Austrian spirit
Right in the middle of May:
The Vienna Harley Days rocked Austria's capital
From May 13th to 15th, Harley-Davidson invited people to Vienna, and over 30,000 came. They came from all Austrian federal states and from Germany, the Czech Republic, Croatia, Hungary, Slovenia, Italy and Switzerland. They came by Harley, by car or by tram. And they streamed into the Village directly in front of the huge Ernst Happel Stadium.
Although the weather could be described as mixed and the temperatures were mostly "shady", the relaxed atmosphere at the stadium resembled that of a real biker's dreams: those who sat down relaxed on the grounds or chilled in the party bus enjoyed the thunder from 5,000 to 6,000 V-twins that roared through the picture either from left to right or the other way around.
No one was like the other... On Saturday, around 1,200 of them formed up for a huge parade that drove down the magnificent Ringstrasse to the cheers of the Viennese.
And everyone who was looking for action got more than enough of it: People were amazed at the daring motorcycle acrobatics of Rainer Schwarz, who let it rip several times a day, and took the latest Harley models for test rides. Particularly popular: the new Forty-Eight, which took hearts by storm with its classic bobber look.
People bought clothing and accessories at countless stands, ate and drank in the festival tent, feasted at the numerous catering stands, and listened to lots of music. No fewer than eleven bands performed on the open-air stage. Blues, country, rock, rockabilly or pop – personal preference was irrelevant, as the ear canals were treated to all of them. The biggest cheer once again went to Supermax, and singer Kurt Hauenstein – himself a declared fan of the bikes from Milwaukee – enjoyed it as a top act, cool as ever despite the onset of rain.
Anyone who attended the event this year will come back to the beautiful city of the Habsburgs next year, and everyone else now knows what they missed. So make a note of the date for 2011: from May 12th to 14th, 2011 there will be a lot going on again in Vienna, and the highlight will be a motorcycle rally that will take participants from all directions to Vienna.
Text / images Harley-Davidson press service
