When we witnessed the eerily quiet streets in Myrtle Beach earlier this month, it became clear to us that many people would be sitting out the Sturgis Rally this year. With attendance so far down in Myrtle Beach where most people travel no more than a few hundred miles to attend, we’re pretty sure Sturgis will be a ghost town this year.
Sturgis is a good 2-day journey for most attendees. For us it’s a 3-day trip each way. With gas and diesel prices on the rise we believe that attendance in Sturgis could be down as much as 50% this year versus last year. And this is on top of the nearly 30% attendance decline the rally experienced last year. Customers told us last year that they easily found parking spots on Main St. and that they could walk into virtually any bar and find a table. This is highly unusual and was a key indicator that rally attendance was way down. Not to mention this was before gas prices really started climbing.
The decision not to attend Sturgis this year was a very difficult one. We know that some of our Sturgis customers from the past couple of years will be looking for us to add more lights or, perhaps, to have us install a set on their buddy’s ride. I hate not being there for these customers. However, the reality is that we must weigh our desire to attend against the economics of attending. This year the numbers just don’t work. Our vending space rent is very high, lodging costs are inflated by locals trying to cash in on rally attendees, and fuel prices are outrageous and getting worse. In addition to the high cost of space and lodging, our experienced installers must take 2 weeks off work to attend the event, which makes no sense for them unless they keep busy. There’s nothing worse for an installer than sitting around twiddling his thumbs.
We extend our sincere apologies to our Sturgis customers who are counting on us being back this year. We would like to have been able to make a different decision, but it just wouldn’t be prudent this year. Ultimately, the best thing we can do for our customers is to remain financially healthy as a company, ensuring our long term success. This way we’ll be sure to be around for another 19+ years to continue to bring you new and exciting motorcycle LED lighting products, as well as to honor our lifetime product warranty. In the long run, we believe this is what matters most.
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Good business decision – the economy is affecting the motorcycle industry, more ways than one. I have a hard time finding a place to park at work; there are so many bikes in motorcycle parking these days. I’ve even seen a few bikes pulling trailers at Lowes and Home Depot – gas for the truck is too much I suppose. I would have been at Myrtle Beach, but had to cancel just one week before the rally due to taking a new job.
I took home an ultimate engine kit for my Road King in March while in Daytona.
Although the cut and click is tagged as professional install, anyone with a little patience and dexterity should be able to master this all by themselves.
My install took a little more than three hours, but I worked slow and made all the connections nice and tight, and hid every wire from sight.
I ordered two 24-led strips today from your 800 number, and by the time I got home, I had a UPS tracking number. That is good service and good for your business. These LEDs will light up my rear end, and maybe by Biketoberfest, I’ll be ready for the front end.
Thanks for a great product. Jeff in Jax FL
I would tend to disagree with the statement “Sturgis will be a ghost town this year.” Biker’s are just that “bikers.” They love being on two wheels and being with others that are on two wheels. You have to understand; we’re talking Midwest – we’re “die hards” here. I don’t believe for one minute that the numbers will be down by 50%.
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