Over 30,000 visitors at international BMW Motorrad biker meeting

Over 30,000 visitors went to Garmisch-Partenkirchen in Upper Bavaria for the fifth International BMW Motorrad Biker Meeting, held last month.

The unpredictable weather conditions did not stop the guests, which were from 40 countries, from celebrating the fifth anniversary of the biker meeting and the 25th anniversary of GS with BMW Motorrad.

During the weekend 1,200 bikers took part in the 84-km parade ride. The spectacular off-road runs of the three HP2 riders Simo Kirssi, Christian Pfeiffer and Jimmy Lewis attracted a large audience and the three racers demonstrated their expertise - and that of the new HP2 - on the slopes of the Hausberg.

Many bikers wanted to try it out for themselves and tested their own skills on the handling circuit set up by Motorrad magazine, where the best motorcyclists of the 2005 biker meeting pitted their skills against each other every day.

Not only was dexterity on the bike required here, but also the ability to judge speeds correctly and appropriate braking distances.

Over 700 bikers took the opportunity to explore the Werdenfelser Land, test riding all the BMW motorcycles of the current range. On Saturday evening, the traditional big Biker Party was held in the BMW Motorrad tent, where the band Blechblos'n created a real party atmosphere.

The French 'desert fox' Jean Claude Morellet, alias Fenouil, the first Paris-Dakar rider on a BMW motorcycle, made one biker especially happy as he drew the winner of the special edition model "25 Years of GS", an R 1150 GS Adventure.

Motorcycling passion could be felt throughout the biker meeting, and Igor Brezovar from Slovenia won a special prize for his: he had travelled through 75 countries on his R1100 GS. Participants could also enter their bikes in other categories and receive rewards.

The 'Longest distance travelled' category was surprisingly won by two inhabitants of Garmisch-Partenkirchen. To get to the BMW Motorrad Biker Meeting they had taken a 18,950-km detour around the Mediterranean, and thus took longer to complete the trip than a biker from Great Britain who travelled from London via Istanbul to Garmisch-Partenkirchen.

The 'Highest mileage' category was won by a K 100 RS, which had 335,816 km on the clock. An R 62 from 1929, used by its current owner for 11 years, won the 'BMW Classic' prize.

One biker couple had given an RL 50 and an F 650 CS a spectacular paint finish: the partner look with chessboard pattern and rally stripes won them first prize in the 'Most original conversion' category.

Visitors enjoyed a traditional weißwurst breakfast and the biker church service but also the vintage motorcycle parade. Some 100 participants rode their classic bikes from Garmisch-Partenkirchen to Grainau, past some 3,000 spectators.