SUNDAY 4th SEPTEMBER 2011 (DEAFENING)

It's Sunday today and the MV meeting is almost over.
We will be leaving ST. GOAR after lunch but there's one more exciting event before the show is packed up for another year.

St. GOAR is a small village with lots of charisma ... or is that because there's a couple of hundreds MV's riding about?

We packed our bike and said goodbye to the little back streets we called home these past few days.

We collected Brunhilda from Willie's hotel shed and in getting ready to leave Paul discovered the front-end bolts were loose! We wondered if that happened when the bike hit the wall?

They were soon tightened and we were on our way to the river car-park where a make-shift race-track was set up so those who wanted to could give their bikes a bit of an airing.

The race-track was set up almost beneath the castle and I couldn't help but think what the valley would soon sound like with a dozen or so MV exhaust sounds bouncing off the surrounding hills.


We rode the short distance to the track and parked up to watch the bikes getting ready for their racing events.

One of the first bikes we saw was this beautiful Honda 750 with the 'Giuliana' seat.

The second thing was a very early MV 750S, the owner (Walo) who we couldn't find yesterday.

Turns out this MV is the bike REVELL used when they made the dye-cast models, complete with the original number plate and all. The fellow has owned this bike since 1975 and proudly told us "he met his wife on the back seat."

The bikes were soon being tweeked and various bikes went on the track for a 'race'.

The odd hay-bale was the only thing between racers and observers but somehow the informality of it all seemed appropriate.

Lucio CASTELLI (one of MV's greatest GP engineers) was soon to start up the 6-cylinder 350MV. We were warned that we would be in for a surprise but words can't even describe the sound of that thing.

Once Gianfranco BONERA climbed aboard and gave it a fist full we knew then and there that we would be stone deaf for the rest of our lives!

BONERA gave us a show worth watching, not once, but twice. My ears still hurt, and so does everyone else's but the smiles on everyone's faces indicated it was worth it.










Because the weekend was informal and personal we were able to say farewell to Gianfranco and a bit later say goodbye to Carlo MAGNI.

There are over 350 members in the MV Club of Germany, a bigger club than in Italy.

One thing for sure, they really know how to put on a tremendous weekend and this once a year special event is sure to only get bigger and better (not sure how but once you've been to one you wouldn't want to miss the next!)

We said our goodbyes to the people we got to know, including Miles, the owner of this beautiful RICKMAN Kawasaki who just happened to be an ex-Queenslander. Miles has been living in Germany for 30 years, met his wife, got a job and stayed.


Just when we thought it was all over Gianfranco BONERA fired up the 6 cylinder 350 one more time to thrill the remaining spectators. And thrill he did. Never heard anything like it and probably never will again!



We finally got on the road early afternoon and followed the RHEIN south until the river and road parted ways.

We had a decent ride ahead of us, 250 kilometers, which is a lot on a 70 year old bike. It's also a lot when you're exhausted from a HUGE weekend.

Thankyou MV Club of Deutschland - you are fantastic.




We motored along happily stopping for fuel at the famous HOCKENHEIM Racetrack. We had no idea it was on this road so another little piece of motorcycling history put in place for us. I know the MV boys are having a track day here tomorrow but we didn't realise it was so close to the meeting.

We arrived in CRAILSHEIM just on 5.30pm, pleased with the bike and her performance.

But all was about to change...!!!

Paul pulled the clutch in ... and the bike kept going...!!!

NO CLUTCH AT ALL. We pushed the bike up on to the footpath and under a bus shelter - it looked like it was about to rain.

We rang our friend Tobias who had just returned home from the MTR (Motorbike Traveler Meeting) 450 kilometers away.

While we were waiting for him to arrive a couple of young lads pulled up in their car and jumped out all excited because they saw the Zundapp.

They proved to be helpful when the bike needed pushing to the other side of the road, ready to go to Tobi's place.

The bike fired up and away we went, hoping like crazy we could get through the set of lights and several round-a-bouts without any drama.

On the way to Tobi & Christine's house we lost use of the gearbox and had a slow, slow ride in second gear.

At least if we have to break down we have broken down at a friends place. Should make a pleasant change from our usual breakdowns !

We made it no worries, the bike was parked up and we forgot all about it for the night and enjoyed Tobi & Christine's company.

They have been to our place twice so it's nice to return the visit and see where they live.

AND IT DID RAIN...as soon as we were comfortably inside and the bike covered up.