A four-day festival was held in Budapest at Puskás Arena Park ending Sunday 25 June, to celebrate the 120th anniversary of the American motorcycle manufacturer Harley-Davidson, reportedly with the participation of thousands of motorcyclists.
Photo: MTI/Bruzák Noémi
Founded back in 1903, the brand has cemented its place as one of the oldest, if not the oldest, continuously operating motorcycle companies in the world.
Photo: Facebook/Harley-Davidson Budapest
The atmosphere was fantastic throughout Budapest, according to the organizers, and tours were also put together for participants to Lake Balaton, the Great Hungarian Plain, Eger, Dobogókő, and the Danube Bend, among others.
Photo: MTI/Róbert Hegedüs
The festival included concerts, a showcase of not only the oldest Harley-Davidsons, but also the latest models.
Photo: Facebook/Harley-Davidson Budapest
A Vintage Guitar show was also organized, as motorbikes since the 1960’s have been intertwined with rock & roll, both being about rebellion.
Everyone knows Steppenwolf’s hit Born to be Wild from 1967.
The entire song “
describes what many consider to be the classic “biker” image, the cruiser rider with the half-helmet, sunglasses, beard in the wind, maybe riding a chopper. It used heavily distorted guitars to mimic the burble and roar of a motorcycle exhaust, and the first two lines describe all of us, even today: “Get your motor runnin’ / Head out on the highway.”
Photo: Facebook/Harley-Davidson Budapest
Photo: Facebook/Harley-Davidson Budapest
Participants could enjoy American style food provided by Jaromír Open Road Bázis, a motorcyclist’s restaurant, and drink Czech draft beer (strictly alcohol-free, in accordance with the prevailing zero tolerance principle).
Photo: Facebook/Harley-Davidson Budapest
On their way home, the motorcyclists caused some traffic jams on the M7 motorway from Budapest to the west of Hungary, when instead of using rest areas or petrol stations they decided to stop and change gears in the hard shoulder at several locations. Drivers were forced to slow down to pass them safely, which somewhat stalled traffic heading towards Lake Balaton.
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Harley-Davidson Celebrates 120th Anniversary in Budapest
The four-day event in June will feature 50 bands and hundreds of events on six stages.Continue reading
Via MTI; Featured image: MTI, Photo by Róbert Hegedüs
