6 Must-Ride Motorcycle Routes in South Dakota

South Dakota loves its motorcycles. From the Black Hills to Sioux Falls, our highways are home to bikes of all kinds.

And it makes sense, South Dakota is also home to lots of beautiful, wide-open spaces. Roads that are perfect for a long motorcycle cruise.

MORE: It's Finally Spring! First South Dakota Bison Born at Custer

Get our free mobile app

From Black Hills to Badlands: South Dakota’s Ultimate Motorcycle Tour

You can get away from civilization on the long, lonely highways across the plains of South Dakota. See the people and progress along the I-29 corridor in the east. And, for the truly adventious, take yourself on a motorcycle tour through the jewel of the 605, the Black Hills.

The Best Motorcycle Rides Across South Dakota

What Did South Dakota's License Plate Look Like the Year You Were Born?

The first number on a South Dakota license plate is the county that the car is registered. For example, Pennington county where Rapid City is has a '2' starting its plates. In Sioux Falls you have either a '1' or a '44' depending on your relationship to 57th street.

When established in 1956 (and revised in 1987) the first nine counties were ordered by population. Starting with 10 they are in alphabetical order through Ziebach, with Oglala Lakota County (65) and Todd (67) rounding out the list.

Today the top 10 plate numbers and populations don't correlate anymore. 1 and 2 are still 1 and 2, but Lincoln (44) is now 3rd in population. Beadle is 4 but it's now 11th in population. See the list by population here.

On January 1, 2023, South Dakota started issuing a new license plate design for license plates.

So, let's take a look back at what South Dakota license plates looked like over the last 100 years.

Gallery Credit: Ben Kuhns