I know that there is a HD dealer in Stuttgart that speaks english very well. Was there two years ago for some work. Very small shop compared to the US places I have been. But like others have said tha parts are expensive becuse of all the middle men they go through. When I was there back in the late 80' and early 90's had a blast in the country side touring. I would invest in a full set of leathers and a full helment.

 

Spent 8 yrs of my Army career over there.

If you are DoD or military, you will get a USAREUR POV Operator's License, and USAREUR plate for it. The D/L test is written, provided you have a current state side license. Re the tags, all you have to do is show proof of ownership, and proof of insurance, and you will get a tag. Insurance is a bit pricey, but still cheaper than what the German's pay.....my guess is gonna be somewhere around $120.00 a month.

Not sure what the requirement is for Motorcycle DDS, MSF Courses, etc. But those are a MILITARY thing, and not a German requirement.

Germany is a Helmet COUNTRY.

Enjoy ! ! ! !

 

I left Germany the Last time in '05. ON and off I have spent about 7 years there.

First off, you get an armed forces drivers license. You can take the test in the States before you go over there, it helps out if you do. As for insurance, you wont go wrong with USAA anytime your in the service.

Now not knowing your current situation, if your single and lower enlisted and in the Army.....dont take your bike. You wont have anywhere to store it. You can ship your bike in your household goods, however it will take up all your weight allotment. Its going to get scratched if you ship it, you can almost count on that. It horrible to find parts for, when you do they are frikkin way overpriced. There is some awesome riding in Germany, but the weather can be horrible and you havent seen a car wreck untill you seen one on the autobahn. Its crazy what a BMW looks like after 140mph roll over.

A Harley is very attention getting. It can very easily get stolen. Most Germans are awesome people and law abiding. Unfortunately their are less and less Germans in Germany. You will see what I mean when you get there, you will get several briefings on what clubs/ares to deffinately avoid. Stolen vehicles are easily grabbed and moved out of the country to other countries where they can be resold. I.e pushing them East.

If you are married or higher ranking you wont have to stay in the barracks, however finding a house with a garage is very, very difficult. Apartments have shared garages which may have public access. On post housing at best will have car ports and alot of it is contract housing so general public (i.e. Germans/Americans/Third Coutnry Nationals) have access to it. Leaving that shiny bike outside again puts you at risk. What happens when you go to the field, or deploy again?

Stuttgart itself is a great town, Swabian food is by far the best in all of Germany (IMHO of course). I loved spending my summers down at the Boden See. You will have an awesome time there, I would really think long and hard about taking your bike though. I know it sounds like alot of doom and gloom but just take it as some experience from an Senior Army NCO who spent quite a number of years in Germany.

 

They do like to steal them over there, so be careful with that. I disagree with JSS about taking your bike - the benefits will far outweigh the extra challenges, especially with the area you are going to. Anyway that's why we have insurance.

You can prepare for the drivers license exam with this:
http://rmv.hqusareur.army.mil/drivrman/ss190-34.htm

If you can pass the sample test in the back then you should be good to go. The road signs can be a bitch to memorize.

The motorcycle license requirements are outlined in the book, but there may also be some more current policies that I'm not aware of.

 

Brings back a lot of memories. I spent 10 years over there, 6 of them in K-town. Been a member of the Cavemen MC since 1977. I remember the GhostRiders, and partying hard with Gremium (Still around and strong), the Bones (became a HA chapter), the Spirit MC from Heidelburg, etc. The rally's back then were legendary.....Those were great times, and nothing like seeing all of Europe by Harley.Many of the German "clubs" are pretty comical, but do take themselve seriously. Bikes will disappear over there, I had a '75 rigid framed Sportster stolen in K-Town, never saw it again. USAREUR bike regs were stringent,but relatively easy to work around if you know how. Back then you had to have your bike inspected annually to TUV standards, and it had to be stone stock...no mods. I don't know if that's still true, but it's easy to work around. I see they've still got those damn 100+ International Road Sign test. Back then you could only miss 3.

 

Waiting for you to show up in Stuttgart.
You will have to take the written and riding test.
You will need a MSF card less then 3 years old.
Test is Ten bucks.
Reg. is Thirty bucks.
You can get german insurance. I pay 600 euros a year. Full coverage.
There is a AIG company and they cost 2 grand a year.

Most riders de-reg their ride from Nov to April to save some dough.

The best place in the world to be stationed. We are right in the middle of everything. Easy ride to any other country.
You are going to love it.
As of now, they are moving most troops on post so, you will most likelylive on post.

Need anymore info. E-mail me. I work for the Dodds Schools here in Stuttgart. All four of them. We also have four posts here. Very nice place. Hurry up and get here. You will have a blast.

 

tj. You will be going through so many hoops to get your german or international. It's one big pain in the ares. Here is some info.

http://www.expats-in-bavaria.com/fir...iving_license/

You will also have to go to fahrschule (driving school) three to four days worth. 1800, to 2000 euros. don't convert that to u.s. dollars.

Just make sure you have your stateside mc endorsment and do the rest at panzer when you get here. good luck.

 

I was in Frankfurt area in the 70's. Tried several times to get my license, finally gave up and took the train It's a tough test, or maybe I was too stoned back then. Liked Germany so much that we went back 10 years later for our honeymoon. The wife loved it.

 

I've spent 2 years of my USAF career there (Zweibrucken, near Ramstein) in mid 80s. In addition to what everyone else says................use every spare moment & TRAVEL !!! You have the unique opportunity to see some of the neatest places & experience Europe . You are basically 4-6 hours travel time from France, Austria, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Switzerland & of course Germany ! (& don't take the fact that "French people are rude" personally.........they are rude to everyone !!)

Enjoy it now...........cause when you are retired MIL & a CIV (like me).........it costs mucho $$$ to do what you can do now cheaply !!

WD

 

It's a shame. they make it tough for the troops to get the mc endorsement. there are alot of them killing themselves on rockets though. I guess they feel they have alot of money invested in the boys to see them killed on a bike. guess they don't care what happens in the hot zone.