This is sort of a spin-off from the "Who is a member of the local Chapter thread". Tell us your experiences, good and bad.

Anyway, heres our story: It was a beautiful July day.....and we were out crusing with about 6 other bikes. Fate happened and we laid ours down. Luckily we were both ok, bike was leaking something and we didn't want to ride it home, but sent the others on to finish their ride. "We will just wait on the Harley pick up service.....(this was about 2:00)...it shouldn't take long".....After about 4 or 5calls to Harley, we boarded the bike and rode to the nearest store, about 1/4 of a mile up the road, about 5:00.Bike was still leaking. Store closed. We were stranded. Rain starts. About 6:30, here comes this old old 2 door Jeep Cherokee, with a spare tire tied to the top, pulling a trailer that looked like it was salvaged from a boat junk yard, and an extra metal strip welded up the middle of the trailer. I heard banjo music start playing. It pulls up and out jumps this boy everyday of 12 years old, with tobaccorunning out his mouth. He says "you guys need the tow service?" (spit) I said "did Harley send you?", he said "yep" (spit)(getting closer to my boot), I looked at hubby. He looks at me. We look at the trailer. The driver gets out. Must be the Dad. Tobacco juice on both sides ofhis mouth. I say to kid "You want him to ride that big Ultra up that little ramp, in the rain, onto that trailer?" He said "yep, we can help him" (spit) I say"ok, when he gets up there where will he put his feet?"We all look at thetrailer again. Kid spits, missing mybootby about 4 inches and I think "if he spits on my boot after the day I have had I will throttle him." Hubby says "I think I can doit."I said "oh no you won't". Icall Harley anddescribe the scene to them. Girl on phone could absolutely care less. We send the deliverance team backon their merry way.After about 45 minutes ofustrying to call everyone we knew that might have a trailer, a harley passed and I flaggedhim down. He loaded us up in his enclosed trailer and took us home, about an hour drive. We got home about 9:00 that night. Long story short.....make sure you have phonenumbers of a good wrecker service or friend that will come and get you, if God forbid you ever need help.If your in western N.C. and need the service you might get the deliverance guys. Harley apparently sets these guys up sight unseen.

Tell us your story.

 

A. Flat tire here at work during daylight hours - H-D roadside assistance sends a roll-back who has ties.

B. Wreck at 1 a.m. in Little Five Points section of Atlanta, GA - H-D roadside assistance cannot find anyone to come out and pick me up unless I have $100 cash on hand which they will reimburse me. Since I have no money & going to ATM in that section of town at that time of the morning, I have no guarantee I'd make it back across street to bike alive, I'm out of luck. I decide to nurse bike home with wife following in truck with bright lights on.

So, I'm batting .500. But I'm still worried about anexperiencesimilar to yours. I like riding in NW N.C./TN also. But others might have better tales.

 

I was debating last week whether to get AAA for this very reason and believe now I will.

bob

 

Both times I have called a licensed and bonded towing service was dispatched.

The people I reached by phone to initiate service seem to be a bit geographically challenged. I called down in Fort St. John, British Columbia about 1500 miles from home and the Roadside Assistance / Road America person wanted to know if I wanted my bike dropped off at my house.

You should carry a set of Hog Ties and Soft Hooks in case the wrecker only has chains or honking big ratchet straps.

Both times Roadside Assistance / Road America called back to be sure I was picked up.

Longest delay / about an hour. No cash required.

 

I have never had to use my Harley roadside, thank God and knock on wood, but I did have to use AAA once.

I was about 100 miles from home and my car broke down. The tow company was too busy to take me but they didn't know how far I was going till they had the car loaded. They drove me around for 4 hours on other calls (flat tires, dead batteries, locked keys in car) while the tow dispatcher argued with AAA about having to take me. Then they dropped me off at a convienece store 5 miles further from home than I started. 2 hours after that a tow company from a neighboring city came and took me home. Oh, and I got charged for the 5 miles because I was just over the 100 AAA would take me.

 

I think I can beat this one.....I had a girlfriend that ran out of gas...called her hubby, he was on his way to get a vasectomy...he told her he couldn't come so she needed to call AAA.....she was still waiting on the side of the road, when he drove by going home after his vasectomy!!! Needless to say...she's a redhead and she was PI$$ED off.

 

this is friken scary ... uh .. poo poo..

 

And then there was a time I was staying with a female judge (no!,not at all!!) and she required AAA to come to her house to unlock her car.Seems she only had one set of keys. The guy showed up within' 30 minutes which was great in that she lived in a posh SoCal gated community. He popped the door opened and while he was doing his paperwork ask her if she remembered him.........................................

Lo and behold she had put him in the grey bar hotel for 8 years. This was his first job after he got out!

Story ends here as nuttin' happened. Sorry, it wasn't what you were asking about, but Almost.

 

After our incident listed above, WE did that. We already had AAA Plus, so just had to add RV to it. It's just a good back-up. HOG probably has great service, IF you are in a metro area. I doubt they do enough business in the obscure rural areas and therefore you end up with slim pickins on the roadside assistance.

 

Back in 01 I had a flat tire. Called roadside service and within an hour the local Harley dealer was there with their trailer, ramp, proper tie downs, etc and off to the dealership for a new tube and repair. Luckily I was probably only 12-15 miles away from the dealership.