This week, the world famous "Sturgis Motorcycle Rally" is taking place in Sturgis, South Dakota. It's probably the biggest motorcycle rally there is.

While many people know about Sturgis, not many have heard of Ed Spilker. He's one of the guys credited with having started the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. He's considered by many to be one of the living legends of motorcycling, and he lives in Sun City.

Though right now, he's in Sturgis.

Many people know him as "Indian Ed", because that's the bike he rode for many years. He bought it brand new in 1948, an Indian Chief. Spilker was one of the original members of the Jackpine Gypsies, which dates back to the 1930s. This is the club that started the Sturgis Motorcyle Rally. As I understand it right now, he's just one of the four last remaining members still alive.

Spilker attended every Sturgis Motorcycle Rally there was, except in 2005. That was when someone stole his beloved 1948 Indian. They stole right off of his property in Sun City. They haven't found it yet.

I actually met Ed Spilker at the Albertson's on Newport & Murrieta roads. This was in June 2006, I had just parked my truck in the parking lot, and saw him parking his Yamaha motorcycle up by the entrance. A while later, I walked to the check out line, and found him right in front of me. I didn't know who he was at the time.

I said to him, "Is that you're Road Star parked out front?" He said, "Yeah, that's mine", and he proceeded to tell me about his 1948 Indian and when it got stolen. That's when he told me about being in the Jackpine Gypsies and having been at every Sturgis Motorcycle Rally except for 2005.

He spoke loudly and strongly, his tone of voice was rather assertive. He seemed angry. Then it dawned on me that it was only a year ago that his 1948 Indian was stolen. The bike he had been riding ever since then, 57 years in fact, gone, vanished. You'd be angry too.

What made me think about this, was the fact that that the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally is taking place right now, and because I had happened to find a report of his stolen motorcycle online...
http://www.indianmotorbikes.com/watch/stolenbikewatch.htm

Labels: Ed-Spilker, Motorcycles