By Steve Lita, Editor

Don’t believe everything you hear. Take it from me. Leading up to rally time at Sturgis, South Dakota, this year, all I kept hearing from a colleague at the office was how “everything worth seeing and doing will be at The Chip [Buffalo Chip Fairgrounds]. There’s nothing going on anywhere else.” Shame on me for listening, and good thing I didn’t believe it. I mean an event as big and sprawling as Sturgis? How could everything be dead and all the fun be happening in one place? It was just not the case. Most often, stories full of bull are preceded by “They say ...” And most of the time they’re wrong, whoever they are. Turn to Page 28 to see what I saw and read a full report.

Faithful RoadBike followers (believers) will recall my column last month mentioning I had never been to Mt. Rushmore, and how I pined to go. I’d been told by a friend that it didn’t seem as big to him as he had hoped. Good thing I didn’t believe him either. I was floored when I got there, and I’d suggest it as a must-see for anyone visiting the area. Go out of your way and make it happen.

We motorcyclists have a wonderful network of friends. Just find another rider on two (and sometimes three) wheels, and you’ve found a friend. Most have an adventure to tell or a favorite ride to share. In turn, we here at the magazine try to take those and put them into print to distribute far and wide in the hopes they’ll inspire another rider. So get out there, see for yourself, and experience it. They say that’s the best way to have fun. Believe that!

See Yourself In Pictures

Ever read a tour story in RoadBike and wondered “How did this guy get his adventure printed? I’ve been on trips like that.” It’s not too difficult, but after riding and writing a few of my own tour and travel excursions, I’ll admit it does take a little effort on the part of the author. For example, if you think you’re going to hammer out 650 miles in one day and still have time to stop for pictures, you’re dead wrong. It’s not stopping and smelling the roses, it’s taking notes and shooting big scenic vistas that makes the time fly. I’m not trying to dissuade anyone here, but you need to have the right mindset on how far you’re going to get in a day if you really want to see your story come to life in print. The words “I don’t have the time to stop” should be banished from your vocabulary, and you should have a knack for finding out of the ordinary places.

Here’s a trick I use to help me keep trip notes: my digital camera has an mpeg video recorder built in. When I take a turn from one route to another or change direction, I stop and shoot a 10-second clip with voiceover. For example, I point the camera at the street signs and say “Riding north on Route 7, I turned right at the covered bridge onto Route 44 heading east.” Done. I put the camera back in my pocket and continue on. When I get home and download the clips to my computer, I have all these snippets in chronological order. Transcribe them to a document, and I have valuable information for the reader.

We have more tour story tips and tricks posted on our web site, www.RoadBikeMag.com. Plus you’ll find full instructions on how to compile your material and send it in. We’re looking forward to seeing where you’ve been. Any questions? You can e-mail me at info@roadbikemag.com.

Twin Brothers, Different Mothers

Check out the pair of catalog-built customs in this issue. First, J&P Cycles not only built the flamed custom Road Star you see on Page 52, it wrote a book about how it did it (reviewed on Page 78). And for a bit of a departure, parts vendor Twisted Throttle goes adventure on us (Page 56). It took a tried and true Kawasaki KLR 650 dual-sport and gave it the full go-anywhere with-all-your-gear GS treatment. BMW purists may scoff, but as soon as I saw this yellow midsized tourer, I knew we had to shoot it. Both were built with basic, commonly available bolt-ons. Even the average guy at home can do it. So whether you’re cruising the boulevard or touring on adventure, we have some fun, affordable bikes to show you. Enjoy. RB