Edelweiss Bike Travel, the global motorcycle tour company based in Mieming, Austria, has announced the passing of its founder, Werner Wachter. He was 77.

The following announcement was posted today on the Edelweiss Bike Travel website, and a selection of photos is shown below:

It takes a lot of courage to live a busy life and still turn everything upside down to follow an idea. Werner Wachter had this courage when he founded a motorcycle travel company together with his wife Coral in 1980. In doing so, they were treading a path that no one had taken before them. The days when motorcyclists were considered starvelings or outlaws or both were not long gone, but Werner saw how things were changing and how they would evolve. Motorcycles would become popular recreational vehicles, and the riders would become well-heeled and welcome guests. He was right. As he was so often. But a company founder needs not only a vision to follow but also a lot of down-to-earth knowledge, great assertiveness, and a lot of perseverance and persuasiveness. All this and more characterized Werner and so he succeeded in establishing not only a new company but a completely new industry. Guided motorcycle tours with comprehensive service from luggage transport to luxury picnics were new to the market but quickly found many takers. And also many imitators.

Werner established a large business network over the years and in many cases business partners became good friends. He built up a reliable...