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This is not so much to write about, but it became a bit interesting.

I needed the 11000km regular maintenance service. On my morning coffee-walk in Toulouse I managed to – without speaking french – break through the automatic, 7- options, accompanied with disco music, answering machine and speak to a man. Only to find out, I could not understand him spelling his e-mail address or phone number, and vice versa for him. My plan B was to show up physically in the shop, in the afternoon before closing.

I speeded up and took the péage route. That way I saved 1.5 hrs by rushing on like a freight train the 540 kms in 130+. The stops where main the pay stations and refuelling. This is one difference btw my previous ”old” r1250gsa and the new r1300gsa. Rpm is about 4000-5000 but fuel consumption would have been more like a car. Consider the weight of the fully packed vehicle is 400kg +, and the wind resistance to that. The new averages 5.5 litres per 100km whereas the r1250 would be 6 litres +. Yes, motorcycles can be really thirsty if pushed. The wind noise is also significantly lower and adding the AirPods 3 Pro, I can hear radio and music and even drive with the helmet open without any wind buffering. Big difference.

So, the objective was to be in the Helice 69 Lyon Sud dealership before closing time 17.00. I big thanks to Clement Perronet at BMW Motorrad Center, Upplands Väsby who helped to chase them by phone. I arrived at 16.20 only to find out they where closed on Monday. Clement told me the Helice 69 Nord was open until 1700, and it was 26 minute away, so I entered the address and rushed out in the heave traffic. Google Map ETA altered between ”16.58 to 17.00” depending on the traffic as I pressed on. Just as I was stuck in traffic, the voice prompted ”there is a faster road, you may save 5 minutes”. Like a thirsty man in the desert, seeing an oasis-mirage ” I took a last second turn on to the peripherique. Even with péage..I would be there 16.55. By turning on the warning bliker, and lane-splitting in a tunnel I even got down to 16.53.

Stopping the engine outside of the Helice shop 16.55 and crusising with helmet, sunglasses on, in a closing-time, packed with motorcycles, shop – I barely could see the few people about to go home, in there.

As I nervously tried to explain my death-defying 570 kms, road-race from Toulouse on of the men said”Ah, you must be the guy that called in the morning..”. He looked at the bike and said, be here at 9 tomorrow we’ll have a look on your bike.

”Yes, I made it”!! I thought to myself..

So, next morning at 8.30 I unpacked the boxes from my bike and went into the totally different from the day before, really nice Helice 69 Lyon Nord dealership, and handed over my keys to the, Sébastien.

11.39 I rolled out on a newly washed, smelling-like-new, bike heading towards Frankfurt. Only 700kms N of Lyon.

Apart from the (insanely expensive EUR2,5/litre) refuellings, péages, and a Sallade Suedoise, see picture below, I raced to my EUR50 budget Senator Hotel in Frankfurt. I even got a ”free parking” deal, if I parked in a space, just outside of the garbage room 😱🤩 at 19.27. 😮‍💨😮‍💨😮‍💨😌.

So today I look forward to take a 540 cruise on the autobahn, to Travemünde, to catch the 21.45 Finnlines (!) ferry to arrive in Malmö 07.00 tomorrow.

’German petrol stations, my money is yours, just come and take it! 😅😅, tomorrow I will refuel in Sweden, haha!’