Last Tuesday I had my first experience with AAA. My motorcycle got towed. I still hadn't gotten around to bring my bike to the shop for a check up after the long ride. She ran just fine without any issues so I didn't feel an urgency to pay a few hundred dollars to get the confirmation that everything is just fine. Well, guess I should have.
Anyway, I decided to ride to work because I had physiotherapy in the morning and a social event at work in the afternoon, somewhere in Mountain View. Everything worked out well. I rode down 101 and thanks to my neon yellow jacket all the cars made space for me to pass and ignore the bad traffic. I know, lane splitting is incredibly dangerous and it scares the hell out of me. Just the thought that at any moment a car could just change the lane and pull out right in front of you, causing you to fly across cars and break whatever bone is available in you body. I could not commute on a motorcycle. Having to go through this stress every day would cause my hair to be grey within months. That said, while the driving skills in this country could be improved a lot of car drivers are very courteous towards motorcycle riders and let enough space for us to lane split. Also, while bad traffic in a car is annoying and tiring on a motorcycle it's extremely exhausting and, if it's hot outside, you're getting cooked in your gear.
While I was riding I noticed that my gear shift wasn't very compliant. I had trouble with it before. Often, when I was riding faster on the Freeway and had to switch into a lower gear it would go into a fake neutral and I had to kick the lever really hard to get into the desired or just any gear. That morning, however, it actually got stuck and stopped moving altogether. Not something you want to happen while riding on the left lane on 101 in heavy traffic. I managed to roll over to the shoulder without causing any delay in traffic. And again I was incredibly grateful to be wearing this lovely bright and shiny jacket!
I tried to fix it somehow and, indeed, I was able to move the lever and thought I could continue. But as soon as I turned the engine back on and tried to switch into first gear it got stuck again. So I took out my phone and called AAA. It was a little scary to find my way through their phone system and finally talk to a person about my situation, while standing only a few meters away from cars passing. And they asked for an awful lot of information. Later I learned that they often have issues locating vehicles so I guess it was a good thing to spend a few more minutes providing information. It certainly helped that I was standing right across from the SFO International Airport.
Right after I ended the call I saw a truck pulling up behind me and thought: "Wow, that was quick!". But it was a California Highway Patrol Service truck. Those guys provide free, well, tax paid, road side assistance on Californian Highways. Makes sense. Car issues are the most frequent cause for traffic jams, I suppose. He asked if I was okay and if there was anything he could do for me. Even just stay with me until the AAA car arrived. I declined but told him that this was an awesome idea and I really appreciated his offer.
I had barely sat down and sent an email to my colleagues that I would be working from home that day, if I ever got there, when the AAA truck showed up. Less than 10 minutes after the call. My bike got fastened on the truck within the next 5 minutes and Don, the driver and I were on our way to the Ducati shop. It turned out, that Don was from Malta and really happy that I had been there once. So we talked about the European Union and the quality of life in the US vs. Europe until we pulled up in front of the motorcycle shop. Those guys must think that I'm too lazy to drive to the shop as this was the second time in a row that I got towed there.
Meanwhile, the bike is fixed, I'm happy with AAA's roadside assistance and assistants. Someone else was happy, too. My roommate's and our neighbors' cats. They always enjoy having someone at home during the day who can open doors for them and refill their half full bowl to prevent them from starving.
No comments:
Post a Comment