Lignano Sabbiadoro ( Udine ,) Italy , 16th - 19th September 2021
For the second consecutive year , Biker Fest International ( the 35th ) has had to postpone from its traditional mid- May date to September ( 16-19 ). In these times when shows and events of any kind , anywhere , especially Custom Bike Shows , have become an endangered species , congratulations to Micke Persello and the Bikers Life team for pulling off what appeared to be the impossible - a delayed but ultimately hugely successful 34th Biker Fest International in September 2020 , and they will be hoping for similar luck when they descend again on Italy ' s Adriatic Coast ( north of Venice ) later this year . Having the passionate support of a loyal and enthusiastic attendance does help , of course , and last year regional authorities put the total crowd drawn by Biker Fest at around 90,000 people - a remarkable number under the circumstances . Italians love their motorcycle shows ! No doubt the organizers will be looking to repeat the four days of COVID-secure activities under rigid pandemic protocols that ensured their success last year , even if , by then , a significant percentage of Europeans will have been vaccinated . Despite the impact that the pandemic could have quite reasonably have been expected to have on custom bike building activity , the standard of bikes in September last year was exemplary - and although , as I write , the arrangements for the next AMD World Championship of Custom Bike Building remain a case study in uncertainty , whenever the ' AMD ' tribe is able to assemble next , the quality of custom design and engineering that will be coming out of Italy will be as high , maybe even higher , than ever . The Custom Bike Show - the Italian Motorcycle Championship - had a new location in the center of the Luna Park Strabilia with about 100 custom bikes registered and coming from all over Italy and neighboring nations . There were eight classes in total , and those that won a place at the next AMD World Championship included : Moto Guzzi 850-T5 by Bepy Moto
2020 BEST IN SHOW I . M . C ., H-D " Ghisarama " by Hazard ( BG )
Service ( Turin ), Buell “ Visione ” by Debenedetti & Fiordi ( Livorno- Brescia ), BMW R65E ( electric ) by Freesound Customs ( Pisa ), and the H- D “ Ghisarama ” by Hazard ( Bergamo ), which took the Italian Motorcycle Championship and ' Best in Show ' win . Internationally respected former AMD stalwart Penz Custombikes ( Austria ) gave a debut to a new , refined Bagger called " Razzle Dazzle ", and seven kilometers of track were dedicated to all off-road lovers with an Enduro , mini-Enduro and Scrambler Challenge - even garden tractor racing and mopeds had their moment ! The track also saw classes and 250 and 450 cc bike rental opportunities from a flat track school . More than 150 exhibitors of all kinds catered to all tastes and there were presentations from more than a dozen motorcycle travel , tour and adventure riding specialists - plus , of course , bands , American cars ( over 400 for a 25th anniversary event ), including V8s , and a Saturday evening parade through the streets of Lignano . www . bikerfest . it
USA 2020 Motorcycle and Scooter Sales + 11.4 %
New-model powersports sales increased + 18.4 % in the United States in 2020 , with motorcycle and scooter sales rising + 11.4 %, according to the Irvine , California based Motorcycle Industry Council ( MIC ) retail sales report . " Overall , the industry had a good year under difficult circumstances ," said Erik Pritchard , MIC president and CEO . " The COVID-19 pandemic forced all of us to be nimble and to make the changes we needed to survive . In the end , many in the industry saw strong growth , and now our opportunity is to keep all of these new riders riding and to inspire even more people to join us on two , three and four wheels ." The MIC retail sales reporting system gathers new motorcycle , scooter and ATV retail sales data from 14 leading manufacturers and distributors in the U . S ., providing a strong indicator of sales trends . Sales of on-highway motorcycles , which include scooters and dual-purpose bikes , were steady compared with 2019 , while interest in off-highway motorcycles spiked , with sales up + 46.5 % year-over-year . Off-highway motorcycles include dirt bikes , trail bikes , competition motorcycles and other motorized two-wheelers that cannot be used on public roads . Sales of ATVs also jumped , rising + 33.8 % over 2019 . " We are happy to see that more people are getting the chance to enjoy the outdoors and find new adventures with motorcycles ," Pritchard said . " As many riders know , motorcycles and scooters are not only fun , efficient ways to commute , but they open up many recreational opportunities ."
H-D - " Get Out and Ride " Sweepstakes
In somewhat of a ' Throwback Thursday ' moment , Harley is offering a bike as a sweepstakes prize - unless we here at AMD have been blissfully unaware , it has been decades since Harley embraced such a retro piece of marketing - and a Road Glide at that ! " Harley-Davidson ' s mission brings people together and helps riders experience freedom for the soul . Harley-Davidson is celebrating its mission with the ' Get Out and Ride ' sweepstakes . There are 80 prizes to win in honor of the 80th anniversary of Daytona Bike Week , and one custom grand prize motorcycle to celebrate the start of a new year of riding . " Following Harley-Davidson ' s global celebration of riding at the virtual H-D 21 event , we ' re excited to get riders rolling into a great year ahead ," said VP Marketing Theo Keetell . " The ' Get Out and Ride ' sweepstakes is Harley- Davidson ' s invitation to kick off the riding season and rediscover the road ." Don ' t get us wrong , there is nothing wrong with it , especially in connection with trying to generate footfall at a rally such as Daytona . In fact , it is quite reassuring to see Harley re-entering ' the realm of normal men ( and women ).' " From February 8 to April 16 , Harley is giving riders reason to celebrate with a sweepstakes that everyone in the U . S . can participate in . Through riding-related activities and visiting your local dealer , participants earn entries for a chance to win prizes celebrating the community and spirit of two wheels . This includes a custom 2021 Road Glide motorcycle and weekly drawings for 80 additional prizes ."
28 AMERICAN MOTORCYCLE DEALER - MARCH 2021 www . AMDchampionship . com