TÖFF test days: 600 bikers at the start despite rain

Despite the unpleasant April weather, 600 riders entered the starting list for the 11th test days of TÖFF magazine. A total of several thousand kilometers were covered. Mr. and Mrs. Swiss like to plan their weekend activities based on the weather forecast on Wednesday or Thursday. And because the forecast for the TÖFF Test Days weekend of 27 and [...]

Editorial - April 29, 2019

Mr. and Mrs. Swiss like to plan their weekend activities based on the weather forecast on Wednesday or Thursday. And because the forecast for the TÖFF Test Days weekend of April 27 and 28 was a bit gloomy, the crowds at the test drive event on and around the grounds of the TCS Training & Events Center in Derendingen were correspondingly limited.

Satisfied exhibitors and participants
And the participants were satisfied on site, as well as the majority of the exhibitors. Because of the manageable crowd, they naturally had the best conditions to distribute their six test rides - with comparatively very short waiting times - so that their favorite bikes were certainly on the list of bikes to be tested.

Hardly any rule violations on the test track
Robert Meier, president of the "Street-Hawks" motorcycle club, which is traditionally responsible for track safety at the test days: "I am positively surprised. On the one hand, there were so many test rides, and on the other hand, the participants were much more disciplined this year.
The representatives of the Solothurn cantonal police and their colleagues from Bern were also very satisfied. Apart from one or two breaches of the rules, everything went very well, even in view of the difficult weather conditions.

Positive reviews of the event
The fact that everyone, from the organizer to the exhibitors and helpers to the participants, was satisfied with the TÖFF Test Days is shown by the comments we recorded on site. TÖFF-MAGAZIN would like to thank all exhibitors, partners, helpers and participants. The Test Days 2020 will then hopefully take place again in glorious spring weather.

The newcomer: Dominique Schneider (24)
"This is my first time at the TÖFF test days and on the beginner's course, but I already covered my first meters last week as part of a Harley taster course. I was assigned a Kawasaki Z125, and I would love to ride the other beginner bikes as well. I'm going to wait until I'm 25 years old and then take the big license right away. My dream bike would be a Harley."

The participant: Michael Gilgen (motorcycle rider for four months)
"I just bought a Moto Guzzi V7 III Milano, but I came to the test days to ride a few other bikes - to broaden my horizons, so to speak. A new purchase is currently out of the question for me, but I have acquaintances who will be new, and so I will be able to advise them. And who knows, maybe there will be a second bike.

The motorcycle exhibitor: Gregor Frei (Whitestone Motorcycles; Indian & Royal Enfield)
"We have been participating for many years and think the event is great. I mean, where else can you ride so many motorcycles and compare them directly? I think it's very good that the test rides have now been limited to six. So the participants have to think carefully about what they want to ride. This year, of course, we had bad weather and yet qualitatively very good contacts."

The clothing exhibitor: Jano Esposito (mototrend.ch)
"For us, the TÖFF test days are always set. Direct sales are not the main focus here, but the visibility of our brands. Year after year, we advise many interested participants here and then refer them to our dealers. In this respect, our involvement as an importer on the test days can definitely be classified as dealer support. There are not many Swiss events where, in my view, a presence on site is mandatory for an apparel importer. The test days are definitely one of them."

Administrator: Silke Meier (has been working in the registration for nine years)
"I still remember how we had to write, photocopy and file all the registrations by hand. Depending on the weather and the number of participants, it was always chaos. In the meantime, the registration process has been digitalized, which makes it much easier and faster. In the registration building it was icy cold, scorching hot... over the years we had everything there. But the atmosphere was always great. And that is exactly the reason why we from the Street Hawks like to support this event year after year. The TÖFF test days have long been an integral part of our annual program."