actually, they don't miss out ....
... on very much!
Anyone reading this thread might be under the assumption that German riders are missing out on a lot of after market stuff. Not so, in fact far from it.
The Hein Gericke catalogue for example, is over twice the size of the UK one, and most of the extra stuff is of a "technical" nature rather than clothing.
The POLO chain of shops is a bit like our old M&P, except they generally have most stuff in stock (germans don't like to wait for their stuff to be ordered and delivered), and their catalogue is 736 pages long.
Check out the online version at
www.polo-motorrad.de
and if anyone wants something from them, contact me and I can usually bring it back in my hand luggage (unless it is a full akro system for a CBX 6!!).
Also check out
www.louis.de
for a similiar rival chain of outlets, and again, if you see something you want etc etc.
The old urban myth about germans having to return their bikes to standard spec before the TUV test is just that, a myth.
If they have the relevant TUV documentation for any of the accessories fitted to their bikes, then they can be presented to the TUV tester without any problem. Any problems that would arise would normally be down to the actual fitting of the accessories i.e. not actually bolted on correctly.
FAO BOTS:-
"
We are going to Germany this year, is their any more things I need to know that differs from France, Spain etc ?????"
You must carry your driving licence and insurance documents at all times.
Ensure that you have access to cash (via the cash itself or a VALID credit card) just in case you do get pulled for something.
Don't argue with the Police, they are armed! However they will allow you to have your say in the event that you get stopped. Act polite and shrug your shoulders generally knocks off ?20 !!!
30mph = 50kph = VILLAGES!
This is where most people fall foul of the speed traps, and there are a few, but not like here thankfully. Speed cameras are around, grey in colour and not obvious where they are, although crossroads and junctions in towns are favourites.
On entering a village you will NOT see a 50 sign, but what you will see is a yellow sign with the village name on it. This is the start of the 50kph zone, and when you leave the village, a white sign with the name and a big line diagonally through indicates the end of the 50kph zone.
Germans, surprisingly, tend to stick to speed limits on most roads, especially if they are touring themselves. It seems that only us crazy brits have to blast everywhere at 99% of full throttle. Probably another reason why the big trailie type bikes, BMW's and Hardley Movings are popular, why buy something that can exceed the speed limits in 1st gear?
Autobahns:
these are not the unrestricted playthings that most blinkered brits seem to belive them to be! Indeed, many of them have posted limits as low as 80kph.
If you see a speed limit sign with the words "bei nasse" underneath, this means that this limit only applies when the road is wet, and is usually rigoriously enforced if the police are around.
The germans are generally well disciplined in lane discipline, i.e. once they have passed someone, they will move over to the right. If you don't move over, expect to have a mirror full of fast moving whatever sitting right on your tail. They don't tend to lane hog.
Generally speaking, autobahns have a "advisory" upper limit of 130kph, about 85mph. Above this, your insurance is generally not valid, so you do speeds at over this at your own risks etc etc.
If you are unlucky enough to be involved in an incident/accident where excessive speed (i.e. over the 130kph) is a factor, then you could be in a lot of trouble. If you are deemed to have caused the accident as a result of your speed, then best you get a good lawyer.
However, some stretches of autobahn have minimum speed limits, so if you are faced with a round blue 80kph (for example) sign above your lane, you must be capable of maintaining that speed. These are generally on long uphill sections in the mountain areas.
Prioirity from the right:
In 99% of cases, it will be obvious to all parties as to who has the priority at any junction. Normally this is indicated by a yellow diamond which faces the driver who has priority, and the non-prioirty driver has a white diamond with black diagonal lines across it.
If there are no such signs, and no "STOP" signs present, then you must assume that prioirty is to your right side, so you must give way, so Hans can (and will) pull out on you. Junctions in and around housing estates are the places to be particularly careful, as these do tend to rely on the "right prioirty" rule. Has the added benefit of naturaly slowing the traffic down.
BUT ..... there is an exception to this (isn't there always!).... and this is ...
Roundabouts:
Germans hate them. With a passion.
Because of the prioirty rules above, they would have to give way to vehicles coming onto a roundabout, and when the germans "discovered" roundabouts, they realised that the "right prioirty" rule couldn't apply. And this goes against everything they have ever been taught about in regards to motoring.
Normally germany had cross roads for junctions, and a lot of them have/had traffic lights controlling them. So therefore there was never any room for ambiguity as to who went where and when.
But these lights were expensive to install and maintain, whereas a tin of paint and a few insurance claims were cheaper (for the government anyway) in the long run.
When roundabouts were first introduced in a big way (and this is fairly recently), there were actual protest riots! HGV's used to park on them!
Even now, most germans won't indicate which exit they are intending to use, this isn't bad driving, more often or not, they simply have no idea which exit they need until they get there!
Road signs:
If you are following a particular place name (through a town mostly) and all of a sudden it disappears from the boards, don't panic. Keep going straight at junctions and more often than not, it will re-appear. Germans tend to only post changes of direction (from the staright ahead).
If you see a mercedes benz (any) with a number plate prefixed "HH", then take avoiding action ! cos they are from Hamburg, and are generally regarded as the worst drivers in germany!
I have seen HGV wagons forced off the road by HH drivers who don't give a flying fook about anything! You have been advised!!!
Lastly:
to quote from a magazine .........
" it is advisable to ride on the right, but not essential..."
soz for the long post, if there is anything else you want to know, drop me a line, and if you know your route/dates/etc and need an english speaking contact if you get in trouble, let me know, and I'll get Andrea to interpret for you if I can't.
best regards
Mike