Elefantentreffen 2024
Discussion
Anyone visited? A winter motorcycle meet in Bavaria, founded 66 years ago with sidecar bikes in February.
You'll bring a tent or a cold weather sleeping bag. There will be either snow or enough mud to make Glastonbury look like a Sahel zone festival.
Officially, the festival takes place Friday to Sunday. Many arrive on Tuesday already. 3000 overnight attendants this year.
Beer, sausage, bonfire, mud, bikes and a peaceful collegial atmosphere.
You'll bring a tent or a cold weather sleeping bag. There will be either snow or enough mud to make Glastonbury look like a Sahel zone festival.
Officially, the festival takes place Friday to Sunday. Many arrive on Tuesday already. 3000 overnight attendants this year.
Beer, sausage, bonfire, mud, bikes and a peaceful collegial atmosphere.
HairyMaclary said:
I'd love to go but the beer and mud bit put me off.
...
I see what you mean. From minute 28:10, there's four Frenchies in mankinis in a tug-of-war with two locals in the mud. ...
That said, the beer is avoidable; but the mud (or snow) is an integral part of it.
There's two Elefantentreffen since 1988: when the original organiser skipped 1988, another club organised it and kept doing so since calling it Altes Elefantentreffen.
The original organiser continued from 1989 in the Bavarian Forest; the Altes usually takes place two weeks after; first at Salzburgring, now at Nürburging. Altes is deemed smaller and more familiar by the press.
I’ve done it a few times 2000-2003 and rolled it into the Dragon the following weekend.
I’m put off these days because of the mild weather - snowy cold ones are great, mud is just awful. In 2001 (I think) it was 20 degrees which was crazy warm. 2003 was a proper snowy one. I did all on Mrs DSs Triumph Tiger the first with her as pillion. Last one was 2003 and I remember going all across Belgium and Luxembourg in a proper blizzard.
Now Mrs DS has a suitable bike I can borrow (T7) I’d do another but only if it’s snowy.
I’m put off these days because of the mild weather - snowy cold ones are great, mud is just awful. In 2001 (I think) it was 20 degrees which was crazy warm. 2003 was a proper snowy one. I did all on Mrs DSs Triumph Tiger the first with her as pillion. Last one was 2003 and I remember going all across Belgium and Luxembourg in a proper blizzard.
Now Mrs DS has a suitable bike I can borrow (T7) I’d do another but only if it’s snowy.
Steve_H80 said:
The cold, the beer and the mud wouldn't put me off, it's the riding in snow that scares me. Sensibly a sidecar is a must, although I know many do make it there on two wheels, but I can't afford an outfit for just one trip.
So it's a 'no' from me, but respect to those that do.
Exactly the same. Albeit I'm considering getting those Dunlop Mutants for my 500 which are supposedly mud and snow rated....So it's a 'no' from me, but respect to those that do.
Biker9090 said:
Exactly the same. Albeit I'm considering getting those Dunlop Mutants for my 500 which are supposedly mud and snow rated....
You’ll be fine on a solo with something vaguely aggressive/knobbly. I used TKC-80s as did my mate, these days Anlas Capra X. These days you’d probably be able to do it on sportsbike tyres as long as you park on the lane. It’s just not cold and snowy enough to warrant going nowadays unless you can be bothered watching the weather and booking all your overnight + ferries a few days before.
I need to try the Altes Elefant, but given it’s two weeks later I suspect mud at that too. At least at the Dragon it’s not too far home in all your muddy kit.
Bodo said:
I remember that one - I was just drinking gluhwein all night, woke up in the morning and my toothpaste had frozen. My mate found it too cold to go to sleep in his tent and stayed up drinking with some Germans all night. We rode to Munich the next day on a solid snow covered road and weren't in a good state. We make it a 3 days each way trip - Hull-Zeebrugge, saarbrucken, Munich. Same going home.
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