Shipping a Sidecar Rig to Europe

“It it’s Tuesday, this must be Belgium.”

May all your travels be a comfortable adventure!

Sounds like a pretty epic vacation so far! 🤩  

Retirement is such a tough life.  But I guess someone has to do it. 😉 

Posted by: @thane-lewis

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“It it’s Tuesday, this must be Belgium.”

May all your travels be a comfortable adventure!

Well, Thane....this is Tuesday,  and we are still in Belgium.  🤪

Tomorrow we leave  Belgium,  only because it will no longer be Tuesday,  and we drive to  Gemert,  Netherlands to visit  Ad Donkers at LBS Sidecars. 

Then spend the next 5 days in Sneek,  Netherlands  for the  Sneek Bootshow.....or Boatshow. 

A visit to Ad Donkers would awesome .

3 wheeled artist.

On our drive today from  Antwerp,  Belgium to Sneek,  Netherlands  we stopped by to visit with Ad Donkers at  LBS Zijspantechniek Sidecars in Gemert,  Netherlands. 

Just a short visit,  but I did get 2 pictures....one of Ad Donkers,  and the 2nd picture is of the newest LBS sidecar that is going to be shipped to  Mike Paull, at LBS-USA SIDECARS in Poulsbo,  Washington...which is exactly 100 miles from my house. 

 I also got the newest....hot off the press, per se....LBS sidecar stickers, that Ad says I  am the first "American" to get these stickers. He also told me the history of the name...LBS sidecars. It originally stood for Low Budget Sidecars. 

Funny,  because that's the opposite of what  Mike Paull sells them for.

Now they  call them....Luxury Built Sidecars. 

Oh, just in case any of your Sidecar Afficionados want to know.....that is a Watsonian Palma Sidecar attached to the olde airhead boxer up on the lift.

Ad Donkers was surprised,  yet impressed,  that a wanker like me would know that. 

Okay,  this is the primary reason I am in Europe now,  so.....got word today that  my Euro-Wing sidecar rig is in Heidelberg,  has been unloaded from the  container, and will be inspected by the  Customs agent tomorrow. 

Plan is for me to get it at 10:37 am (yes, I am that precise) on Friday.  I have things to do to it, before driving it down to German autobahn,  such as installing the new Klock Werks windshield on the bike, reconnecting the battery,  etc, blah, yadda.

This Friday,  whilst all of you are sleeping (except Joe in Ireland and Bruce in Western Australia)...I will be farkling with my Euro-Wing sidecar rig,  then this weekend...

Das Autobahn.  

Well, after spending a few hours at the  Heidelberg Zoo today,  our 3rd Zoo on this trip, we took a drive by Knopf Tours location, as it's only a couple miles from the hotel we are currently in.  Drove by, and THERE was my Euro-Wing sidecar rig sitting just inside the gate at Knopf Tours.  Decided to park the car,  and walk in, even though I am not expected until tomorrow morning. 

It already cleared Customs this morning,  so all good....meaning all was done correctly. 

Happy our Euro-Wing sidecar rig is here....slightly unhappy about several marks and bumps it experienced on the ship to get here. I reluctantly mentioned these to Stefan Knopf,  and...of course he didn't think it was worth worrying about.  Then he tells me he placed a mattress up against the back of the bike and sidecar,  to cushion it.  Except....bouncing up and down on a sea voyage,  against a mattress, rubbed through the paint in a few places. 

Bottom line,  suck it up....just be glad that the sidecar is here, don't fret, or sweat, the small stuff. 

Tomorrow morning I will pick it up, and move on.

Yes, Scott....I will post pictures. 

Bummed about the paint, but glad all else went well.  Were you able to find a better deal for insurance while the rig in is Europe?  

Posted by: @scott-h

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Bummed about the paint, but glad all else went well.  Were you able to find a better deal for insurance while the rig in is Europe?  

Scott,  without putting the cart before the horse,  or....the running sidecar rig before I can attach the battery cables, I still need to actually get my hands on it,  do a little bit of work on it,  before concluding that everything else is good. 

99% chance all is good,  but I have limited tools, and not the familiarity of my own shop.

On the insurance...no....I  simply accepted the huge price for 30 days coverage.  When I  come back this Fall, I will have done more research on this. 

Yeah, on the insurance question...I had a 30% increase last year and another 20% this year for homeowners.  Some times you have to kick the can down the road to make a better plan.  The real trick is actually making a plan.

Picked up my Euro-Wing sidecar rig today from Knopf Tours,  bottom line is that all is well.  Not going to sweat the small marks here and there.

For Pete's Sake....it was stashed inside a container box, tossed onto a ship, floated it's way across a large puddle of water, so.....live with the small boo boos.

Reconnected the Shorai Lithium Iron battery,  started up immediately like it has been running every day.  Installed a brand new Klock Werks windshield,  all good there.

And that was it....off I rode....1 mile. 

Now it's in a storage bunker/garage where Stefan Knopf has several other sidecar rigs, CanAm Spyders, a car or two, and a cornucopia of other motorcycles stored, away from his primary facility,  so we...the people...can access our vehicles anytime we want. I can also store my car in there to.

Weather not conducive for riding today,  but tomorrow is looking good,  and Sunday we go out to the motorcycle museum. 

Woo Hoo!  Pictures!  🤩 

Nice!  you even "got the corner office."  I like the new windshield.  Pretty sporty. 

So when do you meet with Stan Koepell?  🤣 

Could you all do me a big favor?

In your head, not out loud, yell every cuss word or curse word you have ever heard,  just for about 10 seconds. 

Ready.....go ahead   

Thank you,  as that saved me from having to type out all those words,  and face a lecture from our moderators.

Oh, the agony of defeat....  

Although,  technically not de feet....in this case it is agony of de shoulder. 

3 days ago,  whilst doing the simple task of using a large towel to dry off after taking a shower,  my right shoulder suffered an immediate injury, somewhat similar to rotator cuff injury.  It was instantly painful,  and my initial thought was that the tendon was torn. I could spell it out for you,  but then you would spend the next 10 minutes looking up the formal name of this tendon. 

Spent the past 2 days icing it, made a homemade version of an arm sling to restrict movement,  but nothing helps.  Now of the opinion that the Bursa is torn, maybe micro-tear, but....I am typing this at 2:00 am in Germany,  with one finger on my left hand....with an icepack on my right shoulder...so that should paint the picture. 

Of course, being sidecarists,  we all know what it takes to steer our sidecar rigs....yeah  

The first day this happened,  we did take our Euro-Wing sidecar rig out for a short 8 mile shakedown ride. All was well,  and just like when operating a  two wheel motorcycle,  no matter how injured I am, I can still ride. Mind over matter. 

However,  this is getting worse,  not better. 

Similar to rotator cuff injury,  it appears I will need to see a doctor.   

I have messaged my Doc back home, gave him my symptoms and diagnosis,  and asked him for a referral to an orthopedic doctor.

We fly back to the USA one week from today , so I have 6 more days to baby this shoulder,  try to get "some " sleep,  but also deal with our Euro-Wing sidecar rig,  seeing if I can drive it,  but more importantly getting it ready for storage here, manhandling it, putting things away. 

Bummed out right now