FYI-Visiting Germany

[Darryl.Richman]

Nick, I can sympathize with you.

A lot of the German vendors don't take cards, and that can make things difficult, especially if you want to order from over here. They do a lot by bank transfer, which is apparently nearly free inside Germany, but if you try it from here, it'll cost $40 or $50, plus the currency conversion fee. And because the nice folks at your bank likely have never done this before, they stand a good chance of messing it up.

All the same, if you have a pre war bike, the parts you want are nearly all Over There.

And some of our advertisers are Over There. Hans Raadstak, in the Netherlands, comes to mind.

Like you discovered, the ATM (Geldwechselautomat in German) is the way to go. I don't bother with travellers checks any more. And the Euro is a great boon to the traveller; no more having to be careful not to get too many guilders because you're going to need francs tomorrow and deutschmarks the next day.

I've put up a number of my thoughts about riding in Europe, which include some of these issues. In a way, you're lucky today because when I started going over there in the 80s, only hotels took credit cards. You couldn't even buy gas, at $4/gal., with a card.

[dunn6818]

Despite living within a day's ride of Germany I just find it easier & quicker to order parts via the internet or by fax & telephone call.

For ease of use Mark Huggett's site www.bmwbike.com is excellent.

Peter
PS If necessary my local modern BMW dealer ( cars & bikes ) can also get me new parts going back to 1952 within 7 days. Just give him the correct part number & they are on the system, admittedly this requires some education of the parts man but it pays off. I normally get a 10% discount on these.
PPS Huggett's site lists the parts numbers you need !

[aznvrd]

All good points and thanks. Bottom line is, I did it, it's done, and I learned a lesson. We have good vendors and should give them what ever business they can support. This is not an issue that will likely pop up again for me in the near future as I don't have plans to go back at this point. But for those who do plan to go, it's something to keep in mind.

Other than that I'm looking forward to installing most of the stuff I brought back.... Maybe next weekend.

[Darryl.Richman]

Well, wish me luck. The bottom end of my R12 is in Landau right now. I hope to bring it back as checked luggage at the end of my trip there in May.

While I'm there, I hope to go on several vintage bike runs. A friend is going to let me ride his 1913 Douglas in a two day rally. There's another rally the next weekend (click on Bilder from this link to see photos from past years), and I hope to have my R52 together to ride in that.

[Barry Robin]

hi darryl-

quite the R52 you've got there!

which brings me to:
any chance of knowing a source for a replacement front brake backplate for a 1929/30 R11? mine recently cracked in half during a sudden stop to avoid an errant taxicab; the cable locked up the shoes and made the plate spin along the hub.

i'm more than a little leery about having to commute without a front brake-but i do still have to get to work, and the back brake alone is a joke in modern traffic. any ideas would be appreciated.

-barry robin

[Bruce Frey]

Hello Nick,

You should look at this like hunting an fishing where you DO NOT want to calculate the cost per pound of the bass/walleye/quail, etc. when the cost of travel and equipment is considered.

I have lived in Europe (Spain, Russia and now Italy) for the last ten years and it does take a bit of getting used to. When I lived in Spain, it was easier and cheaper for me to order parts from Huggett, have them sent to the USA and then carry them back to Spain.

As Darryl correctly points out, interbank transfers are how almost all payments are made in Europe. Unfortunately, it is more expensive (and a little more difficult) to send money to Germany than others and the USA retail banks are not usually familiar with the process.

You should save your Germany trips so you can go to Veterama (cash only)!

Ciao,

Bruce

[Darryl.Richman]

hi darryl-

quite the R52 you've got there!Thanks! It looks nice, but I've had to put a significant amount of time and especially money into making it road worthy. I won't know if I've succeeded until after I get over to Germany late next month.

which brings me to:
any chance of knowing a source for a replacement front brake backplate for a 1929/30 R11? mine recently cracked in half during a sudden stop to avoid an errant taxicab; the cable locked up the shoes and made the plate spin along the hub.

Well, I don't know of one specifically. I have bought a number of parts from Dreher Oldtimerteile. His web site doesn't show a backing plate for the R11, but he has repros for the R52/57/62/63 series. Will they fit your bike? You could send him an email to see if he has a used one for you.

i'm more than a little leery about having to commute without a front brake-but i do still have to get to work, and the back brake alone is a joke in modern traffic. any ideas would be appreciated.

-barry robin

You're commuting to work -- in the city, it sounds like -- on your R11?? In the winter, when it's dark in the morning and the evening? You're a better man than I, Gunga Din, even on my modern /2!

The back brake on my R12 was never worth much, either, but then I discovered that it was covered with gear oil... Hopefully it will work better with a new pair of Vech's magic brake linings, and a fix to the cracked web that was allowing it to weep through one of the mounting bolts.

[Darryl.Richman]

I have lived in Europe (Spain, Russia and now Italy) for the last ten years and it does take a bit of getting used to. When I lived in Spain, it was easier and cheaper for me to order parts from Huggett, have them sent to the USA and then carry them back to Spain.If you consider the 16% savings on VAT from Germany, nearly any good sized order is worth sending to the US and bringing back with you. Did I read right that the new"grand coalition" government is considering putting the VAT up to 19%??

You should save your Germany trips so you can go to Veterama (cash only)!

Ciao,

Bruce

Bruce, are you going to the Spring Veterama? I'm not sure if I'll make it or not, but I will be in the area. (Depends on how easily the R52 goes back together, and how much time I have for breaking in the new rings/pistons/bore job/valves/crank.)

On Sunday of that weekend, and May Day Monday, is the Keilriemenfahrt rally in nearby Osthofen. I will be there, on a friend's 1913 Douglas. If you can make it, you should try to, I'm sure you'd enjoy it. LOTS of seriously old bikes, out for a run.

I will also be in Italy, at least briefly. I'm going to visit some friends in Trento. I might do a bit of touring while I'm there, but my schedule isn't set yet.

[aznvrd]

How does the VAT refund work? I did get the stamp on the invoice at the airport, but they told me that they don't refund VAT on spares at the airport. Said I needed to send it back to Stemler. Does that sound right? Anyone done that before?

[Bruce Frey]

It will vary a little from country to country. Many places (typically high street merchants) frequented by tourists participating in the "tax free" program will usually have a "Tax Free" sticker of some sort displayed. They will give you a filled out form which you can get the VAT refunded at the airport.

For places (like Stemler) who do not participate in the tax free retail program, the process is much harder, if not impossible, because it will be a lot of work for the vendor, who will typically not know how to do it, and without their full cooperation, it will not happen.

Ask me how I know about this. In general, it is REALLY hard to get the benefit of no VAT and no shipping charges.

Good luck!

Bruce