for the annual ride that Tuesday. The V.I.P. party went off without a hitch, so naturally we could relax now and have a few drinks, right? Wrong! Once the party cleared out, we disassembled the room and focused our sights on early Tuesday morning. An early rise on Tuesday would involve getting all and everything CS related to the alley entrance of the Easyriders’ Saloon / Sickies Garage. Once there, we jumped right into a photo shoot for Twisted Tea.

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So, now we can relax, right? Wrong again. We now had to get the people and bikes lined up in the alley, through the gate, registered for the ride and organized. This had to be done in such a manner that the some 200 plus registered riders could easily flow out of the parking lot without any problems. About an hour after suggested departure time, we found ourselves riding through Sturgis. Our route would be under I-90, out to the canyon road and then on towards Nemo: perfect, easy, not a problem. Once everyone got gas that needed it, visited, and took pictures, we heard the sound of a bike fire up: time to roll. As we hit the road headed under I-90 for a beautiful ride, all of our congested troubles seemed to be behind us, right? Yes, you guessed it: wrong! As we all found our spots in the pack, we were cruising right along. To my right was my good friend Michael Lewis and his wife on his Flatty, and there were probably about 50 people behind us. Well, Michael’s Flathead decided it didn’t want to go very far. So, having a side bag full of tools, it’s only loyal to pull over with Michael to help out. Once on the side of the road, the pack behind us went on down the canyon road. We ended up with probably 12 of us pulled over to help Michael out. By the time we had his bike fixed, we all looked up and realized the rest of the pack was long gone. No problem, we knew exactly where they were going, right? Ha ha: wrong!

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So, heading on down the road, riding through the beautiful canyon, bluffs and hills surrounding us on both sides, enjoying a gorgeous day, we come to a “T” in the road. Hmm… left or right? Yeah, I think they went right, right? Nope: wrong. The only good part of our left-handed decision was that we ended up at a cool bar, with a great view, and some of our good friends. We sat for an hour, had some beers, made a few attempts to find the rest of the pack and talked the afternoon away. Once we confirmed that the rest of the pack had made it back to the saloon for free burgers and beverages, we jumped on our bikes and enjoyed a return trip back through the canyon. Another great Cycle Source annual Sturgis ride was in the books. Thanks to everyone who registered and rode. See you again for next year’s ride.

 

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