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Vintage Indian Motorcycles from the new Top Mountain museum.
design covering all generations and iterations of the brand ' s history provided the perfect lifestyle-oriented backdrop to " what it ' s all about "- riding! The Indian Riders Festival, including the Budweis Custom Show, was organized in Lipno for the second time in 2026, after having taken place in Budweis for years. The venue provides a magnificent location, on the lake front, with many apartments, hotels, riding routes and restaurants welcoming the many guests. Last year the event was split on two adjacent lots, but with that first experience at Lipno under their belt, 12 months later the organizers were able to bring it all together- focussing the bike show, merchandise tents, stunt shows, and various stands were all on a single site at the grounds surrounding the harbor and on the pier. The Budweis Custom Show was set up under a large Bedouin tent, the renowned AMD Approved Indian Only Custom Bike Show, for which 26 top class motorcycles were selected. Next year it is planned to be able to increase that number and available space. Led by Ola Stenegärd, it was a classic case of ' less being more ' giving the jury a tough task to choose the winners from the
Lottery draw for a brand-new Vintage Chief customized by
Indian Hannover.
selection, with only the first places in the five Indian specific classes, plus a best finish receiving winners, receiving recognition. The classes were Scout, Non Fairing, Touring( including Baggers), Clubstyle and Custom Paint. There was also a Public Choice award. The motorcycles were ridden onto the stage on Saturday afternoon during the awards ceremony. Best of Show was the ' Top Mountain Museum ' tribute bike of the twins Attila and Alban Scheiber. They are the owners of the recently rebuilt motorcycle and classic car museum at the CrossPoint on the Timmelsjoch High Alpine Road in Austria( 2,175 m / 6,500 ft altitude). A devasting fire in 2021 saw over 200 motorcycles destroyed, including
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many rare and historic Indians. The brothers were able to reopen in just 10 months in a new 4,500 sq m( 50,000 sq ft) custom designed and built facility that has been re-stocked with more than 500 collector loaned motorcycles- no small thing at over 6,000 ft in The Alps in such a short period of time. Next to the Custom Bike Show there was a Top Mountain Museum exhibition. Together with Hans Devos, a very beautiful and varied selection of old Indians had been brought together, the oldest of which was a ' Camelback ' from 1907. Hans Devos had brought along several unique old Indian racing motorcycles, including the Bigsby overhead valve conversion. The main stage was busy with entertainment all weekend and additional attractions and activities included a spectacular ' Wall of Death ' and a lottery draw for a brand-new Vintage Chief customized by Indian Hannover. It was won by Adrian, who came onto the stage completely overwhelmed and stunned, unable to believe he was the winner, and became so emotional that he spontaneously burst into tears! Adrian happened to be a resident of Lipno and was able to proudly ride through his own village on his custom Chief the following morning! A highlight for many was the Parade, which this year, of course, sealed the celebration of 125 years of Indian- a massive route of 125 km- of course!( nearly 80 miles)- that led through the beautiful surroundings of Lipno and the Böhmerwald. Almost all of the two thousand Indians present rode along, resulting in an 18 km procession! Those interested could try out the latest Indians at the demo rides, and at exhaust manufacturer Jekill & Hyde, one could listen to the sound of their electronically adjustable exhausts. During the weekend, J & H and Indian announced that they are officially collaborating from now on. The dates for next year ' s Indian Riders Fest / Budweis Custom Show have already been announced- from June 17-20, 2027, in Lipno, CZ! www. budweiscustom. show www. Indianridersfest. eu
NEWS
BRIEFS
Now in its second year of new ownership, Arctic Cat ' s first year under a return to independent ownership marks one year under new ownership with focus on growth, product development, " bringing back employees across its facilities in Thief River Falls, St. Cloud Mn., Bucyrus, Ohio, and Winnipeg, Canada while restarting manufacturing and distribution operations. The company was acquired form Textron in April 2025 by an investment group led by President and CEO Brad Darling. The OEM also reintroduced snowmobile and off-road product development, including two new snowmobile lineups " featuring updated technology and rider-driven improvements."
Germany- The IVM( German Motorcycle Industry Trade Association) has announced Leo Schlüter as the new project manager for the development of INTERMOT( February 19-21, 2027) in Cologne.
KTM AG is bent out of shape over allegations in certain media reports that KTM is placing illegal motorcycles on the market. " The KTM Group sells its motorcycles exclusively in compliance with applicable European regulations. The reporting is based on a fundamental misunderstanding: At their core, enduro models are sports machines that, in their homologated delivery condition, are also permitted to be ridden on public roads. This dual-use capability is intentional, necessary, and standard across the industry. In order for enduro machines to participate in official competitions, they must be delivered in a homologated condition in accordance with the regulations of the International Motorcycling Federation( FIM). This is neither a KTM-specific practice nor a procedure that would give KTM any undue competitive advantage over its peers. All KTM-, Husqvarna-, and GASGAS-branded enduro models leave our factory exclusively in a road-legal, homologated condition." The enduro models sold in Europe account for approximately 3 % of KTM ' s global sales. " The emissions issues raised in the reports also warrant an objective assessment. According to the German Federal Environment Agency, motorcycles account for approximately 0.3 % of total CO emissions in Germany. Enduro competition models represent only a small fraction of this. Their annual mileage is many times lower than that of street motorcycles, as they are used for only a few hours per year in sport and training activities."
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Sources: AMD, IDN, FT, Reuters, PSB, MPN, BDN, MCN, AP, Bloomberg, MSNW, Electrek, electricmotorcycles. news, RideApart. com, Motor1. com, Cycle World, motorbikewriter. com