Royal Enfield at Glemseck 101: We Are Family

Since 2006, Glemseck 101 has been attracting more and more fans of custom bike culture year on year and has established itself as one of Europe’s most important motorbike gatherings. It’s a weekend blending custom culture, rock ’n’ roll and open racing – with free entry. The dealers’ area opens today at 6 pm, and the music kicks off on stage from 8 pm.  Tomorrow at 1 pm, the starting signal will be given for the iconic sprint races over the eighth of a mile on the start-and-finish straight of the former Solitude race track. The races will be opened by two motorbikes that made history even before their debut this weekend: They are called “Parivar” and “Shilpa”, two custom builds based on the Royal Enfield Shotgun 650, created for a charitable cause in collaboration withyoung people from the Seehaus motorbike workshop and customiser Enrico de Haas from “Wannabe-Choppers”.

The ‘Parivar’ – the Indian word for ‘family’ – is the top prize in the Glemseck 101 motorbike prize draw organised by Seehaus e. V., the proceeds of which go towards supporting victims of crime and traumatic experiences. The result of the prize draw will be announced on Sunday at 2.30 pm. However, the winner will need to be a little patient: The Parivar is set to go on tour for a year after the event, where it will be showcased at trade fairs and, whilst it’s at it, gain a bit of credibility. The prize handover is scheduled for the 2027 edition of Glemseck 101.

But it’s worth the wait. For the conversion, de Haas had aluminium and brass castings made specifically to give the fuel tank, side panels and rear mudguard a distinctive design. The chassis and proportions have also been revised. The instrument cluster was slightly modified for the conversion. The exhaust comes from a Royal Enfield Classic 650, the lighting is by Kellermann and the handlebars are by Wunderkind Custom. The seat, mirrors and valve covers are from Dock66. Despite the extensive modifications, the custom bike is road-legal in Germany and designed as an everyday motorbike .

There is also a second custom build resulting from the collaboration between Royal Enfield, the ‘Wannabe-Choppers’ and Seehaus e.V.: The ‘Shilpa’ – Indian for ‘craftsmanship’ – is a pure racing and show bike, first unveiled at Glemseck 101 and due to be auctioned next spring.

As well as the sprints, visitors can look forward to a three-kilometre-long trade area featuring exhibitors from across Europe, the customisers’ ‘International Villages’ and live music on the 101 Stage, running until 1 am on Fridays and Saturdays. On Sunday morning, a motorbike church service at the Main Stage rounds off the weekend; admission to all events at Glemseck 101 remains free of charge.

→ Go to the Glemseck 101 motorbike prize draw