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Prague, home to a 90-year-old Harley-Davidson
club, the oldest in the world, is hosting the biggest
anniversary bash for the motorcycles outside of their U.S. home
of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where a similar party starts at the end
of August.
More than 60,000 bikers and about 40,000 other visitors from
over 70 countries convened in Prague, in the heart of central
Europe, organizers estimated.
Some 4,000 bikers chosen in a lottery and clad in leather, denim
and helmets of all sorts paraded through the city center on
Saturday, revving motors and honking horns.
The event attracted bikers from all over, like Piotr Sobczik of
Poland, to share their love of the motorcycles.
"It is freedom, it is a lifestyle. It is a way of spending our
free time - a passion," he said.
Riders from as far as the United States and China also came for
the four-day gathering which features biker games, music and
Czech beer.
"This (Harley-Davidson) brand is so strong for so many people
across the entire globe," said Karen Davidson, a
great-granddaughter of one of the founders.
Europe has become important for Harley-Davidson, already the
dominant player in the heavyweight U.S. motorcycle market.
In 2017, Harley-Davidson sold nearly 40,000 new motorcycles in
Europe, more than 16 percent of sales. Revenue from European
Union countries was second only to the United States.
The company, though, was slammed last month by U.S. President
Donald Trump after saying it would move production for European
customers overseas to avoid retaliatory tariffs after the United
States imposed tariffs on EU steel and aluminum imports.
(Reporting by Jiri Skacel and David Cerny, additional reporting
and writing by Jason Hovet; Editing by Stephen Powell)
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