Volker Steckmeier Taking part in the ABCs of Touring competition

A COMEBACK AFTER 25 YEARS

Taking part in the ABCs of Touring competition for the 12th time, German H.O.G.® member Volker Steckmeier achieved his second victory in 2023

Words: Dorothea and Knut Briel

Volker Steckmeier and his numerous Harleys have seen a lot of the world. The 63-year-old municipal officer, from the Rhineland in Germany, is a seasoned rider who is committed to racking up the miles, making him a worthy winner of the 2023 ABCs of Touring.

“In 2023 alone, I rode around 20,000 miles to collect points for the ABCs of Touring,” says Volker. “I’ve been riding Harley-Davidson® motorcycles since 1993 and joined H.O.G.® in the same year. Since then, I’ve covered more than 175,000 miles on Harleys – for which I received an award as part of the Mileage Recognition Programme. Over the years, I have visited almost every country in Western Europe and Scandinavia.”

The list of H-D® models that Volker has owned during this time is just as impressive as the distances he has covered. It all started with a Sportster® Hugger™, followed by a Fat Boy®, a Heritage Springer®, a Cross Bones® and a Dyna® Super Glide®. “The Super Glide gave way to a Sportster Forty-Eight® in 2011, and eleven years later I swapped the Cross Bones for a Freewheeler® trike,” adds the proud owner. “I started taking part in the 2023 ABCs of Touring with the Forty-Eight and the trike, but then I switched from the Sportster to a Road King® police model and rode it to the end of the competition.”

As Volker reveals, his early plans for the competition involved an entirely different approach, until he was hit with some bad luck. “I actually wanted to ride the short distances on a 1974 Harley-Davidson® X-90,” he says. “My hometown is surrounded by almost a hundred villages, the first letters of which cover almost the entire alphabet. That would have been easy to do with the mini-bike. But unfortunately, the workshop where the X-90 was parked burned down, and with it the little two-stroke Harley.”

Volker Steckmeier completing ABCs of Touring competition

Even if Volker had been able to proceed with this initial plan, it’s not enough to ride through just a hundred villages if you want to win the contest. Volker was not only on the road throughout Germany, but also across Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, France, Poland and the Czech Republic in order to collect the 293 points he amassed for his victory.

“I mainly visited H-D® dealerships and events that could be reached in one day,” he explains. He usually did these day trips at weekends so as not to overstretch his vacation quota. “For longer tours, I booked centrally located accommodation from where I could then visit several places or border points in the surrounding area. You can collect up to 300 points this way. More than 500 points, like Reinhard Herz achieved the year before, is not possible for me – I don’t have that much free time!”

Volker has already taken part in the ABCs for Touring an incredible twelve times. The first time was in 1995, and just three years later he won the competition. “Back then, 69 points were enough for me to win,” he explains. “However, the scoring system in 1998 was not the same as it is today – I had to ride through most of Europe to win.”

There were 25 years between Volker’s first and second victory, during which he took part in the competition eight more times. He was usually narrowly beaten into second place, but this brought no frustration: “I actually ride for the joy of riding,” he says. “I set myself goals with the ABCs to see something different. The experiences on the road and getting to know new areas are what make the whole thing so much fun for me.”

Volker Steckmeier holding The Enthusiast

Volker had a particularly unusual experience during last year’s contest while visiting Amerika, a small hamlet near the town of Garrel, Germany: “At the moment I was taking my photos for the ABCs, a Google camera car came by – the result can now be seen online on Google Maps Street View!”

Overall, the year of riding passed smoothly, with no major obstacles to overcome. “The biggest challenge was finding good signs to take photos on the road,” says Volker. “Some signs are missing, some are overgrown, some are at points where you can’t stop. That’s always annoying at first, because you’ve ridden there for nothing. Or is it for nothing? Actually, it was a fun ride after all. And that’s what it’s all about. Whether it’s stormy or snowing, whether the sun is smiling on me, whether the day is scorching hot or the night is freezing cold, I ride my Harley with a happy mind.”

He was nevertheless delighted with his victory – especially because 2023 was the year in which Harley-Davidson celebrated its 120th birthday, the Harley Owners Group® its 40th anniversary and Volker his 30 years of H.O.G. membership.

His advice for those who want to take part in the ABCs of Touring for the first time? “Choose the destinations beforehand and plan the route carefully. You shouldn’t be put off by rain or long distances. My daily tours increased over the course of the season, from 300 miles to 400 and 500, up to almost 600. Crazy? Yes, you have to be crazy to a certain extent. But you should not disregard safety, so you also have to plan breaks. My advice: just set off and have fun!”