The European Chronicles 2025.1 - Let's Go!
Arrival, The German Moto Museum And To Ravensburg
Start the clock...7 weeks of awesome...
Flight to Frankfurt was relatively uneventful. Tucson - O'Hare - Frankfurt. Slightly delayed to O'Hare because of thunderstorms, made the connection which was also delayed, landed about 15 minutes late. Just about perfect...and we each had an empty seat next to us on the overnight flight. Nice!
Meet Christopher at the Meeting Point, quick shuttle to their Moto B&B.
Oil change, install the new Chigee CarPlay nav system, top up the new battery and Mia's ready to go.
The next day is a shakedown ride to the German Motorcycle Museum in Nekarsulm and back through the Odenwald.
User error on the Relive app; forgot to start it for the ride to the museum. Oops.
The Museum is 7 floors, mostly focused on NSU, which was founded in 1873, acquired by VW in 1969, and merged with Auto Union, ultimately creating Audi. NSU is an abbreviation for Nekarsulum.Relive 'Shakedown to NSU museum'
Very nice ride there on little roads through farmland and quaint towns. Krisanne is, once again, our back seat photo documentarian. 😎
And I wanna say again...look at that pavement! Like glass, even on these itty bitty roads.
They had a "Made in Italy" exhibition on one floor; Forza Italia!
A Bimota Tesi with a very innovative front suspension.
As you walk through time, the variety of design really stands out. Radial hub motors, streamlining, recumbent seating positions, all matter of engines, including steam.
Felix Wankel developed his namesake engine while at NSU.
The Wankel engine was originally installed in an NSU car, but also used in motorcycles and, perhaps most famously, in the Mazda RX-7 sports car...I had 2 of those. Astoundingly smooth, with a 9000 rpm redline.
Seal issues, emissions problems and relatively poor fuel economy killed it off.
Radial engine hub motors.
Slightly faster...a rocket motor.
Ice racing
We had a great time, well worth the visit!
The ride back was through the Odenwald, very pretty.
First, past Audi's HQ
Over the Neckar River
Small roads through the Odenwald woods.
A great shakedown ride, Mia's running perfectly. Dinner reward...
Stefan now has multiple buildings filled with motorcycles; we got a quick tour of the new warehouse.
Quite the operation, bikes from all over the world.
We leave Stefan's the next day...to Ravensburg, "the city of towers and gates."
More small roads and a self portrait. 😎
Ravensburg is a beautiful little town, and our hotel is on the edge of the pedestrian zone. Mia gets underground garage parking, some food and cocktails for the humans and then a stroll around town.
Runnels like Freiburg but much larger.
A good start...and tomorrow is Ferry Day! 😂
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