LEGEND AIR TOP 50 RALLY PARK ON TRACK FOR 2008

In 1998, Jesse Jurrens created the Legend Air Suspension, instantly changing the industry’s expectations for motorcycle suspension. This unique and durable technology increases ride comfort, quality, load capacity, wheel travel, and offers on-the-go adjustability to riders of all sizes. Legend Air Suspension won “Most Innovative Product of the Year” at the 1998 Indianapolis Trade Show, and for Jesse it couldn’t have come any later. “By that time I’d spent every penny I had and every one of my credit cards was maxed out to the limit. By Indianapolis it was do-or-die. I had an old Chevy Suburban with 275,000 miles on it, and I would stuff my bike and my display of suspension pieces into the back of that thing and go to those trade shows hoping for the best, sleeping in the truck once I had it unloaded,” Jurrens said. “If we hadn’t won that award when we did, I think Legend Air Suspension would have just gotten mixed in with the crowd and the whole project wouldn’t have gone any further. It would have stopped right there.”

But Jesse didn’t stop there, and the recognition didn’t stop either. Jesse expanded the business into Independent Cycle Inc, offering original frames, a primary drive system for their Hardlife/Lowlife extended frames, tanks, headlights, handlebars, custom foot controls and more. Jesse was named “Entrepreneur of the Year” in Rapid City, South Dakota, he won V-Twin Magazine’s “Best New Product of the Year,” “Trendsetter of the Year” and “Frame Design of the Year.” ICI parts became widely used by some of the best builders in the industry, getting features in bike shows and magazines nonstop ... so when Jesse decided to create a custom bike show, we all knew it would be a hit. But I don’t think anyone—even Jesse himself—expected it to grow into the must-see destination it is today!

2004 marked the inaugural year of the Legend Top 50 Custom Bike Show. “I wanted to have a show where a normal guy who put effort into creating a sick bike could show it off, where a talented guy could get exposure and get the bike seen by the right people.” The competition featured divisions for the ICI Lowlife and Hardlife frames, open/custom and old school bikes. The first year, over 100 world-class builders looking to showcase their latest creations filled the ICI parking lot. In those first few years, Jesse and Independent Cycle Inc. supplied cash and ICI parts to winners. Now sponsors like Avon, Color Horizons, SuperTrapp and Drag Specialties have partnered with ICI to support the show and the builders who compete in it. The Legend Top 50 Custom Bike Show quickly became known as the place to see the best builders and the best bikes in Sturgis. After just two years, the show grew too big to be held in the ICI parking lot. So what was Jesse’s solution? The Top 50 Rally Park—a vending and events area to host the bike show, great aftermarket vendors, and entertainment during the entire week of the Sturgis rally!

And the Legend Top 50 Custom Bike Show continues to grow. In 2007, divisions for Metric Cruisers, Metric Sport, Modified Harley Baggers and Modified Harley Softails were added. For the 2008 competition, a women’s class has been added. (Needless to say, with the creation of the Top 50 Rally Park, space for the expanding show is no longer an issue.)

Located off I-90 at exit 46, between the Black Hills Harley-Davidson dealership and historic downtown Sturgis, the 12-acre park was constructed with multi-level terraces, allowing high visibility of all its vendors from Interstate 90. The park atmosphere has irrigated grass, landscaping, and clean asphalt, which allows visitors the opportunity to enjoy the numerous vendors on display. The Top 50 Rally Park is a high-end vending property that hosts manufacturers, demo rides, custom builders, parts suppliers, and high-energy events. “It’s the biggest rally in the nation and it’s not known for sales,” Jesse told us. “I wanted to create a solid place to do business that’s not a bar setting, easy to get in and out of, and out of the congestion of downtown Sturgis.”

Vendors including Drag Specialties, Legend Air Suspension, Independent Cycle Inc., Dead Center Cycles, Hy Test Safety Shoe Service Safety Shoes, Legend Manufacturing, Trask Turbo Systems, Cycle Solutions, Klock Werks, K&P Engineering, Sport Chassis, Motolight, Silver Crown Coaches and many others will fill the park this year. Boss Hoss, Ridley and Indian will offer daily demo rides, and when it comes to events, the Top 50 Rally Park is successfully pushing the boundaries of the traditional V-Twin rally, bringing in the latest entertainment for motorcycle enthusiasts of all kinds! Last year’s events-exclusive to the Top 50 Rally Park-included Jason Britton and the No Limit Extreme Stunt Team (as seen on the Speed Channel’s SuperBikes). These guys wow crowds with stoppies, burnouts, and precision stunts that seem possible only in the movies. X-Games gold medalist Tommy Clowers and Jeff Tilton of the Red Bull TNT freestyle motocross team also showed off their skills. These legends pull maneuvers, like the infamous “superman,” while flying over an 80-foot gap! When asked about the variety of bikes and performers, Jesse said, “It doesn’t matter what you ride, you can respect the way guys like Jason Britton, Tommy Clowers, Jeff Tilton, and Jay Pullen can make those machines handle because you’re average rider would try that and end up in a full-body cast.”

The Top 50 Rally Park also hosts the tattooed and pierced pinup ladies collectively known as the Suicide Girls, special guests like Dave Perewitz and Duane of Boyd Coddington’s Garage, a breast cancer charity ride, and, of course, the core of it all: the Legend Top 50 Custom Bike Show. For 2008 Top 50 Rally Park will host special guests like racer Chris Riva, Laura and Brian Klock—who will bring along the World’s Fastest Bagger—and many more. They will again be home to exclusive events like a military ride in bike show, the Bike for Breast Cancer awareness EWC-Top 50 Rally Park charity ride, Harley stunt rider Jason Pullen and more, keeping you on the edge of your seats and at the forefront of what’s going on in the motorcycle industry.

You’d think all this would be enough to keep a man busy, but Legend has recently expanded into the off-road industry, providing air suspension for side-by-sides including the Yamaha Rhino, the Polaris RZR and Ranger, and the Arctic Cat Prowler. “I get into what I like or what I think is cool. I drove a side-by-side and thought, Man, these things need suspension!” Jesse said. “And in a few years, no one is going to be buying a four-wheeler!” The Top 50 Rally Park also has a hand in the off-road industry: it’s now home to the Black Hills UTV Rally, an off-road event for ATV, dirt bike, and side-by-side enthusiasts.

Jesse is always thinking big and backing it up with quality, and the Top 50 Rally Park is just one aspect of that. With the industry’s top custom manufacturers, the world’s top custom bike builders, exclusive events and a premier Black Hills location, the Top 50 Rally Park is the perfect destination this year.

Jesse’s final thoughts: “Don’t think small … impossible is just an opinion. Don’t pee into the wind, and don’t eat yellow snow.”