Gbjbany
New Member
I thought i would share my towing experience as others may learn from it
Sorry for the long post !
This weekend, out on a group ride on Mosquito Road and Rock creek road near Placerville CA. Great and challenging road lots of twisties, 180 degree turns etc
Anyhow - Using manual on my DCT as the twisty downhills can get you, even in sport , im having fun !
About 1 mile from the end of the road as we are approaching the junction with SR193 to go to Georgetown , running mainly in 2nd , i looked down as we stopped at 193 and had the flashing gear indicator !! oh No !
So i stop and turn off the engine, turn it back on - no joy - cant select any gear . Im stuck
Couple of the group stop with me and we call AMA (I’m a member) for Roadside assistance - Phone has about 43% battery left - im thinking im ok . but only 1 bar (ughh_)
I get the AMA after 2 attempts and log a call – they tell me they will call back with an estimated Time of arrival
They call back 20 mins later (now at 33% battery) and they tell me the only person they get will be 2 hours ! (im not that far out in the woods – but I think oh well – I can live with that)
I send my buddies on the way saying im fine, they leave me food and water and away they go.
2 hours 30 mins later – no Towing truck – Phone now dead ! (im In such a poor reception area the phone looking for a signal has drained the battery)
I should say in this time 2 or 3 people stop and check im ok - I say yes im fine – waiting for a tow truck –
Lesson 1 – never go out without a charging cable !
Lesson 2 – There are some decent people out there !
Next person who stops – I ask if I can borrow their phone to call the AMA again – and see where they are.
Of course he says (thanks Markus) and I call – 3 or 4 attempts later standing on the other side of hway 193 to get any signal - they tell me
– Oh no they decided they wouldn’t come !!!!
WHAT !!!
Lesson 3 – if the callout time seems unreasonable – don’t trust they will actually turn up
Ok well how long for another – Lose signal – 3 calls later – they tell me another hour –
But, BUT !!!! , they said we don’t recommend these guys as for the 4 miles over my 35 mile coverage its $300 !
I say I agree and they try to find another – Markus’s phone dies – I killed that too – he doesn’t have a cable either
Markus offers to drive me to a town ( is there such a thing as public phones anymore !) – I decline as my bike will be on its own for some time if I do that – and it could get lifted
I send Markus on his way and hope someone else will stop with a working phone
Thank goodness – Along comes the CHP !! Officer Walker to the rescue
Officer Walker allows me to use her phone and I try to call AMA – On hold, dropped line etc
She calls dispatch and asks if they know which towing company – I have assumed AMA has found one - is coming to get me
She finds out its 5 star towing – they report that the they are there with me – She kindly say – sorry they are not !
So the dispatched rechecks and they say oh they are coming 45 mins to arrive !
Officer walker says this towing company is used on the CHP rotation - so they will get here
She offers to call another company to see if they can do it sooner - but im worried it will be expensive and not covered by the AMA – so I decline
Lesson 4 - AMA will accept reimbursement requests – but don’t guarantee to pay them – its case by case
Anyway CHP officer Walker says she will go off and do more goodly work elsewhere but will come back later to see I’m on my way home.
1 hour later – she turns up , im still there – but another towing truck turns up ! – Ok getting somewhere now
Its now getting dark,
Officer Walker tells me – she heard 20 mins after leaving me before – that the 5 star guys got called by law enforcement and dropped me to go to that (more lucrative I expect)
Anyway new towing guy was called by CHP – So its an official call ! That means commercial rates – hourly not by the mile
Extreme towing is the company and the guy who turned up was super helpful – calls I his boss and says can we do this via the AMA instead (btw AMA uses Roadside America as the Roadside assistance) – his boss says if CHP will put us back at the top of the rotation sure - CHP wont – just the way it works
So I’m looking at a $480 charges – did I say it was now dark and im on a road in the middle of nowhere – I say ok – I hope AMA will reimburse me
10 mins later – He gets a message – AMA (well Roadside America) has covered the costs - YAY result and that is my story
Great thanks to the CHP, Markus and other people who stopped to check – Boo to 5 star
I hope someone else will be able to make less mistakes than me !
Postscript: - I have not taken the bike to the dealer yet as it was closed by the time the truck turned up and they are closed sunday monday
Sorry for the long post !
This weekend, out on a group ride on Mosquito Road and Rock creek road near Placerville CA. Great and challenging road lots of twisties, 180 degree turns etc
Anyhow - Using manual on my DCT as the twisty downhills can get you, even in sport , im having fun !
About 1 mile from the end of the road as we are approaching the junction with SR193 to go to Georgetown , running mainly in 2nd , i looked down as we stopped at 193 and had the flashing gear indicator !! oh No !
So i stop and turn off the engine, turn it back on - no joy - cant select any gear . Im stuck
Couple of the group stop with me and we call AMA (I’m a member) for Roadside assistance - Phone has about 43% battery left - im thinking im ok . but only 1 bar (ughh_)
I get the AMA after 2 attempts and log a call – they tell me they will call back with an estimated Time of arrival
They call back 20 mins later (now at 33% battery) and they tell me the only person they get will be 2 hours ! (im not that far out in the woods – but I think oh well – I can live with that)
I send my buddies on the way saying im fine, they leave me food and water and away they go.
2 hours 30 mins later – no Towing truck – Phone now dead ! (im In such a poor reception area the phone looking for a signal has drained the battery)
I should say in this time 2 or 3 people stop and check im ok - I say yes im fine – waiting for a tow truck –
Lesson 1 – never go out without a charging cable !
Lesson 2 – There are some decent people out there !
Next person who stops – I ask if I can borrow their phone to call the AMA again – and see where they are.
Of course he says (thanks Markus) and I call – 3 or 4 attempts later standing on the other side of hway 193 to get any signal - they tell me
– Oh no they decided they wouldn’t come !!!!
WHAT !!!
Lesson 3 – if the callout time seems unreasonable – don’t trust they will actually turn up
Ok well how long for another – Lose signal – 3 calls later – they tell me another hour –
But, BUT !!!! , they said we don’t recommend these guys as for the 4 miles over my 35 mile coverage its $300 !
I say I agree and they try to find another – Markus’s phone dies – I killed that too – he doesn’t have a cable either
Markus offers to drive me to a town ( is there such a thing as public phones anymore !) – I decline as my bike will be on its own for some time if I do that – and it could get lifted
I send Markus on his way and hope someone else will stop with a working phone
Thank goodness – Along comes the CHP !! Officer Walker to the rescue
Officer Walker allows me to use her phone and I try to call AMA – On hold, dropped line etc
She calls dispatch and asks if they know which towing company – I have assumed AMA has found one - is coming to get me
She finds out its 5 star towing – they report that the they are there with me – She kindly say – sorry they are not !
So the dispatched rechecks and they say oh they are coming 45 mins to arrive !
Officer walker says this towing company is used on the CHP rotation - so they will get here
She offers to call another company to see if they can do it sooner - but im worried it will be expensive and not covered by the AMA – so I decline
Lesson 4 - AMA will accept reimbursement requests – but don’t guarantee to pay them – its case by case
Anyway CHP officer Walker says she will go off and do more goodly work elsewhere but will come back later to see I’m on my way home.
1 hour later – she turns up , im still there – but another towing truck turns up ! – Ok getting somewhere now
Its now getting dark,
Officer Walker tells me – she heard 20 mins after leaving me before – that the 5 star guys got called by law enforcement and dropped me to go to that (more lucrative I expect)
Anyway new towing guy was called by CHP – So its an official call ! That means commercial rates – hourly not by the mile
Extreme towing is the company and the guy who turned up was super helpful – calls I his boss and says can we do this via the AMA instead (btw AMA uses Roadside America as the Roadside assistance) – his boss says if CHP will put us back at the top of the rotation sure - CHP wont – just the way it works
So I’m looking at a $480 charges – did I say it was now dark and im on a road in the middle of nowhere – I say ok – I hope AMA will reimburse me
10 mins later – He gets a message – AMA (well Roadside America) has covered the costs - YAY result and that is my story
Great thanks to the CHP, Markus and other people who stopped to check – Boo to 5 star
I hope someone else will be able to make less mistakes than me !
Postscript: - I have not taken the bike to the dealer yet as it was closed by the time the truck turned up and they are closed sunday monday
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