“I
Sturgis On $500
could do a week in Sturgis for $500” was my statement in reply to “we’re not going this year because we can’t afford it”, “The 75th is going to be so expensive”. I got the basic ‘BS’…prove it’ reply to my words. So, here we will just go down through the pre-flight check list and see how close my experience there will get me to that amount of money… or will I have to wipe the @%@#% off my face? The key to my statement was “in Sturgis”. If you have to add in travel expenses getting there and coming home…well, no way then. Gas in a bike from the west coast for this-- hum? 1400 to 1800 miles one way runs somewhere at $120.00...or less for fuel. And if you are one of those people that “must” stay in a motel every night - well, you aren’t going to do Sturgis within the budget anyway, so stop reading here. However, if you are a died in the wool ‘blade running’ motorcycle rider…then, it won’t cost you more than $35 for two nights of 28
camp sites on the way if you choose to go that route. But, there are hundreds - if not thousands of places to camp for free on the way- so; a sleeping bag on the ground for 8 hours down time doesn’t have to cost you a dime either way. I ride like this everywhere, and I do this each year on my run to the “Steel Rodeo”. Once you are in South Dakota and riding down Main Street, Sturgis, just keep heading east for another 5 miles, and The Buffalo Chip looms large on the horizon. To keep in budget you could just rent 72 square feet of lawn for your tent at someone’s private home in townand there are many who rent their yard for the week quite cheaply. But, that’s all you get… space. The Buffalo Chip is simply the best bang for the buck at the Sturgis Rally for many reasons. One is that if you buy early, the ticket is $185 for the week, unfortunately, at the writing of this article, the first ‘early bird’ offering has passed, but the current $275 for 7 days is still a cracken deal! Why? Well, first- you will still have $125 left for food
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and drink. Your money gets you into The Chip and a place to put up your tent, or unfold your motorcycle trailer. Notwithstanding the fact that every night there are 1 to 3 major music concerts for your entertainment, and many other smaller venues with music and assorted forms of exciting entertainment almost 24 hours a day that go along free with your camping permit- the essential bathrooms are plentiful and the showers at the south east end of camp grounds are free! If you need to wash your clothes, you will have to budget out about $5 to wash and dry all your clothes for the week. There are numerous places to eat within The Chip. Depending upon your appetite, you can buy a huge $2 piece of pizza, or get burgers, Mexican food and other tastes for around $6 a plate. Within our speculated budget, the ‘almost free’ food is also available and I’ve eaten it many days in the past. Mc Donalds is at the far western end of town and the dollar menu enables you to pop for $2 to $3 for lunches and dinners. OHIO’S MOTORCYCLE MAGAZINE