Motorcycle adventures

On my way home a couple of weeks ago, I had planned to change out the tires on the bike. The rear one was about done with 7000 miles on it and the front was badly cupped with about the same mileage. 

My commute is 32 miles each way, and on the home-stretch during the last eight miles from home, I feel a strange shudder from the rear. I pull over and yes, the tire was flat.

This was a good time to utter a couple of choice words.

While discussing options with my neighbor who was conveniently on his way home at the same time, a Good Samaritan drove by, towing an empty trailer!  He lives minutes from my house and was on his way home, so we rolled the bike up, tied it down and off we went.

This event had a good ending, and a fairly expedient one thanks to my friendly almost-neighbor.

Fast foward to yesterday; I am riding home from work when I see a Suzuki Hayabusa on the left side shoulder of the freeway. It took me a quarter mile to get over to that side, and then I turned around. While I did ride on the shoulder, I did take a mental picture of myself riding down the wrong side of the freeway. Awesome. I'm such a rebel!

Our friend had an electrical problem on his '03 Hayabusa that flat killed the bike. No electrics and the gauges were hung midway. Not good.

He didn't have a cell-phone, so he was pretty happy when I pulled up and handed mine over so he could call AllState insurance and his wife.

His wife had to provide the pickup as Allstate "couldn't find him" in the records. I saw his roadside assistance card so presumably they just screwed up, but in his angry words on the phone with them "I pay you a hefty sum every year for you to BE HERE when this sort of stuff happens, and now you don't provide the very thing I pay you to provide!".

He insisted on paying me for my time and use of the phones, which I declined several times. I told him that it's better to pay it forward and pull over when someone else is in a similar position.

It didn't take me more than 30 minutes and provided a lot of relief for this poor guy and oddly enough, as much as I disdain people, it does feel good to be able to help.

Go Home