2017 - Harley Days Hamburg
When we take the average chopper rally as a benchmark, this one is definitely different. The numbers say it all: 400.000 spectators lining the streets, there are 8.000 bikes, they have a big, fat, massive parade, 50.000 spectators are crowding in the partyzone. This is one big inchin’ mother of a Harley party, and they know it at the Hamburg Harley Days.
The spacious grounds around the Großmarkthalle are solid with parked Milwaukee steel of all flavours. We take a walk among the thousands of hogs, and enjoy the customizing artists’ efforts to promote custom culture, even when we don’t find many bikes of our favourite vintages.
Here the focus is more
on late model TwinCams and Evos. But still kudos to all those dudes living their dreams, turning their rides into the best possible Harley on the planet: Theirs. Even these modern bikes have all the vital ingredients, such as fenders, tanks, handlebars, wheels, pipes and so on that can be modified, twisted and mutilated into oblivion.
The overall impression is gigantic, multi-faceted and very civilized, even relaxed. No problem finding someone to talk bikes, with every idling exhaust explosion popping a new idea into the brain. The beer booths are doing a roaring trade and the whole town is soaked in all things Harley: There are Harley jackets, Harley helmets, Harley teddy bears, even Harley ball point pen refill cartridges – there’s loads of stuff with the bar and shield on it you didn’t know existed. Talking about bars: the air is resonating from big bore V-Twins cruising past when we do our pub crawl over the infamous Reeperbahn. The drone in our heads next day has other reasons though. Anyway, dropping in on the Hamburg Harley Days is something that should be on your list for next year.