Bofish,
I've been twice and the best advise I can give is to get there early!! There are a lot of places to camp, but shaded sites are at a premium. So unless you're in line early, you'll you be out of luck. Gates open at around noon on Thursday and there are (and probably will be) literally thousands of people already in line waiting to get in. So if you want a nice spot and you've got the time and you don't mind, it's probably not a bad idea to go down on Wed. and campout in line.

As Papa Bear said, it's a hell of a party and there are some hardcore bikers there (Hells Angels & Bandidos for example), but I've never heard of any "confrontations". Both these clubs have their own designated areas for camping and no one else is allowed in. So if someone says "you're not allowed" or "don't go in", take the advise and don't.

One other thing of importance; The rally is held in a dry county so no alcohol is sold at the rally. You can bring it in, ya just can't buy it there. There is a liquor store just a short distance away that always looked very busy though!!!

One last thing regarding food. There are a bunch of food vendors, but that can get expensive. Both times I've been we had a support vehicle, that way we were able to take our camping gear including bbq grill, Coleman stove and coolers for food but most importantly, BEER!!! If you go that route (support vehicle), you'll pay extra (it was $35 the last time) to get it through the gate, plus the admission for the driver.

Anyway, it's a hell of a party and it is a lot of fun!! You'll see stuff you've never seen before, and probably some stuff you'll wish you'd never seen.....

In The Wind,
Aaron

I guess I missed where you asked about motels.... The town of Sturgis isn't very big and I don't know how many hotels/motels are in the area. You might want to start calling now......