Oh Crap...Now What?
posted by The Lonely Rider
As a rider...eventually something goes wrong. Sometimes it's something simple like a dead battery, a flat tire or even running out of gas. Sometimes it's far worse like a crash. So what do you do? Who do you call?
When I purchased my F650GS, it came with the BMW Roadside Assistance program, which at the time I thought was great. How nice, I thought, of them to include that even though it was a used bike. Well...that's what I thought at the time until I actually had to use it. I remember my frustration quite vividly the night that my bike wouldn't start. It was in the middle of winter and despite the sub-zero temperatures, I was still riding since the roads were clear of snow and ice. At 2am, I was leaving work, got suited up with many layers to protect me from the cold, only to discover that my bike wouldn't start. Sigh.
Again and again I tried to start my bike but nothing happened. I figured the engine and battery was just too cold from the -15c (5F) temps that the bike had been sitting in for several hours. No worries I thought...I have Roadside Assistance. I'll just call them for help. I figured I just needed a boost.
The agent on the phone was nice enough but explained that my bike would have to be towed to the nearest BMW Dealership nearly 20km (12.5 miles) away. This was annoying...I only lived 10min away but they refused to bring me and my bike home. I had a battery booster at home and was certain that was all I needed. Oh ya...I was also told I would have to wait about two hours for someone to show up (apparently this is the standard response time).
Ok...fine. Tow me to the dealership. I'll take a taxi home. Well...that was until I found out that at 2am they didn't have any flatbed tow trucks available and my bike would have to be slung from the back of a standard tow truck. I don't think so! "Look lady...just give me a boost. I'm sure that's all I need". It was then that I found out that they didn't have the proper connections for my model of bike and planned on using a regular car battery booster, which would require me taking much of the fairings off my bike. Once again...I don't think so! Boosting a motorcycle like that can cause a fair amount of damage to the electronics, never mind the fact that in those freezing temps, I was going to have a hell of a time taking the bike apart enough to access the battery anyway. Forget this nonesense.
I called them back and told them to cancel the tow truck. I was going to take a taxi home and return the next day with a proper booster. Sigh...ok...lets try starting the bike again before I call a cab and after two attempts....VRRROOOMM...followed by a huge sigh of relief. I hopped on my bike and headed home.
As luck would have it, later in the year I threw my chain but I luckily had the tools on hand to deal with the situation (tools not included with the bike but ones that I brought with me...just in case). 10 minutes later I was up and riding again but what if I hadn't packed those extra tools? I would of been stuck on the side of some road waiting for some other roadside assistance program to respond in two hours time.
So this left me wondering about Roadside assistance programs. It turns out that most dealers offer some sort of service but all of them insist on towing your bike to the nearest dealership or "authorized" repair centre. Even CAA has similar restrictions and if you need help in the USA, you have to submit your receipts and hope for the best.
However this year I came across MotoLimo.com. They provide all sorts of motorcycle transportation services with specialized trucks. They even joined all the RoadAwareness Events that I held in support of the cause. Although I never personally needed their services, we developed a strong relationship and I've given their contact info to pretty much every rider I've met in case they ever found themselves stranded. They are even affiliated with CAA. The limitation was that they only serviced the Greater Toronto Area. This may be fine for local riders but what about those who do a lot of touring?
Well, they answered that call too and launced MotoRescue, which is part of North America's largest towing service provider with over 20,000 units in service. This means riders are covered across Canada with coverage in the United States too and they only deal with companies who understand the needs of motorcyclists. Not bad and the real bonus is the price! Talk about reasonable!
Ok...I'm not trying to sound like a commercial but when you find a good product or service, it should be shared and this is one of those times.
For more information, check out MotoRescue Emergency Roadside Assistance Program
Labels: motorcycle, motorescue, roadside assistance, shaun de jager
posted by The Lonely Rider
