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Merry Christmas to all my BadWeB brethern! Coming to you straight from East Troy, Wisconsin (I believe most of you have a little knowledge of this place...), my Xmas present to all of you is the belated write-up (actually I want it to be a 'picture-up' with as little babbling as needed to share the experiences) on my trip to Germany in the Summer of 2008. The title reflects a little on me relaying my expreiences in Germany in the Summer of 2007: A C3 BadWebber enjoys a gute Fahrt in Germany... OK, so the beginning of this 'picture-up' will be a little verbose as there are some pertinent details that need to be mentioned. My 2007 trip just was solely business related, with it just being a shear coincidence that the BORG MSM was taking place over one of the weekends that I would be in Germany. Because of the grand time I had at the 2007 MSM, I desired to go back for the 2008 event and initially was willing to take vacation time and pay for the airfare out of my pocket to attend the 2008 MSM. That is, until I started figuring everything I wanted to do for vacation in 2008. Along with all the other events I wanted to take in during 2008, the H-D 105th would cause me to be severely short on vacation time. I mentioned this to my boss and was asked to prepare a little summary on the details. When I took the summary in with approximately a weeks time off at the end of June in Frankfurt, Germany my boss responded by saying "Hmmm, the end of June in Frankfurt, Germany... With this new project we are working on, it might make sense for us to send you over to Berlin for the week or so before the event..." Well, in the end, that is what happened. I went to Berlin for work for a week or so before the MSM and was able to go to the MSM without spending as much vacation time, and fortunately without the expenses of airfare, meals, or fuel. So this was definitely a "win-win" from my perspective. I'm already planning to attend the 2009 MSM (the 10th annual MSM) but will only be able to if I have enough frequent flyer miles to take care of the airfare. And another consideration will be the events in the US that I will not be able to take in. For the 2008 MSM I had to forego the only true biker event I know in North Carolina - the Horse BackStreet Choppers Smoke Out. Fortunately with my trip home to East Troy for Christmas and my trip to Berlin at the end of January I think I will just squeak by. So there may be a 3rd installment in this series... One last thing before I really get to it. Because of the timing of the MSM and Homecoming, in order to be in East Troy for the beginning of Homecoming, I needed to ride home to East Troy in the middle of June before I went to Berlin and fly in and out of Milwaukee. So the initial part will be somewhat less exotic and will cover some details of my journey back to East Troy. Well, I guess I blew all that 'keep the babbling down' BS... 1313  | ||
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The first thing I decided when I got my 2008 XB12XT was that I would not run a tank bag on it like I did since the beginning of time with my 1995 S2. So this necessitated a GPS for the XT. I ordered one just days before I was to leave for East Troy and had it sent to my parents address as I never thought it would arrive in time. Ironically the GPS arrived at my parents house Friday, June 13th - the day before I would begin my journey to their abode in East Troy. So, for my trip I luckily had Mapquest directions printed out. But about the time I got to Burlington, NC and realized that towards the end of NC I would never be able to remember exactly where I needed to make certain turns I had to figure out a solution. This is how the idea for my (patent-pending) redneck GPS came about. And it also allowed me to figure out what the damn cross-bar on the CityX and Uly handlebars is for:   Thanks to a pair of super cheap shoelaces purchased at a gas station in Burlington I was able to secure the Mapquest directions to the cross-bar on the CityX handlebars. It worked to get me through the 'difficult' areas of NC and fortunately it did not get rained on too much in Virginia so I still had it to use as a resource. One of the great things about my annual trip back for Homecoming is staying at the C3 defactor director's digs just outside of Indy. Again, back to that vacation thing - if I had more time I woulda went to the MotoGP races in Inday and stayed with the C3 Defacto Director once again. Dave still has his XB9SL, but his latest hobby (which he's been fortunate enough to incorporate into his day-job) is SCCA racing where he campaigns the Greon:   Here's one of Dave's projects in the shop at the time - a 1940's Willy's that the owner wanted to give the 'nose up' Gasser stance:  Personally, I think the real-fire flames don't really fit with the Gasser image, but my name is not on the title... 1313 | ||
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I guess I should've explained something a little bit before I posted the Greon and the shop picture. Normally when I go home for Homecoming, I stop at Dave's place just to rest my head, maybe eat dinner and drink a beer or three, get a good nights sleep, a shower in the morning and then get back on the road. This time it was a little different however. After the dinner, a beer or three, good nights rest and the shower we decided to check out Dave's new workplace and take in the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum. So you'll have to bear with a bunch of pictures from the Museum as there was a bunch of cool stuff to check out. Hopefully now I will begin to be a little less vocal and a lot more visual with my recap of my trip...  A few pics of the track (from the bus we rode around it):    After the track it was off to the museum...  1313 | ||
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One of the coolest aspects of the museum was seeing how they used to do things years ago. For instance, stuff like- This wild chain drive sprocket profile:  I just love exposed valvetrains:  And look at the bevel gear driving the camshaft:  Here's an old Duesenberg engine:  Can anyone guess what this device is hanging off the side of the engine?  For those who are impatient (like me...) the device on the side of the Duesenberg engine is a supercharger, 1313 | ||
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 Although the museum is geared towards Indy racing as one would expect, there were some motorcycles in the museum when I visited. Due to keeping this trip to under 400 pictures I am keeping the bike pics from the museum to a minimum. Did you know that Peugeot made a motorcycle?  Does anyone see the resemblance I do to the updated Buell Pegasus?  Sorry, this is the last of the motorcycle pictures from Indy...  But don't worry, there will be PLENTY more motorcycles a little later from Hamburg Harley Days and the BORG MSM... But first we must get through this awesome museum, 1313 | ||
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But only a small handful of the pictures I took, just to show the flavor - and in a weird sorta way - make it Buell related...  Back in the day I was a big fan of A.J. Foyt:  There was this awesome 1935 Ford - imagine making one of these into a street rod and taking it to your local cruise night...  Turbine car and engine:   What, you thought I said I was gonna relate this to Buell somehow? 1313 | ||
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OK, most of you astute Buell fanatics know how Mobil forced Buell to quit using the Classic Pegasus logo. Well, here for your perusal are a bunch of cars fromt he museum that had the Mobil Oil Pegasus.   Personally, I see similarities but nothing that should get someones undies in a bunch...    And even on the pink race car too!  What a cool museum! Sorry it's only the highlights, but there's motorcycles to cover... 1313 | ||
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So after the museum it was time to hit the road for Wisconsin. Trying to be artsy I took these pictures at the first rest area in Wisconsin:   Next up is the beginning of the Germany pics, 1313 | ||
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So I picked up my rental car, and 13 was defintely a theme...  13:39 - 1:39 pm (39 = 13 X 3), 13 km on the clock and so on. To think that I was supposed to arrive around 8:00 or 9:00 am... And to welcome me, even before I got completely out of the airport I notice this magical license plate "...666":  Since I wasn't able to sleep on the 8+ hour flight from Charlotte to Frankfurt, nor with the short flight from Frankfurt to Berlin, instead of going to work and being useless I took care of one thing that would have been hard to find time for later. And that was checking out the Buell dealer in Berlin - Classic Bike. Although not quite the experience as it was during my 2007 visit, it was still NOT a waste of time. A modified Uly:  And a new 1125R:  'Nix mit die Finger' - loosely translated 'Not with the finger' or more literally 'Do not touch':  No worries as that was on the V-Rod Destroyer. As if touching was the only thing I would do with a V-Rod Destroyer... 1313 | ||
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Some details from Classic Bike. I don't recall if there is any difference to the header/muffler for the German '08 1125R:  But I do know that there is definitely a difference for both on the German (and all HDI) '08 XB's:  I love walking into dealerships and seeing Pegasus awards. It adds to it considerably if the dealerships are European and the Pegasus Award(s) is/are recent:  In case anyone with a Ulysses is wondering what the HDI gauges look like, here's a picture of a German '08 Ulysses XT dash:  With a Mercedes dealership essentially next door, you could possibly consider the neighborhood around the area of Classic Bike to be a little rough. That is, until recently when another automotive dealership moved in just about a block away:  Ignore that Bentley sign, the Lamborghini storefront is just around the corner:  Next up - Hamburg Harley Days! So hold onto your hats! 1313 | ||
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Alright before you whine about me showing pictures from Hamburg Harley Days, you have to consider how vastly different things are in Europe and, in particular, Germany. The show itself was more than just Harley's. There was quite a respectable Buell presence. And all bikes were welcome to attend, so the areas outside the show - including the famous Reeperbahn - had a very good mix of all motorcycles. all of this you are about to see. So put your preconceived notions away, open your mind and enjoy what is about to be presented! I'm always amazed at the amount of 'American Iron' (as in US 4-wheeled vehicles) I see running around in Germany. For example this Chevy truck:  A wild V-Rod trike:   Some of the customization done to Harley's is definitely different than the US style, like the V-Rod above. But like below, some of it is pretty traditional US style:  Next up - the first Buell from Hamburg Harley Days! 1313 | ||
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OK, there are definitely some things that are done a little differently in Germany...   Interesting, and something to see, but not quite my idea of style...  And, of course, American bike builders are popular in Germany as well. Jesse James:  And the knuckleheads from OCC:  1313 | ||
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A quick summary... Nice!  Interesting.  What the H@LL?  And back to 'Right On!' (for a Softail...):  Can you say diverse? 1313 | ||
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Now a short break for a Christmas meal. Hopefully my ability to attach images will come back when I return... 1313 | ||
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Demo rides:  On (the now old-news) XR1200:   And 1125R's:   I always love seeing a German number plate, man are they HUGE! 1313 | ||
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It will be interesting to see what H-D does to promote the XR1200 in the US vs. what's been done in Germany.      I mentioned before how Buell has a strong showing at H-D events in Europe. I'd call this about equal billing:  Maybe even just a little better than equal billing as Buell is above H-D... 1313 | ||
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Now was that a lead in or what? Of course, the next stuff is purely Buell. Well, OK, maybe a little bit aftermarket, too.        1125RR = NICE! 1313 | ||
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Of course, with the German connection to the V-Rod, V-Rod's are quite popular in Germany as well.   This V-Rod was featured in one of the German motorcycle magazines I bought when I first got to Berlin.    Sorry for the H-D diversion... Back to Buell, 1313 | ||
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I didn't know what all to expect at Hamburg Harley Days with respect to Buell, but when I stumbled upon the Fighter's Garage I knew I had found what I was looking for.  Paint job kind of reminiscent of the voltage paint set.  Not just one custom Buell.   Not just two custom Buell's.   And yet more custom Buell's yet to come, 1313 | ||
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There were so many custom Buell's in the Fighter's Garage tent that I lost count. Anyways, here's some more pics.  1125RR street version:  1125RR race version:  I guess you can tell that I like this graphic, huh?  This one ain't too bad either...   Still more to come... 1313 | ||
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Well, I guess this XBRR is probably considered a stock Buell...  For some reason I always take a picture of the P.I.N. number of every XBRR I see...This one is # 06...   I was there when this picture was taken - and if I were at my home in NC I could post the pic I took when this one was being taken...   Yet more Buell stuff from the Fighter's Garage... 1313 | ||
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As you are about to see, in Germany they know more than just the XB's and 1125's. Nice S1 race bike.   Here's a somewhat modified RR 1000.   Some Buell clothing on display in the Fighter's Garage:  And an OD Green Buell just outside the Fighter's Garage:  Now back to the mix of bikes at Hamburg, 1313 | ||
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i NEED one of those stickers!!! the "support the performing arts" ones!!! hook me up???? looks like you had a great time!!! cool!!! | ||
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In Europe, Outlaw Biker Groups are not all that unusual. Outlaws, Bandidos and, as this next bike shows, Hell Angels are about the best known.  The cool thing about MC events in Germany is that it's not uncommon to see the older stuff out and about. Obviously it isn't being ridden at the event, but it's nice to see historic pieces such as this brough along.  Mostly American style:  However, I have no idea how he got the approval to run that taillight...  That's a little over 100 pictures posted - with just under 100 more left to post from Hamburg Harley Days, 1313 | ||
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When I saw this bike at the tent for Media bikes I thought of Danger Dave.   Another V-Rod (not a Media bike).  Although I don't really dig the disco green paint:  the owner of the bike knows what's up:  1313 | ||
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A somewhat refreshing (i.e. not black with a wide tire) V-Rod:   Plus a Buell that's been on BadWeB a few times (but changes ever so slightly, and for the better, each time):  I like the light:  And, boy does that swingarm ROCK:  1313 | ||
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Hey, nice light! Where've I seen that before? Looks just as good as the first time however.  Nice attitude:  At least it ain't disco green...  OK, so I guess there really isn't anything wrong with a Black V-rod with a wide tire...  For those of us who were on the JB2 ride, this reminded me of Lou 'Mystic' Usher's performance:  RIDE HARD! 1313 | ||
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There were a couple of these half bicycle/half motorcycle things running around Hamburg Harley Days:  As if it weren't already 'the bike to have' in Germany, the XR1200 was on stage:  Although similar to the Disco green bagger:  This classic had something that made me gravitate towards it rather well:  WUNDERBAR! 1313 | ||
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OK, so hold it against me - I like Harley's too! This was my favorite Harley from Hamburg Harley Days: El Machico:    2 up on a S1!  1313 | ||
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Nice lid!  I've noticed that the old HDI Sportster scoop has made in to the US, but I'm not aware if the old HDI Big Twin scoop has made it to the US. If it hasn't yet, this will likely look a little weird to you:  Just off Reeperbahn, I noticed this bike parked:  Hamburg Harley Days was June 20-22, 2008, so IIRC the MV was checking out the scene just before H-D bought MV. Chicks in skirts riding bicycles = SUPER! Dudes in kilts riding motorcycles =  1313 |
