South Dakota: Rumble in the Black Hills

+ In the drowsy calm of a little town like Sturgis, S. Dak. (pop. 5,300), it is usually easy to notice when even one alien motorcyclist guns into town. But last week 275,000 showed up, along with a camp following of 42 portable tattoo parlors, for the 50th annual Black Hills Motor Classic. Bikers packed motels as far away as Sundance, Wyo., some 40 miles to the west. For seven days, they turned four blocks of Sturgis’ Main Street into chopper gridlock, gathering for rock concerts (Allman Brothers, Steppenwolf, BTO), hill-climbing contests, an amateur female topless contest and motorcycle rodeos. Last year’s rally drew 80,000 bikers and produced 2,745 traffic citations, 98 drunk-driving cases, 98 felony drug arrests and 21 accidents that killed three people. This year’s visitors were no slouches either. Preliminary statistics show at least 150 drunk-driving collars, seven bikers killed in accidents, and one knife- wielding man shot dead by police.