STURGIS - The Stendera family of Duvall, Wash., might be the bridge to the future of the Sturgis rally.

Dad John Stendera rode to Sturgis on his Harley-Davidson. His three children, Lars, 28, Ian, 21, and Annie, 17, rode with him - on Ducati motorcycles.

Lars likes Sturgis OK, but he's more enthusiastic about the trip. "I look forward to the ride. I like Sturgis for a day, two days. Then I'm ready to go."

Annie loves the rally. She's been coming to Sturgis with her dad every year since she was 13. "It's what I look forward to every year," she said.

Mike Molstre, 23, of Fargo, N.D., rode his 2005 Victory Hammer to this year's rally, his first. He's here with his parents. He pronounced the rally "neat and cool."

Eric Foote, 31, of Lafayette, Colo., is here for his fourth rally, with his dad, Don Keeler. Foote is riding a 2007 Harley-Davidson Night Rod Special, a sportier bike introduced by Harley a few years ago aimed at younger riders.

Foote said the rally seems more commercial and less free-spirited than in years past, but he plans to keep coming back and bring friends who haven't seen it. "I think the rally will be going strong for a few years," Foote said Wednesday night as he sat on his bike on Main Street watching the parade of people and motorcycles go by.

Rally organizers such as Sturgis city rally director Pepper Massey hope more young people like these join the older rally stalwarts.

She and other observers say attendance at this year's rally is down.

Massey said attendance at the rally, now in its 67th year, naturally waxes and wanes. "We have to pay attention to what visitors who are coming to Sturgis want, pay attention to changing trends and make certain we are always offering people something to make them want to come back."

Although attendance figures are ballpark estimates based mostly on highway-traffic counters, the rally has probably drawn hundreds of thousands of bikers each year since the 50th rally in 1990. Those bikers have spent roughly $15 million each year just in the Sturgis area, bringing in city and state sales-tax revenue of more than $1 million each year, although last year's tax collections dipped to $875,469.

Massey said Black Hills highways and scenery will always be a draw for the rally. "But we can't sit on our laurels and imagine this is the way it's going to be forever. We have to pay attention and listen to what people are asking for."

She said events such as the international custom bike show held this week next to Lynn's DakotaMart are the path to the future. "You've got to bring in something new all the time."

She said motorcycle companies are making more bikes with high-tech components, and many bikers - particularly the younger ones - are buying more of the "street fighter" motorcycles, which are influenced by racing bike styles.

"It's going to be a different rally in 20 years, with different bikes, and we just need to keep up," Massey said.

She said the city is doing a good job putting on the rally. And she credits the Buffalo Chip Campground and the Glencoe CampResort, both east of town, with finding innovative ways to attract bikers.

This year, Buffalo Chip owner Rod Woodruff brought in a World War II-era Russian tank for people to ride and machine guns to shoot on the Buffalo Chip shooting range.

"You have to give people an experience," Woodruff said. "People don't go on vacation to do the same thing every time."

MORE WOMEN, TRIKES

Francie Ruebel-Alberts, executive vice president of Glencoe CampResort, said future rallies will see more people riding trikes. Glencoe's Thunder Road hosted a trike show Friday.

Ruebel-Alberts said the trend of women riding their own bikes will continue to grow. She said women are also getting involved in custom bike building and racing.

She said Thunder Road will continue hosting custom bike shows in the future, and the Rock'N the Rally venue there will continue hosting concerts.

MORE YOUNGER RIDERS

Ken McNenny, co-owner of the Turkey Graphix complex on the corner of Lazelle and Second streets, says he is seeing more young riders at the rally.

"I see a ton of younger people riding bikes," McNenny said. Although overall attendance may be down, McNenny said, business at Turkey Graphix this year is up over last year.

He said the biggest rally crowds will come for the anniversary years - 2010 will be the 70th anniversary rally - but smaller crowds will be the norm in other years.

McNenny has been working vendor booths since the 1970s and has co-owned Turkey Graphix since 1990.

He and his partners are optimistic enough about the rally that they plan to tear down the Turkey Graphix print shop next door to the vendor tents and build a structure covering the half block they own, which includes Turkey Graphix and The Knuckle Saloon.

Sturgis Mayor Maury LaRue said he would like to see more events and exhibits showcasing innovations in the motorcycle industry. "I see no reason that if the industry decides to do it, hopefully, it could offer a venue like the Detroit auto show," LaRue said.

The rally has continued to expand outside of Sturgis, with towns around the Black Hills drawing increasing numbers of bikers, LaRue said. "This is an event that is not only good for Sturgis, it's good for the Black Hills."

In Rapid City, rally advocates may try for more organized events downtown next year, according to Michelle Lintz, Rapid City Convention & Visitors Bureau director. Lintz said some downtown businesses also may ask the city for more parking reserved for motorcycles.

Meanwhile, LaRue said he's not worried about a smaller rally. "Statistically, even if it's off 20 percent, that's still a huge crowd. If we get down to an estimate of 100,000, that's when we're concerned."

At least some of the young bikers at the rally this year, including the Stendera siblings, plan to return to future rallies. "We will be back," Lars Stendera said Wednesday night on Main Street.

Mike Molstre, the 23-year-old from Fargo, explained why he's coming back: "The bikes, the girls, everything."

Contact Steve Miller at 394-8417 or steve.miller@rapidcityjournal.com