Review – Saint Petersburg Harley Days 2016

These are the differences we love, and no other motorcycle brand can compete, whether it's the Hamburg Harley Days, which European Bike Week, or even the Daytona Bike Week The USA, plus many others Harley meetup and Events in the world. They are all special in their own way: the beautiful beach of Daytona Bike Week, the Hamburg harbor, the border triangle at Lake Faaker See, and the dreamlike metropolis of St. Petersburg in Russia. We are not particularly interested in political barriers; even though there are sanctions against Russia, it makes it all the more exciting that we are in St. Petersburg Celebrate an American legend!

St. Petersburg and Hamburg are the first German-Russian twin cities after the war, which makes it all the more important to send a clear message that we never want to see such times again! We maintain friendships with Russia, and vice versa. This year, we were the largest group of visitors from abroad. With around 50 Harleys, we rode from the Russian border to St. Petersburg and enjoyed Russian hospitality. We traveled to Helsinki in two groups on two different routes to meet up there and set off together with Harley friends from Finland to the Russian border, from where we rode to St. Petersburg together with our Russian friends from the Leningrad Chapter.

The roads are not much worse than ours. Every now and then, a pothole suddenly appears in the road, but generally speaking, the roads on this route are in good condition. You have to get used to the Russians' driving style. They like to overtake on the hard shoulder, which is a bit adventurous.

Fill up for free at Gazprom!

Shortly before St. Petersburg, we were overtaken by the Event sponsor Gazprom, First, she invited everyone to fill up their tanks, which was a nice gesture. Suddenly, the magnificent city was before us. These old buildings from the time of the tsars are indescribably special, especially in the evening when the city shines with soft lighting. We also took some time for culture, the Catherine Palace, that Amber Room, which Kronstadt Island with the Naval Cathedral and, as a highlight, also the Hermitage Palace. You need strong nerves for the Hermitage; you get the impression that the whole world has come here to see the museum, but it's also amazing what there is to see here.

The event site

But we are mainly here because of the Harley Days in St. Petersburg, The event site is located in the heart of the city, built around the Alexandrinsky Theater, which is a unique location that is second to none. Stunt shows, live music, local vendors, and even a Custombike Show is on offer. There is a large food court, and even a German vendor was there with his grill. However, the range of foreign vendors is very limited; they face huge hurdles when importing their goods into Russia and then re-exporting them, which is why Russian stalls predominate here, but that doesn't have to be a disadvantage. The Harley-Davidson authorized dealer in St. Petersburg offers its event shirts and dealer shirts here.

I was somewhat surprised by the many Harleys driving around here, but less surprised by the many pretty ladies who were at the event. It was well known in advance that St. Petersburg obviously does not skimp on beauty.

The night parade through St. Petersburg

On Friday, there was a night parade. It would be unthinkable to start a parade with hundreds of Harleys at 10 p.m. in the middle of the city center, but people stood on the streets and watched the spectacle. It was also my first Harley parade at night.

Start of the parade at the palace parking lot in front of the Hermitage

But the highlight is the parade in the palace parking lot of the Hermitage, You don't quickly forget the impressions you take away with you from there. The impression you have of Russia beforehand is actually different. As soon as you stand in front of the Hermitage, all negative thoughts are erased. The friendly people and these indescribably beautiful buildings are amazing.

We enjoyed the hospitality of our Russian friends and were allowed to ride in the front rows of the parade. Then we set off, right through the center of St. Petersburg, across the entire width of the city center. This was a real parade, not a slow crawl; we made good progress and thousands of people stood along the streets waving. From one historic square to the next, the city is really big. Finally, we arrived at the event site and were completely thrilled by the parade.

There was still plenty of entertainment here, and in the evening we returned to the hotel. Unfortunately, I missed the nighttime bridge opening ceremony this year. Every night, the bascule bridges are raised with a light show and remain up for a few hours while the ships pass through, beautifully illuminated. I'll be sure to check it out next year.

On Monday, we all headed back. Our friends accompanied us to the border again, and we drove in convoy to Helsinki. On Tuesday, we went our separate ways. One group took the ferry to Travemünde, and my group took the Silja Line ferry to Stockholm. We wanted to cover a few more kilometers, so we drove to Malmö in Sweden and took the ferry to Travemünde from there.

Next year, however, Copenhagen will definitely be on the route; this beautiful city was missing from our Harley tour to St. Petersburg.

Conclusion: A fantastic event in one of the most beautiful cities you can visit, and combined with a route through Scandinavian cities, it really is an experience.

Further information at www.GreatestRides.de

More pictures are available in the Picture gallery