[Adequateman]

okay, well, i'll just be riding my bike to the dairy queen and back this weekend, so... i'll be sure and take lots of pics and stuff. maybe some silverware.

Man you are lucky. Weather forcast is 32 degrees for the weekend here. Won't be riding until March at the earliest.

[Bright Wire]

I'm going to resurrect this old dead thread for a moment. It looks like I may be going to Germany. specifically I would be in Heidelberg. I'm trying to get together the info necessary for taking my bike including shipping and any laws and regs I need to be aware of before heading over. CP, Uncle, and anyone else; can ya help me out?

[The CyberPoet]

I'm going to resurrect this old dead thread for a moment. It looks like I may be going to Germany. specifically I would be in Heidelberg. I'm trying to get together the info necessary for taking my bike including shipping and any laws and regs I need to be aware of before heading over. CP, Uncle, and anyone else; can ya help me out?

Going as a DOD person, or as a civilian unaffiliated with the US government in any way? I ask, because the rules are different for the two different classes. Government-affiliated people fall under the diplomatic or US military rules and don't have to convert their vehicles in any way (do still need to pass inspection & insure it); civilians have to do all the same stuff a German civilian would have to do (in which case I'd suggest selling the bike here and buying another one there).

The other issue is licensing. Before you go to leave, you desperately want to go to your local AAA office and get an international driver's license (they are the only "official" issuer of international licenses for Americans in the USA). This document isn't a license in any real sense, but a translation document in multiple languages that is honored by all the countries in Europe (among others). With this document, you will be able to get your German civilian or DOD-issued German driver's license to include the motorcycle class. If you are DOD, you'll still have to take the European driver's test (written, car) first; as a non-gov't-affiliated civilian, it depends on how long you stay (you can drive on the international license as a tourist, but if you live there, you need to go to a German driving school -- but that license should mean you only need to pass the written).

Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet

__________________________________________________ ________
CyberPoet's Katana Maintence and Upgrade Parts Offerings
The Best Metal Steel Aluminum Motorcycle Tire Valves in the World, plus lots of motorcycle & Katana (GSX600F / GSX750F) specific help files.

[squiggy]

Shoot, I'd be tempted to give some money to whoever goes to Europe to buy a Schuberth helmet for me. Can't get them anymore here stateside. That's if I had any money.

[Bright Wire]

From what I have been told, assuming I get this gig, I will be there as a civvie but under the SOFA so same as military. What I gather but haven't confirmed is that I will be under full rights and responsibilities as military stationed there. I'll be there at least a year and I am assuming I will register the bike through the base.

So I'm guestimating shipping by air at about $1200. Will I need to get inspected on base or go to the locals? Same for the drivers license? The state I am in now, Missouri, has partial reciprocity so I should only have to take the written test for a German license but I don't know if it just converts courtesy of the military without any work on my part.

I'm also trying to see if I can locate any locals who may be able to help me with housing since I will be living off base and need a fully furnished apartment (preferably with garage as close to the hospital as I can get) as well as a car. I'm just bringing the bike (if I can), clothes, and a laptop. Everything else I will store here or sell here.

[The CyberPoet]

Shoot, I'd be tempted to give some money to whoever goes to Europe to buy a Schuberth helmet for me. Can't get them anymore here stateside. That's if I had any money.

Oddly enough, I already have a call in to them to buy a helmet as a dealer... If you want me to score you one, I suppose I can. There is someone on eBay selling them as well. They also manufacture BMW's branded helmets, at least for Europe (I suspect they do for the USA as well ).

From what I have been told, assuming I get this gig, I will be there as a civvie but under the SOFA so same as military. What I gather but haven't confirmed is that I will be under full rights and responsibilities as military stationed there. I'll be there at least a year and I am assuming I will register the bike through the base.

GS-slot? Are they shipping your household goods? If so, pack the bike with the household goods and ship it that way... Normally SOFA civilians get the same privileges as enlisted for the most part, and that typically means some weight-limit on household goods that's quite reasonable.

If not, then I'll get you in touch with someone to transport it for you cheaper than the prices you'll get quoted (former KR regular).

So I'm guestimating shipping by air at about $1200. Will I need to get inspected on base or go to the locals? Same for the drivers license? The state I am in now, Missouri, has partial reciprocity so I should only have to take the written test for a German license but I don't know if it just converts courtesy of the military without any work on my part.

As a SOFA civilian, you'll have to take the Army's driving exam, which is an English-language version of the first-level German written exam. You can find the basics to start studying here:

The Signs (this is where to start):

http://rmv.hqusareur.army.mil/drivrman/190-34.htm#AppB

All the rules:

http://rmv.hqusareur.army.mil/drivrman/190-34.htm

The motorcycle specific portion is here:

http://rmv.hqusareur.army.mil/drivrman/190-34.htm#P37

And it would seem there is a new requirement for you to take a four hour course for the motorcycle aspect (over and above the standard test for cars).

I'm also trying to see if I can locate any locals who may be able to help me with housing since I will be living off base and need a fully furnished apartment (preferably with garage as close to the hospital as I can get) as well as a car. I'm just bringing the bike (if I can), clothes, and a laptop. Everything else I will store here or sell here.

SOFA-civilian should be able to use base housing services to locate suitable living quarters (they show you the place, handle the contracts, deal with the landlords). For Heidelberg, the number for housing from the USA is 011-49-6221-4380-3302. You can find their website here:

http://www.heidelberg.army.mil/sites/newcomers/housing.asp

BIG TIP: Bringing a nice present (or sending one ahead) to the head of the housing department (typically a German hire) along with a note asking for a really nice view can score you a much better place. I had to play the turn-down game a dozen times (a dozen apartments) before they showed me something suitable for a prince within the price-range of a pauper (they had been holding it in case some high ranking mucky-muck suddenly came in).
other tip: The further you get away from the town "proper", the cheaper rent will get by staggering factors. What you pay for an small three-room (bedroom, livingroom, dine-in kitchen, bath) in the city will net you a spacious two-bedroom with a view in the smaller outlying towns & in the countryside.

As for the car, are you there for a specific contract period? If so, consider leasing...
Depending on your arrival time-frame and your $$$ situation (for the car), I might be able to get you someone to help, although it'll be 50 - 100 miles out of their way. If you are entitled to Military-cost fuel (fuel coupons), think 6 year old big super-cruiser as being cheaper than a 5 year old econobox -- the rich buy new cars, the poorer middle-class usually can't afford the cost of fuel for a big car, so used high-end cars tend to sell cheap...

Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet

__________________________________________________ ________
CyberPoet's Katana Maintence and Upgrade Parts Offerings
The Best Metal Steel Aluminum Motorcycle Tire Valves in the World, plus lots of motorcycle & Katana (GSX600F / GSX750F) specific help files.

[erok011]

i'll take a ROOR while you are there

[squiggy]

Oddly enough, I already have a call in to them to buy a helmet as a dealer... If you want me to score you one, I suppose I can. There is someone on eBay selling them as well. They also manufacture BMW's branded helmets, at least for Europe (I suspect they do for the USA as well.

There's a store in England that sells and ships to the states but once I factor the exchange rate for a Schuberth it would cost me $5000 to buy one.

Schuberth is the only helmet manufacture that knows how to do the sun visor correctly.

[The CyberPoet]

There's a store in England that sells and ships to the states but once I factor the exchange rate for a Schuberth it would cost me $5000 to buy one.

WTF? I'm looking at prices in the $700 range delivered...

Schuberth is the only helmet manufacture that knows how to do the sun visor correctly.

If you're talking about the internalized fighter-style tint-visor, Nolan has done the same thing with their N103, and Roof has had models with it for years...

Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet

__________________________________________________ ________
CyberPoet's Katana Maintence and Upgrade Parts Offerings
The Best Metal Steel Aluminum Motorcycle Tire Valves in the World, plus lots of motorcycle & Katana (GSX600F / GSX750F) specific help files.

[squiggy]

WTF? I'm looking at prices in the $700 range delivered...

That was meant as a joke.

But that's what I mean, $700 is the new $5000.

[Bright Wire]

So far the job is still officially speculative. I have to get through the paperwork first. Once that goes through things will move fast though.

I'll be a civvie contractor working for *major US government contractor company* who has told me I will be set as a SOFA civvie with full rights on base. I will definitely start digging into the license requirements. Will there be a Ride test for that 4 hours motorcycle class or? I know the bases here stateside require MSF to allow you to ride on base now and I wasn't sure if my MSF cert would convert into anything useful internationally. I'm most likely going to need some advice from your friend on the shipping. I assume they do air and not sea?

As for housing I'd like to be as close to the work site as possible in the hopes that I can actually cut out the car completely. If I can't I figure I'll buy a beater thats recently passed inspection from someone leaving. I assume that with the full on base rights I will also get the gas coupons. The little details haven't been laid out in the paperwork yet though. The housing website appears to be dead to me right now too so we'll see but I will definitely remember to gift to see if that helps my predicament.

My contract would be open ended, but I plan on a 12 month minimum with possible extension depending on how things go. It seems that once I'm on the inside I'm pretty much assured to do anything I want in this theatre as long as I do 12 months per location/position.

If this all goes down like I'm hoping it does then I'd be happy to help out with shipping for the Schuberths through the APO. We'll see how it goes.

[The CyberPoet]

So far the job is still officially speculative. I have to get through the paperwork first. Once that goes through things will move fast though.

I'll be a civvie contractor working for *major US government contractor company* who has told me I will be set as a SOFA civvie with full rights on base.

That's a rough spot to be in, because there are different rights for contractors & sub-contractors in different slots. I've seen slots fall both ways -- with and without the real bene's that GS-slots get (and typically without gas & PX & commissary & medical & housing-assistance privileges). Definitely go get that international driver's license to start with, and remember that without the full military-grade bene package, your cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) needs to be quite large to offset the differences. Where you can get by on $30k comfortably with the bene's, without them, you'd need at least $50k to live at the same level (esp. medical coverage). And if you don't get SOFA status, you'd need more like $68k, because you'd also fall under German taxation law. If you don't have a valid passport (or your passport will expire within the next year), get a new one now as well.

Other things you need to know if you don't get full-support-SOFA-bene's:

1. German apartments normally come without bathroom and kitchen fixtures (lighting, cabinets, appliances); renters normally bring their own. One of the advantages of going through the military's housing assistance system is that they have places where they either contracted for those things to be there, or they actually sent out their own stuff & built it in... Furnished apartments are pretty rare on the civilian market.

2. Most German apartments have leases that start at 2 or 5 years, and have 5 to 25 year renewal terms (nice part: prices are locked in for the period; bad part: you might leave before the lease is over). Again, housing assistance normally contracts that if you leave the duty-station, you can break lease without penalty.

3. Germany is very pedestrian-friendly and generally has a very good public transportation system compared to the US in any sense. But Heidelberg is very hilly, so closer is better when it comes to getting to the base.

4. Ship-based vehicle transport used by the military and civilians from the USA normally drops vehicles in Bremerhaven, which is a full day's drive/ride from Heidelberg. Air transport will typically cost double sea transport rates, but if you're land-locked in the USA, the cost difference might not be as staggering. You will need insurance.

5. If the contractor is true full-bene-SOFA, they will provide household goods transport. If so, this will pick-up at your home in the USA and deliver to your home in Germany, including packing & unpacking services.

6. You won't normally find a $1500 - $4k beater car in the civilian market. German vehicle inspection is very stringent, and most cars fail-out at around 7 or 8 years of age with repairs costs that exceed the resale value. If you're full-SOFA, you may be able to find cars in that price-range being sold by guys who are rotating out (because most won't know how to sell to Germans) and need to sell on short-notice. Insurance costs will be very high for your first year, and drop from there; SOFA-member vehicle insurance is cheaper at the outset, but doesn't drop as fast. Engine displacement & weight figures highly in insurance costs, because vehicle damages are the primary criteria (health insurance is normally part of nat'l health for Germans, part of SOFA-benefits for SOFA-people).

I will definitely start digging into the license requirements. Will there be a Ride test for that 4 hours motorcycle class or? I know the bases here stateside require MSF to allow you to ride on base now and I wasn't sure if my MSF cert would convert into anything useful internationally. I'm most likely going to need some advice from your friend on the shipping. I assume they do air and not sea?

He's a transportation broker who just launched his own firm, so he brokers all sorts of transport. He's new, so he's hungry and working on margins that are lower than standard established firms. On KR, he's known as Kat6.

[QUOTE=Bright Wire;1664693]As for housing I'd like to be as close to the work site as possible in the hopes that I can actually cut out the car completely. If I can't I figure I'll buy a beater thats recently passed inspection from someone leaving. I assume that with the full on base rights I will also get the gas coupons. The little details haven't been laid out in the paperwork yet though. The housing website appears to be dead to me right now too so we'll see but I will definitely remember to gift to see if that helps my predicament.

My contract would be open ended, but I plan on a 12 month minimum with possible extension depending on how things go. It seems that once I'm on the inside I'm pretty much assured to do anything I want in this theatre as long as I do 12 months per location/position./QUOTE]

Feel free to send me more details via PM's if you want more insight... depending on the nature of the work (and if they have more slots), I might be interested in applying too

Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet

__________________________________________________ ________
CyberPoet's Katana Maintence and Upgrade Parts Offerings
The Best Metal Steel Aluminum Motorcycle Tire Valves in the World, plus lots of motorcycle & Katana (GSX600F / GSX750F) specific help files.

[Bright Wire]

Yeah, as things start rolling into the far more certain side I will definitely PM you.

I'm getting COLA on top of Salary and it is definitely more than you have listed after I add it all together. I'm not worried about my finances while there. I was told I'd be exempt from German taxes (except sales tax) and I'd get the standard overseas US tax exemption ($87,600) once I hit the allotted days (330?) outside of the country (starting next year obviously).

They won't ship transportation, but they said they will give me $2k for transport of household goods. I'm going over with a laptop, a couple of duffles, and the bike so I figure I'll try to swing the household to ship the bike because I can hand carry the rest. They are buying me a plane ticket and putting me up for a week with a rental and a hotel while I get settled. Theres one other guy on the team who is onsite and been there a bit already and so hopefully he can be the local resource to be set before I land.

I'm supposed to get full base medical, library, and PX so I assume that includes gas coupons and the Class Six. It was basically described to me as I would have the same rights as military in country. This is why I hope I can go through base for the driving licenses as well as vehicle registration. I figure I'll buy a cheap car from someone PCS'ing out since I'm not going to be permanent, but I'd like to live close enough to the hospital (Army) to walk or take public transport everyday since I have to live off base. I currently have USAA and they will insure me anywhere for a car, but they don't do motorcycles which is going to make it interesting if Progressive won't continue my coverage outside the country.

I'm a military brat and actually did 10 years in Germany of and on. I haven't been back in 15 years so I'm trying to get back up to speed. Thanks for all the good info. Now I just have to get through the mountains of paperwork. On top of the standard HR paperwork I have to get through the US government paperwork and the German government (Approval of Tech Skills or somesuch) Joy joy...

There are a lot of IT gigs with contractors in Germany right now. It seems that a lot of the contracts that were in the sandbox have been shifted over to Germany lately. Same great pay but less lead and chafing. If this all goes through I can see what there is for you depending on what you are looking for.

[The CyberPoet]

I currently have USAA and they will insure me anywhere for a car, but they don't do motorcycles which is going to make it interesting if Progressive won't continue my coverage outside the country.

Typically clustered around the outside perimeter of any base in Germany should be a couple of insurance agent firms specializing in DOD-oriented vehicle insurance -- consider looking for someone carrying Mannheimer Versicherung as a carrier (they always did right by me when I was over there as military and later as a DOD civilian). You can also try these in advance via phone:

AIU Insurance 011-49-2451-69763
GEICO Insurance 011-49-69-550209

Also:
Remember that your bike has to pass TüV -- and that means quiet cans, so if you have an after-market muffler, ship your OEM muffler along as well to bolt-on for the inspection...

Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet

__________________________________________________ ________
CyberPoet's Katana Maintence and Upgrade Parts Offerings
The Best Metal Steel Aluminum Motorcycle Tire Valves in the World, plus lots of motorcycle & Katana (GSX600F / GSX750F) specific help files.

[H-2 CHARLIE]

Some day i will make it there for the october fest in september drink some beers and eat the prezzels the size of sterring whells ...and rent a bike for a few days as its on my list some time