The event was five days of non-stop music, fun, partying, and a lot of other motorcycle-rally stuff, some that can’t be mentioned in this family-friendly motorcycle publication. The music lineup included a well-diversified arrangement of groups and individuals that provided listening entrainment for everyone’s favorite tunes. Musical groups like Trio Valore, and Never the Bride out of England, and acts from Fun Lovin’ Criminals from the USA provided exceptional performances. Members of the Harley Owners Group were pampered with their own exclusive bar service.
More than 75,000 motorcycles, trikes, and even a few four-wheel models with Harley engines and buckhorn handlebars flooded the rally sites, and a considerable number of these machines received special recognition and prizes in the two-day bike show. The bike show’s final results heralded some of Europe’s top custom bikes, and bike builders. Not all winners were European as David Hayes, an American living and working in Kaiserslautern, Germany, won the best dresser award with his 1999 Harley-Davidson Ultra classis and trailer rig.
After the first few days of hard partying, the mood changed as the bikers got revved up for the 50-mile motorcycle parade, which starts at Faak and travels through towns and villages looping around Lake Ossiacher and ending back at Faak. The parade kicked off on Saturday around high noon with approximately 35,000 bikes led by Austrian Secretary of Human Services, Dr. Erwin Buchinger riding a Harley-Davidson Road King.
Even though European Bike Week is the official name of the event, most of the European bikers refer to it as, “Faak.” With that said, we’ll see you at Faak for the 2009 event. For more information visit www.europeanbikeweek.com