Last Page - Not So Fast: Sturgis Strikes Back!

No sooner had we lifted Ducati upon the throne of global moto-culture by virtue of the company's smashing World Ducati Week, when all of a sudden, here comes Sturgis surging ahead, propelling a narcoleptic Harley-Davidson back into the lead. Who knew this Sturgis thing was an annual event? Certainly not us-we haven't been to either Dakota in quite some time. Of course, Sturgis is not_ entirely _about Harleys. It's about a damn big party. But Harley is so tightly woven into the rich, luxurious tapestry that is Sturgis, it sort of gets a contact-high out of the whole sordid scene. Sturgis helps keep Harley cool.

But all is not well in Sturgis, as the itchy inflammation between the badass real bikers (who've been riding all the way there since puberty) and the ones who trailer their rides across the Great Plains continues to fester. Still, Sturgis has everything discerning road-hardened leather-vesters (and plump, pink newbies) look for in a destination: live rock-and-roll, bike shows, stunting hooligans, bikini smack-downs and, this year, Pee Wee Herman. Not sure if Pee Wee really resonated with the core Sturgis demographic (he couldn't have gone over worse than Elton John at Harley's 100th) but with ample beer provided as a sedative, apparently even America's favorite dolphin polisher can be a somewhat welcome addition to the show. Still, we're betting Pee Wee was damn careful about where he parked his Schwinn.