After flying with my family from New Zealand to Germany in April our first tasks were to find a place to live, buy a car, and find a kindergarten for our daughter. Once we got that all sorted I set my sights on buying a motorbike for the Black Sea trip. And the sooner the better for day rides around the idyllic Bavarian countryside!
We’d talked about which bike we’d ride many months earlier, and the decision was simplified by the fact that Sam owned two KTM 950 Adventures and kindly sold one to Amand! Looking around online I could find only one 950 Adventure for sale in all of southern Germany at the time, and conveniently the seller was located near Lauterhofen, a town 1.5 hours from us that we were soon to visit (as my wife’s friend lives there). It was a sign!
On Saturday May 6th I was feeling a bit down about not being home in New Zealand for the opening day of duck shooting season, but I met my trusty steed which more than made up for it! After a quick spin and a poke around the bike, the seller and I shook hands and had a beer to celebrate a good deal.
I was now the proud owner of a 2005 KTM 950 Adventure. Wow! In the week earlier I’d bought a helmet and gloves, and borrowed a jacket from my brother-in-law that he had sitting in the garage for 20 years, so I was ready to rock! With two previous owners, 42,000km on the clock, and well maintained I was beyond chuffed.
The 200km ride back home via side roads was fantastic, and as I did so I imagined riding these same roads home after the big trip. It was hard to picture what the feelings of accomplishment, and desire to see my wife and kids after eight weeks might be like… But for the moment, the simple pleasure of sitting in the saddle and riding my “new” bike home was bliss. I look forward to all the adventures we’ll share together!!
Here’s a couple of pics – the first is in front of one of the towers of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, an ancient walled city founded in 1170.
And here’s a pic in front of the house we’re living in, a classic half-timbered house which was built in 1887. Nonetheless it has double-glazing!
