History
Sturgis is synonymous with motorcycles and the people who love them. Visitors come all year looking for motorcycle-related businesses and attractions - and they get a piece of motorcycling history when they visit Sturgis Motorcycle Museum & Hall of Fame.
In a joint effort the Museum's Board of Directors, the Jackpine Gypsies Motorcycle Club, local students and members of the Sturgis community gathered on March 10th, 2001 to scrape, sand, and paint the old church building next to the Pyramid Bar. Gene and Nancy Flagler, owners of the church, determined the rent should be a whopping $1.00 a month, helping to make the Museum's first and most critical year a little easier to manage financially.
The Sturgis Motorcycle Museum & Hall of Fame opened its doors to the public on June 1, 2001. Local and national collectors loaned the new Museum a selection of vintage and rare V-twin and metric motorcycles, offering visitors a glimpse into the magnificent world of two wheels.
After only a year in business, the City of Sturgis was so impressed with the museum’s progress that it offered the old Post Office on the corner of legendary Main Street & Junction Avenue as the museum’s new home. With financial support from the State of South Dakota and many others, the museum was able to open the doors on its present location in 2002.
The Museum has continued to grow, opening its lower level in August, 2003. With several exhibit rooms and an increasingly impressive selection of unique motorcycles, the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum offers a world class experience for visitors and has been listed as one of the 10,000 Places to See Before You Die by author Patricia Schultz.
Today, the Museum is open year round, seven days a week. Summer months are the busiest as people flock to the famous motorcycle mecca, culminating in August during the famous Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. Motorcycles and exhibits are changed on a regular basis offering repeat visitors something fresh and new each time they stop in.
