The European Chronicles

July 28, 2021

The European Chronicles - 2021 Ch. 1

And...We're Baaaaaack!!!

I am 22 months out of practice! It is completely odd to fly, at least for me, right now. But having said that, United made it pretty easy. Upload your passport and vaccine info via their app, they "review and approve" them and you're good to go with boarding passes issued (supposedly; more on that later). Virtually no line at Tucson airport; my biggest hang up is that metal detectors just love me. Zero issues flying in my riding suit; everyone was jealous of the guy sporting hazmat apparel...😂

Speaking of, get to the gate, sit down, woman across from me asks, "Is that a riding suit?" Why, yes, do you ride? Conversation ensues with her and her husband. Despite the masks, we quickly realize we know each other...Allan and Diane are former Tucson residents and we were all members of a local BMW club years ago. They've since moved to Texas and it was wonderful swapping stories, motorcycle and otherwise; the waiting time flew by. Small world.

My flight was delayed for want of a crew, and I got to Denver with juuuuuust enough time for the Frankfurt connection: "Final call for Lufthansa flight..." is paging as I hit the gate. But wait, no, I'm sent back to the counter for "document validation." All good, I'm on, pull away from the gate...and sit for almost an hour, some kind of paperwork issue. Maybe they thought submitting the documents online was good enough...nope.

We're all issued surgical masks before boarding and the flight is about half full, which is great. Alcohol is severely limited, you get some wine with dinner but that's it. Oh, well. We land about 12:15 pm local time, I'm picked up by Christopher from Stefan's Moto B&B at the "meeting point," cleverly labeled by signs directing you to the "meeting point" and it's off to Heidelberg. Customs was a breeze, all they did was check my passport and CDC card.

An accident on the autobahn has us sitting for about 30 minutes and is an opportunity to show what happens when there's stopped traffic in Germany...the cars slide toward the outer edges of the roadway, creating a large gap in the middle, ostensibly for emergency vehicles (if necessary) and perfect for motorcycles.

Like this:

Awesome if you're riding; simply smart otherwise.

At Stefan's, Mia and all my stuff are waiting outside my room, including the new Wilbers shock. The four year old battery has been replaced and she starts right up. My first pleasant surprise and, frankly, a huge relief after 22 months, the Motul stabilizer must have worked.

Stow the gear, change out of my hazmat suit and of course, tend to the horse first. A quick 15 minute oil change later and Mia is purring like the kitten she is. Purrrrrfect. She's a very easy bike to maintain.

Stefan is building a huge addition to his storage area.

It also has a full basement that extends all the way out to under the paver patio. There's going to be a "bike elevator" here to help move things around.

The basement extends out to the edge of the sofa and chairs.

Rock wall planters will be nice.

Met Stefan's wife Ira, who owns this little beauty. Forza Italia!

With, of course...

Tucked in for the night.

Mia too.

And now it's time for me to at least try to get on local time...night night.

The next day, I take care of the Green Card insurance with Christopher and learn that right now, coverage still extends to the UK should we ever want to go there again...that noise you hear is Krisanne jumping up and down screaming "Yea!" A few other little maintenance issues and it's time for a shakedown ride. I've planned a nice loop along the Neckar River.

Scenic, a few construction zones, and Mia is running great. More good news; wanted to suss out any problems before I go to the dealer tomorrow to have the new rear shock installed.

The Neckar River has some very interesting transport barges. Long and low, they have almost no bow, especially when loaded, it looks like the water could come right over the side.

Mia is now sporting new Techspec tank pads like her sister Ginger...nice and grippy! Yes, you needed to know that.

Back at Stefan's, GK's doppelgänger keeps me company. By that I mean he lays there and ignores me because: cat not dog.

Tomorrow it is off to the BMW dealer for new Road 5s, brake fluid and the Wilbers shock installation. Looking like it will be wet, so I'll have my first test of the Rev'It Sand 3 liner system.

Although it rained overnight, by morning it is only cloudy and a bit chilly for a desert rat, but the day warms quickly. Uneventful and FAST ride north on the autobahn to the BMW dealer.

Got there about 10 minutes before they opened.

Mia gets taken around back, and I'm served up some coffee while I enjoy the scenery.

Who says carbon fiber is only for Ducati?

In Germany, they come wrapped in plastic on a reusable shipping pallet.

The SOS button

Triggered either automatically or manually, the system sends satnav coordinates to a call center that initiates the rescue chain. Of course, not offered in the US. 😤

Even the scooters get the high-tech TFT dash.