Hamburg Harley Days 2019 on Friday
There was a lot of excitement in the scene in advance, rumors were spread that the Hamburg wanted to set up over 12 checkpoints on Friday and even wanted to carry out large-scale checks directly in front of the entrance to the event. This did not lead to a decrease in visitors on Friday, but many came and simply parked the machines on the site.
Few machines on Main Street
There were hardly any machines on Main Street, despite the great weather. In the evening there was a big bicycle demo on the Reeperbahn, now you could ask yourself whether the fake news from before was related to this!
The general conversation with the police
I spoke to the motorcycle police on the Reeperbahn without further ado and mentioned in advance that I was a journalist. The answer was that general questions weren't a problem, so I asked generally about the alleged controls. Yes, the police have heard about it too, but they don't know anything.
It is clear that they will also be checking this weekend, this also has to do with the many violations last year, but not in the way it was reported. There was a checkpoint on Friday and there will also be one on Saturday. Anyone who comes in there with their magic mill will of course have a problem if everything is not in accordance with the law. But that has always been the case everywhere!
The reasons for the controls!
The past has shown that some have not registered anything about their conversions, fake frame numbers, no ABE or EU marking, exhaust too loud. Officers are exposed to a wide range of offenses that they are often not even aware of.
RESPECT FOR HAMBURG - This campaign asks you to be considerate of residents, especially on the side streets!
Conclusion: Anyone who goes into the lion's den will be eaten.
And one thing is clear: if it happens that they check everywhere, staying away cannot be the solution either! Every year we work on this event with passion, I happened to film the organizer Uwe Bergmann in the livestream on Friday as he was carrying away paper waste from an exhibitor, they all put their heart into it.
An event like this is expensive and it is becoming increasingly difficult for everyone involved; we can see for ourselves how things have changed over the years. Greta's friends would like to ban everything, but it's still getting that far! So be careful with the control messages!
Construction work in front of the access
A much bigger problem is the construction work on Amsinckstrasse, where there are significant disruptions, especially for car traffic. Access to the event is only possible from the western side. Anyone coming from the eastern side has to go back on the other side to be able to turn.
The parade on Sunday
The parade is on Sunday, and this year it will take place again over the Reeperbahn. Line-up for the parade starts at 11:00 a.m. at the wholesale market and starts at 1:30 p.m. Arriving early ensures the best places, the Hella half marathon is also taking place on Sunday, so everything will be very crowded again.
Pictures from Friday at the Hamburg Harley Days
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I arrived/chugged leisurely from Krummhörn on Saturday and was able to book a room 1000m from the wholesale market in good time.
A little bit of cold water in the hotel…brrrr…. and ran straight to the festival. Fantastic atmosphere, super organized, friendly police and law enforcement officers, and then the mopeds parked and driven there were absolutely crazy. Great bands, lots of information and really nice people who were easy to talk to. Since I had left the moped at the hotel, a “nice drink” was no problem at all and so with the right sip I was able to enjoy a great fireworks display to end the day. After all, I wanted to finally ride at the front of the parade on Sunday. What worked was the second moped driver who was on the starting grid on Sunday. Greetings to TUCK TUCK and family Many thanks to the citizens of Hamburg, the organizers, law enforcement, police and the many thousands of people who celebrated with us.
Bow to all of you, it was a real dream!