Custom Nationals Geiselwind, Germany- August 1-2
Words & Pctures- Horst ' Motographer ' Roessler- www. motographer. de
Starting any event, especially an allbrands Custom motorcycle bike show, in a theoretically crowded market, at a busy time of year for custom shows, and pulling with 200 + entries straight away is quite an achievement, at any time. But that is what the new Custom Nationals event at Geiselwind, between Wurzburg and Nuremberg in south central Germany, achieved.
That said, the fact that this was a new iteration for, a new version of an event- the ' Bike and Music Weekend '- that had been running at that venue on the first weekend of August for more than 25 years did not hurt! That prior iteration of the show regularly attracted some 80-100 entries, itself not a bad turnout but this year, with new branding and organisation team the event really took off. If this momentum can be maintained, then the ' Custom
Nationals ' will quickly establish itself as one of Europe ' s summer ' majors '. The bike show is very much the focal point, but the legacy of the venue and location, and the beauty of the region as a rural summer riding paradise provide all the elements for a longterm success story. The competition was fierce in all the classes, with the ' Best of Show ' and ' Radical ' class trophy being won by Harald Bauer of Harley-Davidson Würzburg Village, with the much
Best of Show Custom Nationals 2025 Red Rooster, 1918 " J " based fully handcrafted, Harley-Davidson Würzburg Village, Germany admired ' Red Rooster ', a radical handcrafted 1918 Model J that was first assembled by the HDWV Team in 2020. There aren ' t many Model Js around these days, and even the traditional events like Verona, Bad Salzuflen, Lyon and Houten are faced with shrinking numbers of bikes competing from every Harley era, but especially pre- WWII. The renewed partnership between the Autohof Strohofer and Knight Riders MC did fill the hall though, with 190 +
Custom Classic / Vintage( all modified bikes, antique / classic / young timers, up to 1990) # 1- 1969 Harley-Davidson " Ironhead " Chopper, Sebastian Gartner, Germany # 2- 1950 FL with Shovel-Motor; Piero Rathenow, Germany
Clubstyle( all Clubstyle bikes) # 1- Comic Art ST, 2024 Lowrider ST, Esther Heipek, Germany # 2- 2013 Dyna Street Bob Clubstyle, HH-Damm, Germany
24 AMERICAN MOTORCYCLE DEALER- DECEMBER 2025 www. AMDmag. com