2010 Rallies & Events
European Bike Week 2009 Part I
Story by Sedrick C. Mitchell, Photos provided by Harley-Davidson Presse Service – Köln, and David Hayes
In our financially troubled times, many major and minor motorcycle events are experiencing a lower attendance rate, and those who are attending are spending a heck of a lot less. Just ask most vendors how business was at their last motorcycle event, and you can be assured that many of their replies won’t be as positive as they were a few years ago. The days when a biker walks into a bar and says, “Give my friends a round on me,” are currently on hold, and could be on hold for a while.
Yep, sales are down, and money is tight, but not at all motorcycle events. If you attended the 2009 European Bike Week event, it’s very possible that you could have walked into one the crowded local bars and received a favorite beverage of your choice paid for by an unknown friendly biker. And nope, the unknown friendly biker didn’t have any ulterior motives. “This was my second time at European Bike Week, and I walked into three different bars, quickly made acquaintances with some bikers, and found myself having a great time. I wasn’t looking for a handout, and I believe in paying my owe way, but the people were friendly and generous,” said Arthur Pauwels of Belgium.
If you were at Faak am See, Austria during the 2009 European Bike Week (EBW), you would have also noticed that the 6.2-mile road that laps around lake Faak was more congested than in previous years. That’s because the normal six-digit figure bike attendance number increased by several thousand, and there were lots more heavy metal machines in the area for the event.
For those of you who frequently visits Daytona Bike Week, Sturgis, and other major American motorcycle events, it quite common to see guys like Aldo Querio Gianetto of Italy, or Fred Krugger of Belgium, or Fred Kodlin, and Marcus Walz of Germany, and many other world-class custom bike builders at the events. Thousands of other not-so-famous bikers from foreign countries also regularly visit American biker events, but only a few Americans visit a motorcycle event on foreign soil. Currently, the US dollar is a little weak for such foreign visits unfortunately. But two Americans who attended the event had a great time. Their adventure will be related in Part II of this event coverage on Wednesday of this week.