I had a weekend to myself so, I decided to head over to the coast. The plan was to hit the coast, ride down 101 through the redwoods and then over to Highway 1 down toward San Francisco. Well, I made it almost 1/2 way. On 101, I was travelling along when I could feel the rear shimmy and slightly fishtail. Luckily, I was able to slow to determine I had a flat tire in the rear. I had my cell phone so, I was able to call around. The problem I had was that there was no one close to help me. The closest dealer was 60 miles away in Eureka. I have basic AAA tow service, I called them and they said "Sorry, your coverage doe's not allow you to be towed." So, I had to pay on my own to a tow service that charged me $330.00 when it was all said and done! I was at thier mercy as I didn't have a whole lot of options. So, what service is out there that would save me in the future?? Btw, the dealer charged me $295.00 to get my tire changed. So, it was a very expensive ride. Also, I would like to thank all the people that stopped to check on me. I had 1 Harley rider, 3 metric cruisers, 1 CHP, and 3 cars. I really appreciate all of them making the effort to stop.

 

I have HOG road service. To me it's worth the cost of membership.

 

That is something I worry about all the time. What to do if you have a flat and are in the boonies. I wonder why AAA would not cover that service. Sounds like you got fleeced, big time.

Plus why $295 at the dealer! Did you have to buy a new tire? A car tire is $50-75 what did the tire cost vs labor. Wow, thats a shock. Almost worth buying a trailer to have a friend, wife come pick you up. Sorry you had that bad experience.

They have those tire plug kits if you can locate the hole. Also I see they have small pumps you can buy to hook to the battery to run, to pump up the tire. But I understand they only work with some of the rims, some will not pump back up unless there is pressure on the outside of the tire to expand it against the rim. It might be worth looking into a recommened air bottle to carry that would plug the hole on a temp basis to get you back home. I am going to chat with my dealer about this issue. Thanks for the post.

 

with your HOG membership you get basic Road America. Then there are two different levels up from basic. Go the highest level and you get Motel coverage. It's not very expensive. AAA wants you to have AAA Plus or AAA RV Plus to cover the bike.

As far as the stealer goes, they charged you the going rate on the tire and here the mount and balance is $35 plus the labor to R&R the tire. Probably $159 for tire, $35 mount and balance plus the R&R labor in your area.

 

my extended warranty also covers 'wheels/tires'. my dealer stressed that i should call them first, 24/7, if i should ever get a flat.... theyd replace the tire, no questions... and a wheel if it were damaged.

 

Same here have the HOG road service withthe optional $19.95 to make it unlimited and sign and go, motel if needed etc.

 

dealers sure have a way of making you feel like a sissy in prison!! i would get a break down of repair cost, it seems the dealer over charged you for the service and you were slimmed by the towing company!!!

 

If you just bought the bike this year you get
the first year HOG membership free. Which
include the $100 toward a tow.

 

I've got State Farm Ins on the Harley...Had it for the last thirteen years. They cover towing. My Bro's Club membership covers towing. My HOG membership covers towing.....I've only used the Bro's Club towing. They sent some knucklehead out with a huge flatbed truck. And some flimsy *** dolly that they were supposed to strap the bike to and then winch it onto the truck. The dude had no clue how to use it. Bike ended up falling over on the truck.

I'd really be careful using any towing company that isn't equipt and qualified to transport a motorcycle. If anything happens it ends up between you and the driver. I know when you're standed in the middle of Bumf#@k, Kansas and it's 102 outside you just wanna get off the road....But Beware......I would prefer that they sent a pickup with an enclosed trailer equipted with the necessary tiedowns to handle a motorcycle. But that doesn't always happen.

Most of the dealers have trailers set up to haul bikes....At least that has been my experience.

 

I have AAA Plus w/RV. (Basic AAA clearly states that it doesn't cover motorcycles, trailers, etc. You just have to read it.) That covers my vehicles, bike, trailer, and just about any problem I could get myself into. The best thing about it is that AAA is everywhere and it doesn't take long to have somebody coming to get you.