Ladies and Gentlemen,
I'm one of the nominees.
I have purchased my 1987 Kawasaki 1000 GTR (in US known as Concours C10) in 2004.
She had 66.000 km (41000 mls) on the odometer, and i rode her every day for commute.
after maybe 15000 kilometers, she felt in troubles with the intake valves.
i'm searching for a solution for this problems, and fount the 1000-GTR-online Forum community.
members give me many tips, and so i can fix the problems.
in this case, ther was also a note about a big GTR Meeting, a few hundred Kilometers away from my home.
it was my first Motorcycle meeting, and i was warmly welcomed by all the people there.
Many of them are grown to good friends during the years.
a few years later, i heared the first time of a project called OtP - Over the Pond
At this time, i was interested, but it was so not reachable for me, it was too far away, because i was not a worthy member.
But in 2011 i organized a Meeting in my riding area, and i can show it to the other members.
in 2014 i should meet the OtP traveller Steve Cook at the meeting in the swiss alps, but i does'nt because i was there with tent, and after three days and night with heavy rain, wet clothes, wet sleeping bag, and no chance to dry it, i break it, and go home.
this was the point, where my heart begins to burn for OtP.
in 2015 after many tours on the second meeting that i have organized, i get a chance for a weekend to ride with the OtP travellers from America.
i meet Al Norcross, Ted & Judy Adcock, Bernd Neumann, & Anette Arrenberg at the bavarian King Ludwig's castle Neuschwanstein
and i get new friends from an other continent where i never will be there (so i thought at this time)
then come the year 2016...
a bad year for me
i've been nominated for OtP, and i cannot believe this, because i think i'm not worthy enough..
the winner was Anette, and i should be the runner up, but three weeks before, i have an Health incident, and woke up in the emergency room.
the medicin men did many tests with me, but they found nothing.
so they said to me: it is fordidden for you to drive a car, ride a motorcylce, climb a ladder or scaffoldings, or swim alone, for A HALF YEAR!!!
uuh, this is heavy, because it is my job to drive the company's car, climb ladders and scaffoldings, so i talk to the doctors about this, and they lifted the ban after three months.
my heart is burning hotter for OtP, but only minor motorcycle ridings in this years indian summer (fall) after the ban is lifted...
in 2017 i want to compare my fail of 2016, and worked hard for OtP - find hosts, planning the route, time schedule, tourist attractions, and guide them through the countries...
picked them up from Gie Lambeir, and get now friends, and the best things i see: they are the same crazy guys like me, -
and Bernd, -
and André
and Gie
and many others of the Concours/GTR Community.
one of my biggest wishes is to hold OtP upright for several years in the future, because i have so many ideas for what places i want to show the american travellers.