THOUSANDS OF HARLEY-DAVIDSON® FANS RIDE INTO FAAK AM SEE FOR EUROPEAN BIKE WEEK®

OXFORD (September 11, 2014) – The picturesque region of Faak am See in southern Austria was the home to over 90,000 Harley-Davidson riders and 60,000 bikes last week as the region hosted the 17th annual European Bike Week between Tuesday 2nd and Sunday 7th September 2014.

The Harley-Davidson Village provided a range of epic experiences for riders across the six-day event, ranging from the ever-popular Customizer Area, which presents the latest and best in European customizations, to the Exhibition Tent which showcased the latest 2015 Harley-Davidson motorcycles, including the Road Glide® Special, Street Glide® Special and Street™ 750.

One of the event highlights was the Custom Bike Show, which took place on Friday and saw more than 70 unique creations entered into the competition across ten categories by Europe’s finest customizers. Nedal Ameen’s remarkable hubless custom machine won the People’s Choice award while Fawaz Alsalem impressed the judges and took home the Best In Show prize with an extreme stretch bagger, which was forged from naked steel and featured an incredible 32-inch front wheel. During the week, over 900 event newcomers also took up the option to demo ride a Harley-Davidson motorcycle and had the chance to join a guided tour around the stunning Faak am See region.

Thousands of Harley-Davidson fans also witnessed the return of the renowned Discover More Street Glide® on Friday, which rode into the Harley Village after four-months on the road. Discover More, a unique Harley-Davidson touring experience, has seen one motorcycle ride over 25,000km through more than 30 countries, and was greeted with a rapturous reception as the bike made its final journey into Europe’s biggest open and free bike festival. The bike started its ride in Jordan and was taken on a journey of adventure by more than 50 different riders. The first rider Claude Abry, former chef to King Abdullah II of Jordan and now Harley-Davidson Amman dealership owner, completed the final leg of the bike’s iconic ride into Faak am See.

The finale of the event culminated in over 15,000 riders gathering for the legendary European Bike Week parade. The picturesque Carinthia scenery, along with the crowds lining the streets, painted the perfect setting for customers and locals to show their passion for Harley-Davidson motorcycles. As the festival closed in on its final night of festivities, one lucky H.O.G. (Harley Owners Group) member Francesco Daveiro from Italy also won a Harley-Davidson Street Bob® Special Edition in the event’s prestigious prize draw.

Matthew Knott, Harley-Davidson EMEA Communications Manager, attended the event and commented: “European Bike Week, now in its 17th year, has demonstrated yet again the unrivalled passion our customers have for the Harley-Davidson brand across EMEA. We want to say thank you to all the fans that attended this year’s amazing event and we look forward to welcoming everyone back in 2015 for another epic rally!”

Next year’s 18th European Bike Week event is scheduled to take place between Tuesday 8th and Sunday 13th September 2015. For more information on European Bike Week please visit: http://www.hogeuropegallery.com/ebw/