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TrapperAH1G
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« on: May 30, 2024, 10:07:46 PM » |
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I'm sure most, if not all, here are familiar with the saga that goes "for wont of a nail a shoe was lost, for wont of a shoe a horse was lost.....etc, etc. Well, here's my story.
Taking a long ride from WA state to Sedona, AZ, via CA. Got there fine. Heading home through Utah and Nevada. First day north through Flagstaff, Kanab and to Cedar City. Great ride, beautiful. Next day head over into Nevada, through Panaca and Peoche, heading to Ely then on to Twin Fall ID. 36 miles north of Peoche (half way to Ely) I notice the TPMS is showing a drop in PSI for front tire. Pull into large gravel area. No problem, I have a patch kit and a pump. PSI is down to 28. Check tire and can't fine any puncture, not side wall damage. Hook up pump (here's where the stupidity jumps in), and begin to air tire. Filling very slowly, then stops at 32 PSI. Pump can't get beyond that. Turn pump off and the pressure drop really fast to nada! Try again, pump can't get past 20 PSI now. So, I unplug pump from bike. Check everything again, can't find an issue. Connect pump and nothing. Battery dead. Check all fuses, none burned out. Ah, didn't have motor running while the pump was going! Stupid.
Half way between one tiny town and one small town. Check and I have no cellular service (T Mobile), wife has intermittent bars. Try to get a road side assistance message through to Progressive. Every time we can get started the prerecorded message wants us to click on something in a text they are sending. Problem is when we try to switch to text it disconnects. Phone down to 60%. So, wife composes a text with explanation of situation and all our info to our son in Albuquerque. Sends it when we get bars.
Finally get a text back from him that he's working with Progressive (in fairness, it was a vendor they hire to provide roadside assistance, not progressive itself) and to standby. We've been there a little over an hour. No shade, beautiful sunny day, hitting mid 80's now. Do have water and small snacks.
Over the next hour we get short updates that are not encouraging. So far, they haven't been able to get anyone to come get us and the bike. Over the next hour.....same thing. Okay, little over 3 hours now. Finally get a message from our son that someone is on their way from Caliente NV, 60 miles away. This is a tow he has arranged on his own, not my roadside assistance carrier. They informed him that they couldn't find "any vendor in their network" that would come to our assistance. He was told we could arrange a pick up on our own and submit for reimbursement. (This is going to result in some unpleasantness with this company and Progressive this coming week. I'm 74 and my wife is a year younger, we're in the middle of the desert, halfway between towns with little to no cell service, and those (insert vulgar descriptions) left us stranded!)
Nothing to do but wait, which we do of course! Pick up truck and trailer arrive. I discuss the problems I have and ask about MC shops, tire places that might help, etc. He knows one place in Peoche that works on bike tires. Let's go! He has a strong pump so we put 40 PSI in the front, load it up and are on our way.
Get there and it's closed. This is Saturday of Memorial weekend. Young man driving decides he can probably help, but we need to get to Caliente where his shop is. We get to his shop and unload, the front tire is still at 40 PSI!!!! I lay down next to the tire and start playing with the metal, 90 degree valve stem and as I move it I can hear air coming out. OK, found the leak. Need to get to NAPA store before it closes, have 10 minutes. Luckily, this is a town of about 1,000 people, with maybe 200 in the town itself, 3 blocks away from store. Look on line and says I need a 1.25 long stem. They don't have any 90's and 1.25 is shortest available. Go for it. We use 2 C clamps to break the bead, install the stem, can't get the air hose connector between the stem and the wheel. Another guy helping us thinks he can bend it a bit and make it work. Breaks the new stem. He does have a rubber stem at his shop, so we switch them out. This one we can bend enough to fill the tire. 38 PSI and it holds. So now we get a jump box and get it started. Think I'm ready to go. Already dropped wife at motel as it's dark and we've decided to stay overnight. Take bike for a 20 mile ride, get back to motel and park. Wait an hour, check tire and air is holding, starts up.
Next morning - battery dead, tire ok. Nice guy at motel has cables and will help. His cables have weird clamps, never seen ones like these. We can't get a good connection/grip on the tiny bolt heads. I rearrange all the small connectors so we can get the clamps on. He hooks up and all of a sudden we get a spark and small fire at the pos post. I knock the clamp off the post and blow the fire out. I look at the wires, all seems ok. He has reversed the clamps from what he has connected on his truck - reversed polarity. I check all the fuses, nothing blown. Hook cables up (correctly) and let battery charge for a couple of minutes. Starts right up, all seems good. Let it idle for about 10 minutes while we load up. Seems good. Wife and I take off. 14 miles down the road I pull into a gas station and as I slow, the bike dies. No power, dead. Deja vu! Check and the main fuse, the dog bone is GONE. Big gap. So, arrange to leave the bike at the station and hitch a ride back to the motel in Caliente.
This is Sunday in very small town in Nevada, Memorial Day weekend. Nothing open, no car rental available, etc. Looking for fuse, can't get 'til Wednesday earliest off ebay. Thinking maybe NAPA will have something, won't know 'til Tuesday. No transportation of any kind available. Senior Center in Caliente has a van that takes people to Las Vegas every Tuesday. I'm looking at all options.
By now I know you're tired of this saga so let me cut to the chase. Ended up we got to Vegas and rented a car, I arranged for the bike to be stored at the gas station/garage for 2 months when my schedule will allow me to get back with a vehicle and trailer to pick it up.
So.....a leaky valve stem led to a dead battery and a delayed tow. The wrong valve stem replacement led to a rubber stem. A dead battery led to cross connections which led to a burned out fuse. A burned out fuse led to being stranded in a small town for 3 days, having to rent a car to get home and now a trip back in 2 months, and who knows what exactly in repairs to my electrical system.
Having said all that, I have to say everyone we met in Panaca and Caliente, NV was absolutely wonderful. They went out of their way to help and assist us. Those people were a life saver and the high point of our trip.
Wish me luck on the repairs. Won't be working on it 'til first week of August, no Valkyrie all summer!
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