Atlanta Harley Davidson did well by me when my new Low Rider ST developed a leak from the Primary cover, literally the day after I came home. They sent someone out to pick it up and brought it back when all repairs were completed.
I’ll start by giving a huge shoutout to Jeff and the team at Smokin HD in Winston.
I left the house about an hour ago and once on I-40 east bound toward Winston-Salem I see a fellow biker on the side of the road across the interstate west bound. Right at that moment two bikes ride right by him and don’t even wave! What the heck people. Help a fellow biker out.
I hit exit 174 at Farmington Road and circle back around to him. He was grateful I stopped and even commented about all the two wheelers that have ridden right by him.
We discussed his situation. He’s solo and 350 miles from home. He is pretty certain his stator has gone out even though there is no check engine light on. Voltage is very low and the bike will barely crank over twice.
I told him I have a trailer five miles away I can go get and I’m happy to bring food and something to drink. He was okay and had snacks and water. He had called four HD dealerships and three told him they cannot help him. One of those three was Tilley’s in Statesville which is actually the closest as the crow flies. They S U C K anymore. Don and Robinette would be ashamed at the poor level of service that dealership offers now days.
He said one dealership called him back and said they were on the way, but the road noise from the semi’s made it hard to communicate and he did not know who was coming. I was not going to leave him.
I called Jeff at Smokin and confirmed that it was indeed them that were coming to the rescue. They had a guy on the way, but they were not clear where this gentlemen was at. I was able to provide the exact mile marker and he thanked me for calling and assured me they had it under control and would help this guy out.
We exchanged names and phone numbers and I told RT to call me if there is anything I can do to help him. Pass along a little NC hospitality!
He is from the Chattanooga, TN area and laughed about riding in the rain for three days and when the sun comes out he’s on the side of the road. He is riding a 2010 Ultra that he bought 10 years back with 13k miles on it. He showed me he now has 85k miles on her and it’s the first time the bike has left him strained.
We’ve been there and it’s a bad feeling. Help out your fellow bikers guys. It’s bad enough to be broke down and be looking a a big repair bill. Add to that you are a long way from home and even a restaurant or bathroom and it stinks.
I’ll follow up with him in a couple of hours and give you guys an update on his status.
Really bummed to hear that about Tilleys. I used them for years in salisbury up until their closure during covid. Always felt home at that dealer and was satisfied with the level of service I received in all their departments. I took part in the ride when Don was killed years ago, he was a good guy and that showed from the sheer amount of people their to celebrate him.
Really bummed to hear that about Tilleys. I used them for years in salisbury up until their closure during covid. Always felt home at that dealer and was satisfied with the level of service I received in all their departments. I took part in the ride when Don was killed years ago, he was a good guy and that showed from the sheer amount of people there to celebrate him.
Yes he was. We were part of that ride to the football stadium also. Don was a legend in the industry and a riding machine. I served in several rolls at the Statesville HOG chapter including director which allowed me to get to know Don and Robinette better. I was very fortunate to get to ride on the two final after Christmas rides Don did to Florida. It was a lot of fun and he had a thousand stories!
Here are some photos from Cedar Key which was one of Don’s favorite places in Florida. This was in December 2013.
Yes he does! When the Carolina Girl said that he laughed and told us he’s heard it a hundred times. He’s a funny guy and kept us entertained. His standard reply to that is no, he’s my brother, I’m Eus-Less.
That's some funny stuff. My Dad loved that show, we would watch together. He called him by the same name, Use-Less....LOL......
Dad passed and I can't watch anymore. Gets me to missing him too much.
You went above and beyond Coz, and that's awesome. I think the main problem with 90% of folks just flying by and not stopping to check is folks are too much in a hurry, and everyone depends on cell phones now, and says "he has a cell phone, he'll be fine". That's true, cell phones get us out of trouble, but as he found out, not all Dealers will respond, and what if a Dealer is closed? Then yea, that guy needs help.
I've been on the side of the road a few times making minor repairs, with my wife, and we're standing there waiting on the bike to cool down so I can work on it. No one stops anymore. Good on you helping out.
You know if you’re down my way you can call me anytime. You have my number.
Had to drop everything on a Sunday to go get a fellow rider on I40 in Burlington on his Goldwing. I said yes without flinching but I told him there was gonna be a lot of pictures. After all they ragged me all the time talking **** about my HD.
Last edited by Notgrownup; 05-19-2024 at 05:48 PM.
05-18-2024 | 09:50 AM
