| Raffi |
I live in Los Angeles and I know the altitude is a lot higher in Sturgis. I ride a '97 Heritage with an S&S Super E carb, and 2-into-1 Thunderheader exhaust. I'm thinking of changing my pipes to Sampson Shotguns, but I'm worried about performance loss in the high altitude of the Black Hills. I'm also changing my 14" bars to 18" apes. I've got apes on my '70 FLH Shovel and love 'em. Any advice or feedback? |
2/24/10 1:03 PM |
| wheels |
I've only had a problem one year with performance. All the other times the bike ran fine. Don't know why it happened but, again, just the once. As for the Apes...hold off on the 18'ers till after the rally! You will get pulled over!! They use 'em as an excuse to check you out and they will ticket you for 'em even if they don't find anything else. |
2/24/10 4:15 PM |
| Lwood |
What else will they pull you over for (equipment-wise)??? |
2/24/10 7:33 PM |
| Raffi |
Wheels...thanks for the feedback. It sounds like the cops are dicks. I've been to Daytona Bike Week several times, and the law loves the bikers. They don't even sweat open containers. A shit load of $ come to Sturgis from this event. You'd think the entire community would appreciate the income. I've never been, and I hope the law doesn't kill my buzz. |
2/25/10 10:37 AM |
| ClassicXL |
Don't give em a reason to pull ya over. You are an open bank account to them. |
2/27/10 4:35 PM |
| carribianblu |
Just remember when coming onto 79 going to the spoke it is 35 mph and turns into 65 dont speed until you have passed the 65mph sign they will stop you for sure...... |
2/28/10 7:53 AM |
| RideAndPlay |
carribianblu, Good advice on the Hwy 79 speed limit signs, thanks!
Raffi, Sturgis isn't at so high altitude, only 3200 ft. If you're worried about the performance drop from the altitude, you're in danger of meeting that local law enforcement that's been mentioned. There are really too many bikes at the Sturgis Rally to expect to be able to "get on it" very often; an attitude of "I'm here in Cruising mode" will fit into traffic better.
We've never had any Sturgis law enforcement problems on the road there. (Well, the bike did get towed once in downtown Sturgis for being parked at the edge of a yellow curb. They freshly paint those over-size yellow no-parking curbs for the Rally.) |
3/4/10 8:59 AM |
| wingo |
Common things: Speeding (more than about 5+), one handed riding, no eye protection, handlebars higher than your shoulders ( hands level with shoulders = good), plates ( aka... Oh there is your plate.....), swerving will get you a sobriety test. Those are the big ones, running over the center line is another one.... |
5/16/10 7:19 PM |
| wingo |
well meant that post for the getting pulled over topic |
5/17/10 2:53 AM |
| bulldog56 |
hey raffi i ride an o1 electraglide big bore and power commander didnt have a bit of problem with altitude last yr. i agree with wheels i'd hold off on the 18in. apes don't want to give em a reason to pull you over |
5/17/10 4:52 AM |
| Raffi |
The more people I talk to, the more I realize this isn't Daytona Bike Week. The vibe in Daytona is very cool, and the law doesn't sweat you. Unless you're an ass. My friend Patrick is borrowing my shovelhead, which has 18" apes. He's planning to swap em out with 14"ers for the Sturgis run. Just to be safe.
Thanks for all the great feedback, sounds like a lot of cool people will be at this camp site. Look for the airplane kite on top of the motorhome. That's us. The beers are always cold. |
5/17/10 4:53 PM |
| xr8d |
Yeah it sounds like we're gonna have an other year of fun. It'll be like a twisted version of Mayberry with everyone knowing one another an all. It should be awesome! |
5/18/10 1:50 AM |
| street-glide |
Hey Raffi the problem we had with our bikes in the traffic is over heating and cutting off. We found out that we needed octane boost to add to the fuel. I'm from N.C. and we run 93 octane and out in Sturgis the highest is like 89 and our bikes just didn't run good on that fuel. This might not be a problem for you but it really help us out. |
5/18/10 7:22 AM |
| Raffi |
Thanks y'all for the tips. Find our Winnebago with the airplane kite on top and join us for a cold one or two or... |
6/29/10 5:36 PM |
| rw101506 |
Sounds liek a plan and good time., Looking forward to seeing you all soon |
7/13/10 5:31 PM |
