Thousands of bikes to turn East London into Harley heaven

ABOUT 12 000 motorbikes from all over South Africa are about to roar into East London for the R10-million Harley-Davidson Africa Bike Week which starts tomorrow.

This is the first time that the major biking extravaganza, partially sponsored by the Buffalo City Metro (BCM), will be hosted by the city.

Spokesman Sibusiso Cindi said the rally fitted in with the metro positioning itself as the events capital of the Eastern Cape.

“It gives the city exposure and is good for the business community. We want the public to come out in large numbers,” Cindi said.

BCM is putting in R5.8-million, event project manager Carl Frayne said yesterday.

Touted as the biggest free motorcycle event in Africa, the familyfriendly event, which runs until Sunday, is expected to draw up to 35 000 people to the beachfront.

Crowds will be able to see the latest Harley bikes, buy biking merchandise, watch stunt shows, a fashion show, cool off at three bars and take in an impressive entertainment lineup on the massive stage.

The event includes Super GP racing at the East London Grand Prix circuit on Saturday morning and a mass ride of up to 3 000 bikes on Sunday at 10am. “There is going to be a huge carnival atmosphere,” Frayne said.

The event was held in Margate for eight years before relocating to East London in what has been hailed as an economic coup for the city.

“In Margate, the economic impact was in excess of R60-million a year to the economy and here we will be happy to reach R40-million for the first event,” Frayne said.

Hotels on the Esplanade strip were 90% full and 10 000 people had registered online, giving them free access to the entertainment area.