Good Interceptor article in Jan/Feb 07 RedRider

For all you HRCA members there is a good article on our bikes:first:

Enjoy
Gary

 

Can't wait to get home to read mine then. :biggrin:

 

For those of us that don't get the mag, what's the jist of it?

 

RedRider

for those of you who don't get it, join the hrca, its a bargin for the roadside help and such, its like AAA for your bike. As soon as I get home tonight I wll scan it as a pdf and can email it to anyone who would like it (if thats not copyright infringement) just pm me with your email address and I can get it to you :smash:

Gary

 

I don't think it is good for us Canadian

 

Yo Gary send it my way woulds ya. better yet bring it to the party tomorrow.

 

Party?

Jay, I can send it to you or bring it to what party? have I missed something? Let me know
Thanks
Gary

 

I used to belong, got it free when I bought my old CBR years ago, kept it alive just for the roadside assistance, since usually AAA won't help. Paid for it for years and years without ever needing it. Then I actually tried to use it one time when my R/R failed they couldn't help. Could not find me a tow on a Sunday afternoon, because it was a holiday weekend. Labor day I beleive and I was too far out of the way. I was on Highway 1 in Marin county CA -- maybe 40 miles out of San Fran. Flat out, after about an hour or more of me just baking in the sun, told my friend (he rode ahead to call while I stayed with the bike, since we didn't have cell phone reception where I broke down). Just flat out didn't have anyone. Said they would keep trying and call him back. This is after he had to ride back to me to get my lic. plate 'cause they wouldn't even look for a tow without that. So after more than an hour of waiting, he rode back to me, to update me. Then went back out to where he had reception, to wait for them to call him, then thought screw this, rode home (we were not too far from where he lived, Stinson Beach), and started calling people he knew with a pick up truck, found one home, borrowed his truck, ramp and tie downs (was a rider, luckily), drove out to find me again, then we loaded the bike (pretty funny since neither of us had ever loaded a bike into a truck before, and I was severly dehydrated after spending several hours in the hot mid day summer sun in full, primarily black, leathers (perferated means squat when you aren't moving), he drove me all the way home, about 50 or so miles (Hayward, CA), then drove back to Stinson Beach, stopping to fill the tank on the truck and get it washed, brought it back to its owner, picked up his car and then got home. HRCA had still not found a tow for me. This was seriously like maybe 6 -7 hours later. I can't remember if they hadn't even called, or had called just once to say "still looking." Good thing I didn't wait. They never did call back, ever to see if I was OK or had made other arrangements. For all they now I am still out there on the highway waiting all these years later...
Then about a week later, when the darn thing died on me again (R/R had gone bad, I had misdiagnosed, and only replaced the battery, my mistake). This time on a major freeway, during heavy traffic, I called again. This time I am in a major metropolitin area, near Oakland CA where two major freeways overlap, 880 & 580. Cars screaming by me while I get my cell phone out and the HRCA card. Call, on hold, tell her the location, can tell her the exact exit I am about 1 mile away from, since I am pretty much right beneath the sign that said "exit blah blah 1 mile", but can't tell her which town I am in, cause I have no idea where the town borders are, never really cared before, don't know the names of all the towns I go thru; but I know what highway and what exit, that should be enough, right? no, so I guess on the town. Then, and sure this is my fault, but throw me a bone, although she asks me what highway (can't say two by the way) and that I am heading south, the highway, being an even number is an east-west roadway. Well I am on a part that goes pretty much due south for quite a while, maybe 20-30 miles. Never paid attention to what the highway designation was, just knew where I wanted to go. This doesn't work for her. So I am like pull out a damn map and you tell me -- getting pretty frustrated by this time. Again baking in the sun, this time work clothes and my 'stich. I mean I realize I probly should know, but I don't. So they don't have maps, and are in like IA or something with no idea where I am talking about. Finally convince her to just call a tow company in the area, they will be able to find me. Fine, someone will be out in half an hour to 45 minutes. No I can't leave the bike and go to the next exit to wait in the shade and or restaurant, have to stay with the bike. An hour goes by, still me in the sun, dying, and getting all the dust and noxious fumes I can handle, huddled against a sound wall. Bike rocking on its sidestand when ever a big rig goes by at 70+ MPH. So I call, oh the tow center they called were busy, they will get to me when they can, nice! a while later somone from the tow center calls to find out where I am? thought I told HRCA, again with the direction of the highway, sorry I don't know but I was coming from Marin county, to Hayward, OK, we are sending someone out right now, blah blah blah. 40 minutes later guy pulls up, and they told him I was headed in the other direction, he only saw me on his second time turning around to search the other side. Then he's like, "oh, you are on a motorcycle, they didn't tell me that" Uhh, what? "we don't tow motorcycles, we don't have the equipment for that" How in the he** did the HRCA call a company that doesn't answer tow calls for motorcycles?? Wouldn't that be part of the questionaire when setting them up as a responder? By this time I have had it, he says they have a flat bed, but he would have to go back and get it, and it is already on another call, so it could be several hours. OK, that isn't going to work for me. So we sling my precious baby up behind the tow truck using tow straps. NOT PRETTY or reassuring. "Where are you going?" "Hayward, near downtown" "nope, we don't go that far" "uhh, what?" "I'll take you to the dealer in Berkely and drop you off there" "uh, they are closed, it is Saturday, and they won't be open again till Tuesday probly" "well that is all I can do" I go on about that the deal with HRCA is I can get a tow x (don't remember now) miles to home, or if I am further than that, the closest Honda dealer. I am well within that mileage to my house, and don't want the bike to go to a dealer, especially one I have never dealt with before. Meanwhile he is heading towards Berkely. "well the closest dealer is in Berkely, they'll take care of you" "no the closest dealer is Hayward (about 2 miles from my house actually) and I want a tow home, not to the dealer" "yeah, I don't know about towing you home, if'n I am even allowed" some other BS, I must have misunderstood the HRCA person; come to find out, he wants to tow me to Berkely, not to my home, or to the Hayward dealer, because even though the Hayward dealer is closer to me, and marginally so to where I broke down, the Berkely one is closer to the tow lot and he wants to watch the game or something. So I whip out the cell phone to call HRCA, on endless hold, finally get someone, go over the scenario, yes I have the right to be towed home if I wish, as long as it isn't over x miles. Hang up, tell him; but "yeah well we are almost at the berkely dealer now, so that will have to do." Call HRCA back, again on hold waiting for a person, explain the situation, he won't talk to them on my cell phone, so they have to call his boss, who then calls him on the radio, we are now in the dealer parking lot, and they are indeed closed. I am not leaving my bike outside for two nights and two days. So they will take me home, but the guy at the tow yard just got the mail, and there was a notice from the CA DMV that my particular tow driver's commercial license to drive has been suspended due to failure to pay child support! He is to drive directly back to the tow yard -- with me.

Agghh it actually goes on from there, but I am too tired to type any more.

 

Damnnnn Spike, how many words do you type a minute?

 

Holy Shiet Spike, and here you are still riding

 

Spike,
Holy shit what a story:yield: Here I thought it was some type of helpful insurance in my pocket to make me feel better It sucks that you had to go through that! I hope that it never happens to me:smile: That would have taken me a day to type:smash: I have been trying to upload the photos but no luck, probably because I am a Mac guy if anyone wants a pdf you can pm me with your email address and I will send it through

Gary

 

Thanks Gary, got it.. good read too.

 

I type pretty quick, don't know the exact WPM, but faster than my wife...

Plus, a lot of times when I am here, I am at work, so I am typing while speaking to a client sometimes, or on hold with a client, or waiting for a client to call, etc.

but yeah, it was a pretty sucky experience. I got a call after I wrote a letter to them, from one of the VPs apologizing, gave me a year free, said it was an anomoly since they had just switched over providers, ironing out the bugs. But I was not a happy camper. Luckily that has been my only breakdowns ever on one of my bikes, with all my miles. But really, could have easily been killed when it died on the highway, just trying to get the bike to the side of the road was real scary, and I don't scare easy. I was very close to becoming a hood ornament at 70+ MPH.