Harleysite Annual Chronicle 2023 | Milestones and adventures
A look back at an eventful Harley-Davidson year marked by significant milestones and exciting adventures.
Harleysite Annual Chronicle 2023 | A year full of highlights and milestones
My personal highlights for 2023: 20 years of Harleysite! | My trip to Milwaukee – visit to the Harley-Davidson Development Center, HD Museum, HD Motorenfabrik. | The Homecoming Event, 120th Anniversary Budapest, along the Adriatic Highway Croatia, European Bike Week and the new CVO Street Glide, Norway in November on the Harley!
2023 was a year full of exciting experiences for the Harley-Davidson community and for me. It started back in January with exciting news: the introduction of the Breakout 117 , a real highlight among the 2023 Harley models. Even before the official presentation in January, there were first signs of the new cruiser with the 117 Milwaukee-Eight engine.
But that was just the beginning of an eventful year. The 120th anniversary models, especially the CVO Road Glide Limited Anniversary, were an absolute eye-catcher with their elaborate paintwork and the most expensive Harley-Davidson model to date. Limited to 1500 worldwide, and certainly the last CVO Road Glide model, in a classic design. Harley-Davidson has incorporated factory craftsmanship into the model in a double limited edition.
40 years of Harley Owners Group
A special moment was the 40th anniversary of the Harley Owners Group . A lot has happened from the beginning in the 1990s to today, when we can count more than 1,350 HOG chapters This community is an important part of the Harley-Davidson brand and is actively involved in organizing many Harley-Davidson events . Not to be forgotten, they organize countless aid projects and fundraising campaigns that they have initiated.
New Harley-Davidson stores in Wesselingen and Augsburg
Harley-Davidson's expansion continued with the grand opening of the new megastore in Wesseling between Cologne and Bonn and the new store in Augsburg .
Negotiations for the European Bike Week start in January 2023
In January 2023, the negotiations for the European Bike Week became more concrete and it became clear that perhaps everything was not as easy as first expected. The negotiations dragged on until European Bike Week 2023. A big topic was the ever-shrinking entertainment offering for visitors and rising prices for visitors and exhibitors. In addition, the state's handling of visitors and exhibitors during controls, where tact is increasingly lacking. Nevertheless, European Bike Week is very popular with bikers and according to a Harleysite survey, the answer is clear! You want the European Bike Week right there, at Lake Faaker See !
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25 years of European Bike Week at Lake Faaker See
After tough negotiations, Harley-Davidson signed a cooperation agreement with Kärnten Werbe and the Villach - Faaker See - Ossiacher See region for the next 7 years during the European Bike Week.
The first photos of the new CVO models appeared in February
This was a catastrophic event for Harley-Davidson, especially the bad photos of the CVO Road Glide caused the fan community to panic. According to information from Harley-Davidson, Harley-Davidson did not plan to introduce the new CVO models until August. Meanwhile, the demise of the brand was predicted on the Internet, which led to the first information coming in April and official photos and reports about the CVO models following in June 2023.
The 120th Anniversary models reached retailers much too late
The new Harley-Davidson Anniversary models were announced on January 18, 2023, but they didn't hit Harley-Davidson dealer stores May . Of course, you have to know that most new motorcycle registrations take place in March. This may have cost some customers because the delivery was sometimes even later.
Harley-Davidson turns 120 – and celebrates in 2023
In 2023 there was also a celebration in Hamburg , the Hamburg Harley Days turned 20 years old. I wasn't there this year, the season started a little later for me, so I can't say much about what was really going on Harley Days
Introducing the Highway King Electra Glide in May
In May, the highlights from the Icons Collection and the Fast Johnnie models from the Enthusiast Collection appeared. You didn't hear anything about these bikes beforehand; they suddenly appeared. There were no rumors, absolutely nothing, so it was kind of a surprise for everyone. Also boring if there are no rumors at all. But the two Highway King models in particular were really nice.
Harley-Davidson Dresden celebrates its 15th anniversary in May
There was a lot to celebrate at Harley-Davidson Dresden Harley-Davidson honored it with a corresponding appearance by personalities from the management level. Dresden location , Leipzig and Chemnitz also included.
120 years of Harley-Davidson exhibition in the Central Garage Bad Homburg
A really great 120 years of Harley-Davidson exhibition in Bad Homburg, it runs until January 19, 2024. The Harley-Davidson timeline over the past 120 years is impressively shown here.
The homecoming event in Milwaukee was another highlight, with top bands like Green Day and the Foo Fighters. The event was not only a musical spectacle, but also a tribute to the place where the Harley-Davidson story began.
“2023 was a year in which we made history and celebrated. It showed how vibrant and dynamic the Harley-Davidson world is and makes us excited for what’s to come.”
Willie G. Davidson is 90 years old
Willie G. Davidson's 90th birthday in May was less than spectacular. Harley-Davidson didn't say anything about it, but my colleague Rudi Herzig published an article about it in his column on Harleysite, which you can read here
The 120th Anniversary Festival in Budapest was one of the highlights of 2023
The 120th Harley-Davidson Festival in Budapest was certainly one of the absolute highlights of 2023. Rarely have I received as many questions about Harley-Davidson events as I did this year about the festival in Budapest. That was one of the reasons why I put together an extensive list of tips and advice for the tour to Budapest. I immediately worked out a real tour, via Dresden, to Budapest and on to Croatia.
The parade through Budapest, over the Chain Bridge and where thousands of people stood on the side of the road, was really amazing. Unfortunately, there was apparently a problem with the trams that partially crossed the route, which led to the parade being interrupted. The event area was really big, the stage was completely occupied at the time of the live acts: I found it really exciting in Budapest, especially the big EXPO was really tough. Budapest is certainly one of the few places where you can still celebrate such large events undisturbed.
My tour along the Adriatic Highway in Croatia
In July I to Croatia on the Road Glide Special , it was basically just one of my trial tours to see if the area had potential for more.
From Zagreb we went through the Plitvice National Park and along the breathtaking Croatian coast from Zadar to Rijeka. The route promised a mix of spectacular landscapes, winding roads and the opportunity to explore some of Croatia's most charming towns. And that's how it turned out in the end, a great tour, in the best sunshine.
20 years of Harleysite | The milestone
July 17, 2023 was Harleysite's 20th anniversary. I didn't really celebrate the anniversary in a spectacular way. This may have been because I was in Milwaukee at the same time as the presentation of the new CVO model. A highlight for me, but my personal highlight was the visit to the Willie G. Davidson Product Development Center . They don't really let everyone in there and especially not guys like me who sometimes have a lot of stress with the company.
Sometimes it's like a love-hate relationship that has been going on for many years and has cost me a lot of nerves. But I was in there, practically in the company's heart chamber. The Willie G. Davidson Product Development Center is where testing and development takes place, so they do exactly what interests me and many of you. In any case, my visit to Milwaukee was the absolute highlight. I can recommend everyone to take a look at the Harley-Davidson Museum and the engine factory in Milwaukee, the visit is worth it.
The CVO models were shown in Germany for the first time at the Harley Days Dresden
Back from Milwaukee, we went straight back to the Harley Days in Dresden. The new CVO models were presented there for the first time in Germany and because I had already driven both of them, I was bombarded with questions about the new engines.
Harley-Davidson was noticeably more involved in the event in the east of the Republic in 2023. The location and surroundings are definitely worth getting a little more attention from the Harley community.
My criticism of the European Bike Week
In August I couldn't help it and didn't skimp on the European Bike Week with a lot of criticism. The question was: “Where is all the coal?” . That initially caused a lot of unrest. Another reason was that I didn't receive any information about the event, which I didn't like at all. In the end there were a lot of discussions and everything should get better in 2024, let's wait and see.
Nevertheless, I was of course at Lake Faaker See and there was already a lot of interest in the trips from the different chapters. So it was clear that many bikers would come to Lake Faaker See again.
New Harley-Davidson flagship stores will open in Zurich and Bern-Belp in September
Bütikofer Harley-Davidson Zurich celebrated the Grand Opening in Zurich on September 23rd. And Arni Harley-Davidson opens a 1500m 2 Harley-Davidson shop in Bern-Belp at the same time. So there is a lot going on in Switzerland.
Curious police report in October 2023
One of the somewhat strange police reports in 2023 was the following report about a collision between a Harley-Davidson driver and a herd of mouflons in Heilbad Heiligenstadt. The Harley biker was driving down the street when suddenly a herd of mouflons crossed the road in front of the Harley-Davidson . Emergency braking, which was initiated immediately, was no longer able to prevent a collision with one of the animals. The collision caused material damage to the motorcycle, which made it impossible to continue driving. The driver suffered minor injuries as a result of the collision. The animal disappeared from the scene of the accident in an unknown direction - the degree of injury is unknown.
The customs dispute between the EU and the USA flared up again
In October, the first reports came again about possible punitive tariffs for US companies such as Harley-Davidson on the EU's agenda. Today we know that this issue has shifted to 2025.
In November I went to Norway again
I couldn't let it go and drove up to Norway via Denmark with my buddy Hermann in November. It was just a break for a few days, nothing huge, but a real highlight for us. Being out and about in the snow at temperatures below zero was something new again. An experience, but still somehow wonderful and beautiful.
Harley-Davidson's share price and future was an issue again
Rough Ride , was the title of my post, which means something like a hard ride. Another and similar contribution was to the “ TOP 10 Harley-Davidson models ”, where it was unfortunately apparent that in 2023 there will not be a model in the TOP 50 of all new motorcycle registrations. Of course, this information caused a lot of excitement again.
My experiences with the Road Glide
You were very interested in the article about the Road Glide and my experiences As is well known, the Road Glide always causes debate, but it is now becoming increasingly popular and common here in Europe.
The Harley-Davidson event dates for 2024
This year the dates for 2024 from Harley-Davidson came a little earlier than usual, this post is generally always one of the very important ones for you. For many of you, this information is certainly related to your annual vacation planning, which events you want and can go to.
The Harleysite glass ball
My Harleysite crystal ball report , with the previous information about the 2024 model year, came a little later this year. I've heard a lot over the last six months, but the background noise this year was noticeably quiet. The leaked photos of the CVO models in the spring have made it increasingly difficult to find out new information, but they can't completely prevent it. Feel free to take another look at my report if you haven't done so yet,
I wish everyone a happy new year 2024 and a great season, which will hopefully start again soon!
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Text and image credits Harleysite / Volker Wolf
