A nice little threesome!

I blame eBay... and alcohol. Otherwise how would I have found a bike I had never heard of before, and buy it, and arrange to drive it back from Germany.

A Pannonia 250 single, with a Duna sidecar and a Motokuli sidecar. All apparently restore and ready for me to ride back,,,, or maybe not but more of that later. So having won this on eBay I arranged to get myself over to Germany, hand over the money, sign the paperwork and ride the Pannonia back to the UK. And then I developed a lousy cold... snotty, achy and with a fever to light fags off. But the coach to Germany was booked, so off I set from sunny Bradford Many many hours later I arrived in the nearest city to the bike, grabbed my bag with my helmet, gloves, waterproofs etc in it and jumped off the coach. Only after the coach left to its next destination Didi I realise that I had left my jacket, with the money for the bike safely zipped up in the pocket, on the coach.SHIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!. So I find the coach office and explain whats happened. They explain that the coach will be returning in 4 hours time and they will contact the next stop to tell the driver to secure my jacket. So I phone the seller of the bike and explain the delay, and he is OK and tells me to phone him when I arrive at the train station nearest his place. Four hours later Im feeling even more like death warmed up and awaiting the coach's return. And eventually it pulls up and there is my jacket and more importantly the money. A one hour train journey and I am waiting for the seller to arrive... and wait... and wait. Just as I am thinking it might all be a huge scam, and I'm going to be left at a station in the middle of Germany, he turns up and we set off to finally do the deal. And the Pannonia looks lovely, All shiny paint, new seat, the sidecar has all new internal panels and seat, all looks good. So I hand over the money , sign some papers and we go out to stick my stuff in the sidecar and set off. Now being some 4 hours later than intended its starting to get dark, so i start the bike, runs great, and turn on the lights.... and the lights are like glow worms. SHIT again!. So we set to removing any bulbs we can do without... pilot bulb, speedo lights, rear lights on the bike ( well it's got lights on the trailer) rear lights on the sidecar ( well it's got lights on the trailer!) and off I set, into the increasing gloom A couple of hours later and the motor is running fine, keeping a steady 80kph, but the lights are fading .....and then it just dies. No lights... nothing. I get my torch and tools out and sit at the side of the autobahn trying to work out whats happened. I then find the battery is the smallest 6V battery I have ever seen in my life, and I accept that I am going no where. But I had insured the bike (on its frame number) with a Carol Nash classic policy ( £20 if i remember rightly) and that gives me European breakdown cover! So I phone the number and an hour or so later aq van turns out and out jumps a german mechanic, who scratches his head, prods a few connectors and then gets on the phone, which he soon hands to me. And a lovely lady at Europ-Assistance explains they are going to take me and the bike to a hotel, and the garage will charge the battery up for me and return it in the morning. So off we go to a hotel, and after a few beers and a Schnitzel and chips I head off to bed, looking forward to a nice ride the next day...... to be continued