Ducati Monster Forum

A few of you guys might remember my previous trips, If not, here you go: http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=295462

Well, The characters are about the same this time as the Grand Canyon/Nighthawk trip. Although this time the Nighthawk couldn't come along, he's in my shed..... Hanging out with the aprilia, who knows what the hell those two are up to.

Nevertheless, My mom lives in Denmark, and I go visit her every year. Every year I drive her old Toyota Starlet around and just die when I see the empty curvy roads and I swear that I need to bring a motorcycle. I never end up doing it of course.......... until now!

So I found a guy who ships bikes from Orlando to Heidelberg, Germany for little money $1000 but it includes customs fees and European insurance for three months in case I decide to ram into an Opel Kadett or what have you.

Germany isn't so far away from Denmark is it? I squinted my face as I guessed at the European map and decided to roll the dice that I was correct. So I gave him my bike

This brought about the most important question of all, who to take with me?! Who would be willing to endure my constant barrage of bad luck and bad jokes? Who can deal with inevitable disaster? Well, I couldn't think of anyone, so I just told Kelsey that I wanted her to come with me to Denmark to enjoy some good sun and fun at the beach. With nothing more stressful than lifting some beer up to her lips and told her I would even light all of her cigarettes and shower her with compliments.

Well, here is the bike!

(http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i158/fmhipower/Bikes/DSC01253.jpg)

(http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i158/fmhipower/Bikes/DSC01258.jpg)

Here are the hobos:

(http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i158/fmhipower/Germany/DSC04581.jpg)



So I bought two tickets to fly from Copenhagen, to Frankfurt. Then we would take the train to Heidelberg, pick up the bike, and ride it home. This at at total of just over a thousand kilometers.

(http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i158/fmhipower/Germany/map.jpg)

Follow along as the plot thickens.

Very cool. I look forward to hearing about your adventure.

Remember when I said that I bought Flights from Copenhagen to Frankfurt? Well, after haggling over the phone with various airlines to no avail, I finally found Air Berlin who told me they would give me two tickets for a price far below the others. They didn't demand a liver, testicle and the foreskin of my first born son. There was a catch though: A four hour lay over in Berlin.

I know my last Ride Report, some guys complained about me putting too many pictures up of myself, rather than pictures of the girls. I sat and thought about it for a while and decided that NO WAY. I would be doing you guys a HUGE disservice if I didn't put pictures of my mug on here.

We got early to Copenhagen, we waited around for two hours, and entertained ourselves with bad jokes and marlboros:

(http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i158/fmhipower/Germany/DSC04585.jpg)

(http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i158/fmhipower/Germany/DSC04586.jpg)

The flight to Berlin was as uneventful as could be. The oxygen masks stayed in their place and I had no need for the life vest. Although between you and me, we all wish the plane would crash in the water. That way you can reach under your seat and pull out the life vest for yourself. You'd raise it in the air with one hand as if you just won a giant trophy.... All for the joy to be able to pull the two strings on the life vest to have it spontaneously fill up. If it happens to me, I'll video tape it for you guys, I demand the same if it happens to you guys.

Nevertheless, we sat around the airport. We couldn't help but indulge our American sides. Sometimes the sweet siren song is too beautiful to turn down.
(http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i158/fmhipower/Germany/DSC04587.jpg)

Here I am huffing the bag remnants:

(http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i158/fmhipower/Germany/DSC04589.jpg)

Well, The Berlin airport is about the most unexciting airport i've ever been to. The chairs are made of razor blades, barbedwire and puppy teeth. So we resorted to lying on the floor. Here Kelsey found a small sliver of floor to sleep on:

(http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i158/fmhipower/Germany/DSC04590.jpg)

Well, again, nothing happened on the flight. We arrived in Frankfurt at 10:30pm. At 11 pm there was a bus leaving Frankfurt to Heidelburg that we had to get on. As soon as we got off the plane, we ran to the bus terminal. We made it there at 10:55 huffing and puffing. Hooray we made it! So we waited. 11pm came around and no bus. WTF? so I looked at the timesheet, and it said 10:30pm was the last bus to Heidelberg! NOOOO!!! I could have sworn it as 11:00, their website lied to me!!

Well. Now all I had to do was tell Kelsey. This posed a few problems. First of all, how could I have gotten the times wrong? Their website clearly was wrong, but she wouldn't believe me. On top of that, I had promised to feed her grapes while she lounged on the beach. Now she was in Frankfurt breathing jet exhaust and hanging out with someone who couldn't get bus times correct. How was he going to get her 1000km home?

Getting directions or asking for anything is a tough task in Germany. I barely speak a word of German. So I was pointed towards the train, and we went to see if they had a late train. Luckily at 12:30 am they had a train leaving for Heidelberg. We waited around, for another hour and a half, and got on.

Arriving in Heidelberg was a pretty sweet deal. We saw the Marlboro man, he's huge:

(http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i158/fmhipower/Germany/DSC04593.jpg)

Now what?! It was almost 2 a.m. and I was at a train station, in a foreign country, with a foreign language, in the middle of the night. I did no research. I didn't know what hotels were around, I didn't know anything.

I saw a group of college kids walking towards us, conversation went something like this:

"Hallo, English?"
"Yes!"
"Where are we? What are we doing here?" I asked
"Is this Germany?" I asked again before they answered

They laughed.
If you can't speak the language, at least make them laugh.

The pointed me to the only hotel in town that was open within walking distance. Really? a Hotel? Warm water? Beds? German soft porn T.V.? Damn, thats so fancy.......

The price was 71 Euros for one person, and 100 Euros for two. I'll be damned if I fall for that stupidity, so I paid the 71 Euros and smuggled the broad in.

A shower and half hour of German porn later, I fell asleep. This trip was working out so well. What could POSSIBLY happen?

now you are talking about something i've been wanting to do badly... ship my bike to europe and blast about... best of luck and looking forward to following along!

good on you!

Good writeup so far, can't wait to read the rest.  Gotta say, any girl who's willing to ride pillion on a Monster for any serious distance is a genuine keeper.  I never subject my gf to that, hence the lovely two-upness of the Multistrada.  Anyhoooo, back on topic.  Where's the rest of this story????

Very cool, looking forward to the next installment! [moto]

Dang it!  This is more frustrating than waiting for the next episode of "Lost" !   :)

Good story!

Well, the wake up call came promptly at 10 a.m. I hadn't slept so well the night before and it was particularly hard to get up then. I really wasn't used to the 6hr time difference yet, and I oozed my way out of bed and into my clothes.

I really didn't know where I was going, but I found a small information center that had a map on the wall. I took a picture of it with my camera, and used that to get my way around.

So off we went.

(http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i158/fmhipower/Germany/DSC04598.jpg)

Finding your way around Heidelberg is damn near impossible. They really don't believe in street signs over there and to make matters worse, women don't really allow themselves to be a part of the decision making process on where to go, or which way to turn. They do that so they don't have to be held responsible if you get lost. On top of that, they get to yell at you when you don't get it right.

"Lars, seriously, if we go around in circles one more time i'm going to punch you in the face"
"Shut up Kelsey"

Well, after enough wandering around, Kelsey fell into this hole:

(http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i158/fmhipower/Germany/DSC04599.jpg)

Luckily it happened to be where we were supposed to meet up with the guy, so we waited. I watched as she tried to get herself out of the hole as I took pictures and video of her.

I called the guy and he said he was out and about and woudl be back in just over two hours. We made ourselves at home around his house and entertained ourselves thoroughly.

Some childish humor?

(http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i158/fmhipower/Germany/DSC04601.jpg)

(http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i158/fmhipower/Germany/DSC04602.jpg)

After we ran out of bad jokes, we sat down to wait:

(http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i158/fmhipower/Germany/DSC04605.jpg)

Well, right on time, two hours later, the shipper showed up. He took us to the warehouse where the bike had been sitting for the past few months. It was nice to see it again, much in the same way you come home after a few days to see your dog, who in turn didn't chew up any of your valuables. For those of you who don't have dogs, insert wife or children in place of "dog"

I slid my hand over the seat as if I was petting his back. Then as you guessed it, I did what we all do when we see a new bike and twist the throttle and let it snap back a few times. Just to rekindle good memories.

I checked the oil and tires and topped them up, the shipper was kind enough to provide oil and air for me. He was busy and needed to get going, so we hopped on the bike and took off the first gas station.

At the gas station I noticed that we had no Tachometer. In fact I noticed that the neutral light didn't work. On top of that I had no headlights nor tailights! I checked the fuses and realized that the light fuse had blown. I thought that was a little odd and put in a new fuse.

Everything worked again and we were off! We jumped on the Autobahn. With no speed limits facing me, I twisted the throttle and brought it up to a 100mph. I soon realized that it was not enough. BMW's and Benz's were flying up behind me and flying right on by.

I wish I could have kept up, considering that I was on an Italian bike with a 916cc 4v v-twin engine, but with no windshield and a full sized broad on the back, 100 was the limit. I was already straining my neck to keep my head attached.

Looking down at the guages, I noticed the Tach had gone again. Seems like I blew the fuse again. Damnit!

Off the highway to fix the problem:

(http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i158/fmhipower/Germany/DSC04606.jpg)

Luckily there was an auto-part store across the street and I bought 4 more 15 amp fuses. Just in case. I disconnected the battery and tried to reconnect it better, as I figured the negative cable might have been loose or something. As I worked, Kelsey relaxed, lied down, smoked a cigarette and messed with the camera:

(http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i158/fmhipower/Germany/DSC04610.jpg)

I put in a new fuse, tightened up the cables and everything came to life again! In a bout of celebration, we took another picture. Look how ecstatic we look!

(http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i158/fmhipower/Germany/DSC04611.jpg)

Everything was working great. I set the cruise control to 100mph on my hand computer and set off towards Denmark again. 50 miles later, we lost the lights again. WTF?! what on earth was going on?!

We pulled off onto a rest stop. Kelsey rolled her eyes and decided to rid herself of a problem she didn't really allow herself to be a part of in the first place. So this is her way of helping:

(http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i158/fmhipower/Germany/DSC04613.jpg)

As a level IV Warlock, I decided to cast a spell on her. I tried to turn her into something useful, like a warm meal, or lice.

(http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i158/fmhipower/Germany/DSC04614.jpg)

And in case you guys were curious, this is what my bike looks like in Germany:

(http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i158/fmhipower/Germany/DSC04615.jpg)

Functional lights followed a new fuse and away we went again. The sun started going down and I stopped at a truck-stop to regroup.

I had 15 Euros to my name. A hotel was out of the question. There were some bushes and trees 200 yards behind the truck stop. We went over to check it out and I declared that we would sleep there that night. Kelsey wasn't too pleased about it, and told me to go fetch some newspaper at least.

I went back to the truck stop and out of the garbage pulled out some newspaper. I walked back and setup shop:

(http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i158/fmhipower/Germany/DSC04621.jpg)

I stashed the bike in some tall weeds to hide it from preying eyes. Imagine being stuck in the middle of a country with no means of transportation, or money for that matter.

As the sun went down, the temp just dropped like a waterfall. I was wearing a T-shirt, with two long sleeved shirts on top. I also had a plastic liner from my Joe Rocket jacket. I could see my breath everytime I breathed. It was so cold. We spooned together as hard as we could, but holy crap it was cold.

We had to make a fire. We were quite literally freezing:

(http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i158/fmhipower/Germany/DSC04618.jpg)

The fire was a godsend. It was small, but allowed the blood to circulate. I knew we couldn't sleep and have the fire last long enough to keep us warm, so I went back to the truck stop and looked for some blankets. All that I could see were towels. For 15 euros. EACH!

Now I don't condone this, but I was excrutiatingly cold and I was desperate. I walked up to the guy in the counter and explained my situation. I told him I would pay him ANYWAY possible. I raised one eyebrow as I said that.

He told me he had his fill, and that I could get off lucky this time. He gave me the towels and a fleece blanket.

Next to the fire and with a blanket, I slept halfway reasonably:

(http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i158/fmhipower/Germany/DSC04622.jpg)

Kelsey wasn't pleased with the cold and when the sun finally came up, we slept out in the sun and got a precious few hours of sleep before we would start up again. Boy was she cranky

Man, this is some tale already.  I'm hooked and jealous of the functioning parts of the Eurotrip.

You're a pretty good writer Cetme. 

Gotta Know more, gotta know more....

I'm glad you guys like it.

In all honesty though, It's not nearly as good as the other two i've written. If you guys have a moment and want a good chuckle, click on the top link in the first post. I promise you that you guys will get a good laugh out of it.

Pull a timmy tucker and we'll kill you.  >:(

Less banter, more story.  [thumbsup]

Aaaarg..... Muuuuust... Haaaaave... . NEXT.... Installmeeeeeet.....

+ 11tyb!!

Welcome to the Forum!

Yap, enjoyed reading your original tale when you picked up your monster. This one is looking even better. Bring on the euro punks!  [thumbsup]

i must say that i have enjoyed the monster pickup and honda trip reports... [coffee]

dude...i thought you were headin to alaska?   ???

wow after the nighthawk trip i didn't think kelsey would be a willing a companion in another trip... [cheeky]

looking forward to the rest of the tail... ;D

cheer!

Quit leaving us in suspense!!!!  I want more!!!!  [thumbsup]

T

This is better than TV. C'mon give us the next installment.

its worse than TV, atleast lost tells you you have to wait 3 weeks for the next episode.. we have no freaking clue when the next episode is, its kiiilling me

tell me about it... im stuck here hugging myself while compulsively hitting the refresh button   :P

This sh+t is pretty cool dude. I hope it's not like a joke that starts out with alot of potential ....then the punch line just kinda bombs :(    So far it has my utmost attention.

Read his other reports at ADV rider... Trust me, they deliver...

Great story (so far)!  Ever hear of a credit card though?  It's this magical wand all the cool wizards have now, they just wave it at store clerks and they give you whatever you please   ;D

Well guys, despite only closing our eyes for a few hours, getting up was easy. The sun was burning my face and the floor was as hard as a pregnant woman's belly button. (have you ever felt one of those?)

I stood up slowly, as I straightened out, my back cracked and even my hip loudly put itself back together. The wind was blowing and I could see clouds of dirt and dust coming off of me as I stood up. I stretched as I scratched my left ass cheek. Kelsey was already up with fire in her eyes. She was not in the mood for any of my smart ass comments about how she looked like. I cleverly kept them to myself. I had a bike to argue with anyways. Better leave the blonde alone, I pondered. I didn't want them tag teaming me.

As I backed out the bike from the bushes, I could hear some ugly noises coming from the chain. I checked the tension with the bike on the side stand, and it seemed ok. I fired it up and let it idle for a minute and then got our gear together. We both got on and I leaned over and felt the chain tension with our weight on it. MAN WAS IT TIGHT! This wasn't good. I didn't even bring any tools with me to adjust anything. Before the trip started, I had boldly exclaimed the the Monster was faultless and would slap even the Pyramids in the face with the mighty glove of reliability.

So now I had a bike with no lights, was grinding its chain and sprockets slowly, I had only a few Euros left to my name, and Kelsey was in no mood for anymore shenanigans.

I did however have a full tank of gas, 15 Euros and was still 350 miles to the Danish border. Doing the math I realized that I wouldn't have enough money to make it. I had plenty of Danish Kroner, but Euros were in critically short supply. Well, I would worry about that later, I had plenty of problems to rack my brain on right now, this one would have to wait.

After we suited up, and the bike was warm, we hopped on and headed back onto the Autobahn. Heavy traffic reared it's ugly head, and I spent at least an hour splitting lanes in stopped traffic. Apparently it's legal there as every motorcycle was doing it, and I sure as hell didn't want to be left out of the party. When the tank was nearly empty, I pulled off to the nearest station and put in the last 15 Euros. That gave me about 10 liters which is about 2.6 gallons or so.

Back on the Autobahn we went. I was getting frustrated. I expected the Autobahns to be 10 lanes of NEED FOR SPEED 5. With Porsches and Ferraris racing each other at speeds that would embarrass helicopters. Instead here we were chugging along at speeds that are legal in a school zone. Thankfully though, Traffic began to subside and again we were cruising at 100mph.

Inevitably, the time came to face the problem I had ignoring for hours. We were still 90 miles from the Danish border and we had no more fuel, or Euros. I pulled off into the next gas station. I went to the pump, and said told myself that I'd figure something out, I would simply pump the gas and it would all take care of itself. While Kelsey went to the bathroom, I pondered my options. When she came back, she put on her helmet and hopped on. So I just started up the bike and started riding. I didn't get out of the gas station when the bike cut out.

T H E  B I K E  C U T  O U T ! ! ! ! here I was, driving off with gas, and the bike simply turned off. Did the Germans have some sort of Romulan EMP device that disables vehicles that don't pay?! My heart raced and I looked wide eyed at Kelsey. I checked the fuses, and noticed the fuel pump fuse was blown. Kelsey was starting to make herself comfortable when I yelled for a new fuse. As she slowly dug in the bag, I had visions of Visigoths running out of the gas station covered in fur and armed with Mace's and double sided axes. Sweat was beading on my forehead as Kelsey gave me the new fuse. I smashed it in there, dropped the tank back down and fired it up. I dropped the clutch and wheelied out of the parking lot and full throttled it back onto the on-ramp. With the engine bouncing off the rev-limiter I clicked in 4th gear. Man was I scared!

10 miles down the road, lights started flashing behind me. Since I don't have mirrors on the bike, I turned to Kelsey and yelled:

"Are there cops behind us?!!"
"yup"
"make the beast with two backs! I can't out run them with your fat ass on the back!"
"thats your problem buddy"

So I pulled over.

Two guys got out of the car. They were tall, erect, and very stiff. They said something in German to which I said:

"I'm sorry, I don't speak German, only English"
"Where is your license plate?"

For a split second I thought about yelling "I KNOW NOZZING!!!
Instead, I smartly replied:
"Ummm, in her backpack" I said
"let me see it"

So I gave them my FL drivers license and the license plate, which incredibly enough was expired for the past two years and was for the wrong bike. (I stupidly brought the wrong one.)  Luckily they had no idea about expiration stickers or what they were really looking at. So they told me that I needed to stop at the next gas station and put on the plate and put it on. And that I needed to switch on my lights.

Disaster averted!
Some pictures from the scene, of me trying to put in a fuse to turn on the lights. It blew right away:

(http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i158/fmhipower/Germany/DSC04623.jpg)

Then we saw it! a sign that said DANMARK!!!! (yes, just like that, with the exclamation points and everything, at least thats how I remember it)
They had a roadblock where they were stopping incoming traffic and checking vehicles. Danish cops are anal about the rules and here I was, showing up with no lights and with no license plate. I was in deep trouble.

The viking horde was checking vehicles and mine was not clearly legal to drive on the roads. I knew we would soon be forced to row ships to pillage and plunder. Inexplicably though, the giant Norseman just waved us on! I couldn't believe it! He didn't notice my lack of headlights, and since he was in front, he didn't notice my lack of plates either! he waved us on, and I took off. Better to have him annoyed with me accelerating hard than noticing my lack of plates.

Once they were out of sight, we were now free! We stopped at a gas station to eat. We had not eaten since Burger King two days earlier in Berlin. I really can't describe how delicious it was. I can only come up with this formula:

Best sex you've ever had + Best meal ever + The birth of your first born child + Your first hand job = My sandwich.

(http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i158/fmhipower/Germany/DSC04626.jpg)

(http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i158/fmhipower/Germany/DSC04628.jpg)


Fairly soon afterwards, Kelsey noticed her legs no longer functioned. I told her to drag herself across the ground and I would take a picture:

(http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i158/fmhipower/Germany/DSC04629.jpg)

Here I am, conquering this broad:

(http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i158/fmhipower/Germany/DSC04630.jpg)

We soon made it to my uncle's house in South Jylland. Not quite to my mom's house, but that would have to wait till tomorrow. They heard the stories of our hardships and went out to get supplies. Kelsey asked for Beer and Diet coke, so my uncle bought some for her:

(http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i158/fmhipower/Germany/DSC04631.jpg)

Then we both could get a shower. Look what my belly button made in three days of traveling!

(http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i158/fmhipower/Germany/DSC04632.jpg)


(http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i158/fmhipower/Germany/DSC04634.jpg)


Kelsey didn't think it was as cool as I did.

(http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i158/fmhipower/Germany/DSC04635.jpg)


Oh my god! a bed! soft sheets! squishy mattress! Pillows? Be still my heart!

(http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i158/fmhipower/Germany/DSC04633.jpg)

And top it off with a trashy novel? Could this stop have gotten any better?

(http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i158/fmhipower/Germany/DSC04636.jpg)

Awesomeness! Keep it coming and we´ll keep on living vicariously through you...

I'm a little disappointed with the belly button lint.  That's it after 3 days?  That's weak. I've been sitting at my desk for 5 hours and I've got twice that. 

Other than that, this story has me cracking up.  I plan to read the other two tonight.  This totally makes me want to take some crazy motorcycle roadtrip.

All you need to pack besides your gear is $$$. BTW what was the cause of the electrical issues?

This is the finest story of all times!!!!

Conclusion???!!!
 [moto]

Mark Twain you ain't but you are certainly good at what you do ..and I say " keep it up." Most entertaining.

There is a protective rubber boot underneath the tank protecting the fuel pump wires, at, well, the fuel pump. I had shipped out my tank to get painted to Red Baron here on the board (excellent painter btw) and when i got it back, I didn't put the boot back in place. It had slid down the wires and I just put the tank back on without noticing it.

Well being so close to the cylinder head, and from raising and lowering the tank, the heat and rubbing cause one of the wires to lose it's insulation and it was shorting to the cylinder head periodically. I taped up the wires with electrical tape and put the boot back on. If you guys have raised your tank a few times, keep an eye on that boot. Make sure it's still in place.

The chain makes a ghastly noise when I move the bike. The sprockets are pretty worn, but not terrible. It's bad considering that they have less than 3000 miles on them. The Ducati importer for Denmark is less than 20 miles away and they have a chain and sprockets for it. I would do it myself but I don't have a chain tool here. I wouldn't even know where to get one, and I don't want to waste time ordering one. I'd rather enjoy the week I have left here with some riding.

The ride home from my uncle's house was about 2hrs. It went smoothly and with no problems. So there's not much to write about that. ;D

Let me know if you guys want some trip-planning advice. I'm chock full of it.

woohoo I hit refresh and am no longer left hanging. good story ;D  I am making a trip in july from the uk to Germany to ride the nuerburgring (sp?) and go to the Moto GP race.  I hope I have a little better luck. ;) Any advice you want to give in regards to foreign trips would probably be appreciated by all.

Great story!  OMG!!!  I can't wait for the next installment!!!  You've got me on the edge of my seat!!

T

Ok, I just spent the last hour reading about your trip to the Grand Canyon. I know, I read slowly. What a way to waste a morning at work. I look forward to reading about your new adventure. It makes me want to load up my monster and go for a long ride.

On a side note, I am surprised Kelsey was brave enough to join you for another adventure. Props to her.

These stories of yours always have me laughing my ass off man. I love the one when you bought the bike for the TOB. Seriously these all need to gointo a sticky so I can fins them quick, get a laugh and avoid hurting hte innocent.

You definately have a gift man.

so you got it shipped out there for $1000 huh?  I guess that's about the cheapest rate you could find?

I wouldn't mind shipping my bike out and riding around scandinavia all summer  [thumbsup]

Thanks guys, I'm glad you liked it.

$1000 covered shipping and insurance, so I can ride around Europe with it.

Unfortunately it doesn't include the $250 I spent on plane tickets to Germany, and $50 in Train, and $250 in food/gas/one hotel.

THEN because the chain was too tight, another $300 for chain and sprockets and installation.

Hey, CETME, who did you use for shipping your bike over there?  What was the freight time and all that stuff?  And where in the world did you find $250 tickets to Germany?!  mine are always around $800.

Killer trip btw, and I loved your other two ride reports on ADV rider.  Very enjoyable reads.  And it makes me feel not so crazy when i want to do some travelling on a bike.

Bravo on the story! [applause]

How far are you from the Nurbergring? Now THAT would make a story! Europe's small - probably on just down the road!  [thumbsup]

Great story. Thanks for sharing. Makes me want to do a road trip.

Isn't it funny that its always the things that go wrong that make the trip interesting.

If you just got to Germany, picked up the bike and rode to Denmark without an issue it would be pretty boring. [roll]

sweet

i have family in Germany

maybe next year i'll plan out a trip

I told you before; you're welcome - I'll show you my Norwegian twisties [thumbsup] Others too!

please need more
will die of anticipation

Its like being at a strip club.  One girl comes out and you say best thing ever, then the song ends and an even better looking girl comes out.

Well, I flew from Copenhagen, to Frankfurt. so the tickets weren't that expensive.

I used Stefan Knopf from Knopf tours. Nice guy, bike was in the same condition as I shipped it. Fast, easy, no troubles. Good guy. Took about a month to get there or so. He offers free storage for three months, so I shipped it early and it worked out fine.

My stomach dropped when I read this sentance. ;D

can't believe I missed this thread.   Great story.   Looking forward to more.

and i would have missed it too if it wasn't for you, i'm glad you bumped it Statler :)
a truly great read!

I know this thread is three years old, but would like to make a small update.

Each year, the bike has been left in a cellar, garage, or shed in different parts of denmark. Sometimes the gas tank is almost empty, sometimes it's almost full, never any preservative added to the gas. The bike is parked as if I were to park it in the garage here at night. I just put the kickstand down, plug in the battery tender and walk away.

Each year, I take off the blankets, turn the key, and the bike starts up as if I had just driven it an hour earlier. The tires never have any flat spots. It's always perfect.

So my friends, its safe to say that the Monster S4 is the most reliable bike in the world.

Too bad it make the beast with two backsing hates chains

Thanks for these threads Cet.  Never saw this one before.  The others..yes.  This was just as good.   Takes my mind off things for a bit.   :)