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- European Bike Week – Faak am See 2026
A week in Carinthia, a pretty diverse selection of bikes, and a group of people from nearly every corner of Thunderbike: In 2026, we headed back to Faak am See once again. Between the Nockalmstraße, Kaiserschmarrn, photo shoots, rain, custom bikes, and a rather surprising trophy, we had quite the adventure. Here’s our recap of European Bike Week 2026.
Off to Faak!
Faak am See has simply become a tradition for us. And yet, every year, the week feels a little different. Different bikes, different rides, new people—and usually a story or two that definitely wasn’t on the agenda beforehand.
This time, we were on the road with a pretty diverse group. André from Product Design, Thorsten and Patrick from Production, Dennis from Pre-Assembly, Glatten from the Custom Shop, our reconditioning expert Frank, Jannik and Stefan from Vehicle Sales, Jan Niklas from the Service Shop, and Glatzzo and Kim from Marketing. Joining us were Felix, Kim’s partner, and Detti, Dennis’s father-in-law.
Our fleet was just as diverse.
Our Road Glide double pack on the Nockalmstraße.
André and Dennis with Detti in Carinthia.
First place for Thunderbike in the Cruiser class in Villach.
First photo shoot between old railroad tracks and the Carinthian mountains.
Lance David Arnold’s EightySix Legacy and Andreas’ Burning Eleven represented the Road Glide contingent. Kim brought her Sportster Emperor, and of course our newest Chicano, Sangre-Caliente, couldn’t be left out. André and Thorsten showed up with their custom-built Evos, and Glatten with his Shovel.
We also brought along a few bikes from our demo ride fleet—a selection that was particularly well-suited for the many kilometers of mountain roads around Faak. With the Low Rider S, Low Rider ST, Sport Glide, and Road Glide, we had several models on hand that are a blast to ride on the winding roads through Carinthia.
Some of the demo bikes had already been modified quite extensively with our parts. Among other things, we had a Street Bob with our new Thunderbike headlight fairing, as well as a Fat Boy with forward-mounted footpegs, Atlas handlebars, and a Jekill & Hyde exhaust system.
That meant we had just about everything with us—from the Chicano to the Evo Springer and Shovel, all the way up to the more modern touring and performance models—and definitely enough variety for the coming days.
Street Bob with our new Thunderbike headlight cover.
Thorsten’s Evo Springer—featuring plenty of parts from “his” own workshop.
Andrés Evo – touring with us in Austria for the second time.
Fat Boy with Atlas handlebars, small turn signals, Jekill, and forward-mounted footrests.
First Act in Office: Kick Out the Chicano
We arrived in Carinthia early enough on the first day so as not to let the good weather just slip away. So, even before the actual weekly program began, we brought out the new Chicano.
All we needed was the right location.
We found it at the Villach Seebach train station. Old freight cars, tracks, and overhead wires on one side, the Carinthian mountains on the other—a pretty good contrast to our Chicano.
This time, Felix had to step in front of the camera. And since the Chicano looks just as brutal in photos when it’s in motion, he got to ride it himself right away. For Felix, it was his first time on one of our Chicanos. The seating position and the feel of the ride were naturally unfamiliar to him—but obviously not bad. After the first few meters, at least one thing was clear: this thing isn’t just fun in front of the camera.
With that, the first shots were in the can. Now Faak could really get started.
Monday: We know just the place for some Kaiserschmarrn …
Monday brought exactly the kind of weather you’d hope for on a tour through Carinthia. So we got our bikes out and hit the road.
Our route took us first northeast toward Deutsch-Griffen. We didn’t choose that destination entirely by chance. We’d been to Krassnitzer before—and both the friendly landlady and the Kaiserschmarrn had apparently left a good enough impression on us to warrant a second visit.
After that, we continued through the Gurk Valley toward Sankt Veit an der Glan, and on the way back we made a stop at the Pyramidenkogel. From the top, we enjoyed a spectacular view of Lake Wörthersee—and for the way down, we could, of course, have sensibly taken the elevator again.
But we didn’t. If there’s a slide there, you just have to slide down it.
Kaiserschmarrn at Krassnitzer—that’s exactly why we keep coming back.
Back on our bikes and on through the valleys and mountains.
View from the Pyramidenkogel across Lake Wörthersee.
Tuesday: Two Road Glides on the Nockalmstraße
Since the weather app was predicting much less favorable conditions for the next few days, we wanted to make the most of Tuesday one last time.
This time, the Nockalmstraße was on the agenda.
Our two Road Glides, EightySix Legacy and Burning Eleven, were along for the ride—and together, they’re simply an awesome duo. With the Carinthian mountain landscape as our backdrop, we certainly didn’t want to miss the chance to take a few pictures. So we stopped along the way for a photo session and really showcased the two bikes once again. After all, with two bikes like these, the perfect roads, and the mountains right in front of us, anything else would have been a waste.
On the way back, there was one more item on the agenda that has almost become a tradition for us: a stop at the Forellenhof. They serve really good ribs there—and that’s exactly why this visit has become just as much a staple of our Faak itinerary as some of our favorite tours. After a long day on the Nockalmstraße, it was definitely the perfect way to end the day.
Perhaps the most laid-back residents of Nockalmstraße.
Glatten on his Shovel—this dream team has been riding together for decades.
The Sporty needs gas—at the latest after 90 kilometers.
There’s plenty going on up at the Nockalm again.
If the weather doesn't cooperate
On Wednesday, the promised change of pace finally arrived. The weather didn’t really make us want to go on a long motorcycle ride, so the bikes stayed in the garage. Instead of twists and turns, we went bowling. It’s something you can do every now and then with the right group. Unfortunately, the forecast for Thursday didn’t look much better. So we decided against riding in the rain and headed to Harley Village. And the timing couldn’t have been better.
Creators Custom Clash at Harley Village
We arrived just in time for the announcement of the winner of the 2026 Harley-Davidson Creators Custom Clash.
Six Creators from Europe, working together with authorized Harley-Davidson dealers, had each transformed a stock bike into their own custom project. All six motorcycles were ultimately on display together at the expo in Faak.
In the end, the victory went to Italy: Jack NBC came out on top with his Breakout, built in collaboration with Harley-Davidson Legnano.
The football theme runs through every detail of the bike—including the yard lines of a football field on the tank and corresponding details on the seat. A pretty fitting connection to Jack, who comes from a football background himself.
The award was presented by Harley-Davidson CEO Artie Starrs and Bill Davidson.
Even though, of course, there could only be one winner in the end, the project by Harley-Davidson Pfeiffer was also one of the bikes we lingered over the longest.
And that’s exactly what days like this in the Village are all about: meeting people, checking out ideas, discovering details, and chatting with familiar faces from the scene in between.
Carbon fiber, machined parts, and plenty of details at the Jekyll & Hyde booth.
Kim meets Harley-Davidson CEO Artie Starrs.
Glatzzo gives it his all for the team. It was a close call this year—but a rematch is already in the works.
The Breakout by Harley-Davidson Pfeiffer.
Friday: First the car wash, then the bike show
At first, Friday morning didn’t look like the weather was going to be on our side. And we had a little problem.
EightySix Legacy, Burning Eleven, Chicano, and Emperor were supposed to head to the Custombike Show in Villach. But after all the kilometers we’d covered over the past few days, the four of them looked exactly like what they were: motorcycles that had been ridden. It rained until around 1 p.m. So, Plan B.
We loaded the bikes onto the buses, headed to the car wash, and pulled out all the stops. Washing, drying, polishing—and luckily, we had Frank with us. When you have someone from the professional vehicle detailing industry on your team, this is exactly the moment when it pays off.
Four clean bikes later, we loaded them back up and drove to a parking lot near Villach’s old town.
And sure enough: the rain stopped.
So we opened the trunks, took the bikes out, and rode into the old town under our own power. Our two Road Glides competed in the Tourer & Bagger class. Chicano and Emperor were both placed in the Cruiser class. After that, there wasn’t much else we could do anyway. While the judges made their rounds, we did the same and checked out the other builds. And there were quite a few interesting ones.
Emperor Takes the Win
The fact that Kim’s Emperor was even entered in the show was more of a spur-of-the-moment decision. And sometimes those are the best ones.
At the awards ceremony, it suddenly became clear: first place in the Cruiser class—Kim Bergerforth with Emperor. To be honest, we hadn’t expected that. So, of course, the mood was all the better when Emperor took the stage afterward. The group photo with Bill Davidson was the perfect finishing touch.
From the rain in the morning to the impromptu car wash to first place in the afternoon—Friday had delivered the full package in just a few hours.
And now we got to take a trophy home, too.
Bikeshow Winner at a Glance
Sports & Club Style
Best in Show & 1st Place: Vito Klemenčič (SI)
Sports & Club Style
2nd Place: Dreamachine Motorcycles (SI)
Antique & Restomod
1st Place: Hannes Haap (AT)
Antique & Restomod
2nd Place: Michael Betz (DE)
Cruiser
1st Place: Thunderbike (DE)
Cruiser
2nd place: Julian von Oheimb (DE)
Adventure & Off-Road
1st Place: Sven Niesch (DE)
Adventure & Off-Road
2nd Place: Kurt Glaser (AT)
Radical Custom
1st Place: Mali HD (PL)
Radical Custom
2nd Place: Gabriele Basso (IT)
Touring Bikes & Dirt Bikes:
1st Place: Stanisław Myszkowski, Game Over Cycles (PL)
Touring Bikes & Dirt Bikes
2nd Place: Gert van Hoof (BE)
Best Inspiration
Bikash (AT)
Best Paintwork
Peter Deinhofer (AT)
Wahl der Jury
Max Bica (IT)
Saturday: Out again
After a few mixed days, Carinthia had once again delivered truly great motorcycle weather for Saturday. So we took the opportunity for one last ride together. And instead of doing one of our usual routes, we tried something new: the Malta-Hochalmstraße.
On the way to the Maltatal, we ran into our fellow dealer Tom Pfeiffer—one of those encounters that’s just part of life in Faak.
After that, we continued up through the Maltatal all the way to the Kölnbreinsperre dam. Curves, tunnels, rock faces, and that breathtaking view of the mountains again and again—a route where you don’t need much motivation to add a few more kilometers to your ride.
Once we reached the top, it was time to park the bikes and take it all in.
The sheer scale of the dam and the surrounding mountain landscape make for a truly impressive combination. Above all, though, the ride was the perfect way to wrap up the week.
On the way back, we made a quick technical stop: The axle on Andrés’s Evo Springer needed to be tightened again. Tools out, axle tightened—and off we went. Aside from this little repair, our bikes had held up just fine all week.
After that, everything went by way too fast again. Back home, packing up our things, loading the motorcycles. And suddenly you’re standing in front of the vans again and realize: That’s it—already over.
