A Long Day....

[Canuck]

Started out looking to be a good day.  Met Charlie (Land Elephant) who rode down from MI the night before for breakfast at IHOP.  Our plans where to ride down through Daniel Boone National Forest and back up to Cinci.
Took some nice little back roads down to the OH River and took the ferry to get over to the KY side.

Rode about 190 miles down into DB Forest through some nice twisties.  Starting to head back north near Natural Bridge when my tach and speedo went dead AGAIN!  Now, there isn't much down that way, just natural beauty.  Rolled the throttle to get somewhere besides no where.....
Bike started sputtering coming around a corner and there it was, Miguels Pizza.  I think this is the only restaurant down that way and one busy place. 

Coasted into the parking lot.  Now, I had the jumper cables from my last breakdown, but wasn't going to play that game again, so I pulled out the Good Sam's Roadside Assistance card.  This only get's you 65 miles or to the closest repair shop.  Ain't nothing that close down there!
An additional $480 would get me home - OUCH! For an additional $86, they would get me to Maysville Honda who have helped me out before.  Deal!  Called the dealership to let them know.  They close at 5, but I wouldn't be there until 7.  They remembered me from last time and said they'd call me back.  (this story is getting long, but so was our day so bear with me)  Dealer called back to let me know the owner would meet me there at 7 to bring my bike in.  COOL!  Charlie and I went and had some great steak sandwiches and enjoyed the scenery.  Lot's of future secretary candidates hiking the trails down there!
Good Sam's calls back.  The towing company won't tow bikes.  Great!  They inform me there aren't many recovery services down that way and they are looking....  Did I mention that Miguels didn't have a liquor license??  Call the dealership to let them know I wouldn't be there at 7, but I appreciated what they were going to do.  They said they'd call me back.  The owner of the dealership calls me a few minutes later.  He is going to come get me with his truck and trailer.

This my friends is a Dealership who knows what service is all about! 

http://www.heritagehondaky.com/default.asp

My day was looking better, but Charlie's is looking not so bright.  The rain has started and we are about an hour 45 from the dealership.  Poor Charlie suited up and followed us back.  We would have beat the rain if it weren't for my breakdown.  Riding in the rain is one thing, but night riding in the rain is another.  Charlie opted to stay in a hotel near the dealership instead of another hour and a half to my place.  I don't blame him.  It's raining this morning and I'm trying to get in touch with Charlie with the offer of trailering him back home.  I think he's already on the road though.  The man is a riding machine!  Keep him in your thoughts today for a safe ride home.

So this is the second time breaking down with the same issue while riding in KY and with Charlie.  Hmmmm     

You meet the nicest people on a Honda.

[Phil57]

Nice to see a dealer go to that amout of service. I put them in my phone in case I'm around and need service. So is this a bad battery or alternator? I looked back at your post from last time did you replace the alt with oem or aftermarket?

[Canuck]

Nice to see a dealer go to that amout of service. I put them in my phone in case I'm around and need service. So is this a bad battery or alternator? I looked back at your post from last time did you replace the alt with oem or aftermarket?

I had it rebuilt by a local alternator shop.  They supposedly replaced the rotor.  They clocked it wrong after rebuilding it - which meant I got to re and re it twice.  If it's the same problem, it may become a projectile through some storefront.  I've put about 5-600 miles on it since it was rebuilt.  

Last year, I was heading down to TN/NC with three others.  The morning we were leaving, my fork seals started leaking.  Rode over to Heritage Honda and they pulled a bike off the lift to get me in and on the road again.  Awesome service!  They gave me a new Goldwing so we could go get some grub while they worked on my bike.
When Barry, the owner of Heritage Honda called back yesterday, he asked if I was down there on vacation or just a day ride.  He offered to bring the demo Wing down and pick my bike up so I could finish my trip.    Unfortunatley, it was just a day ride.

 

[Smokinjoe-VRCCDS#0005]

  Charlie with the offer of trailering him back home.  I think he's already on the road though.  The man is a riding machine!  Keep him in your thoughts today for a safe ride home.

So this is the second time breaking down with the same issue while riding in KY and with Charlie.  Hmmmm     

You meet the nicest people on a Honda.

You can bet the river bottom farm Ol'Charlie ain't goin' to load his bike on a trailer ....That dude will lay some miles down come rain or shine.

[Canuck]

  Charlie with the offer of trailering him back home.  I think he's already on the road though.  The man is a riding machine!  Keep him in your thoughts today for a safe ride home.

So this is the second time breaking down with the same issue while riding in KY and with Charlie.  Hmmmm     

You meet the nicest people on a Honda.

You can bet the river bottom farm Ol'Charlie ain't goin' to load his bike on a trailer ....That dude will lay some miles down come rain or shine.

Ya gots that right!  He sent me a text saying he was good and ready to roll.  Charlie is pretty proud of his $19.99 rain gear from Bass Pro that's mended with duct tape.  Them Texans are tough!

[3fan4life]

It's good to know that there are some good stealers dealers out there.

I put their name and number into my phone as well.


If the dealer is willing you could have them install a "re-clocked" Goldwing alternator.

I had a similar incident in 2007 returning from a trip to Myrtle Beach.

The Honda dealer in Wilmington, NC took good care of me as well, but they weren't willing to install the cheaper Goldwing alternator and it wound up costing me $700 to get back on the road.

[old2soon]

Having just gone thru the royal P I A that an altenator dying is may i be allowed to make a suggestion?? M A R S Merrilleville In. $175.00 exchange with a 1 year warranty. The underlying problem as i understand it is the Chinese wire used in the manufacture of our altenators. Got a little over 1100 miles on the M A R S alt i installed and so far so good. RIDE SAFE.

[..]

Saved the phone number too. Thanks.

[Jess Tolbirt]

HEY BIG AL!!! a valkrie broke down,,AGAIN!!! can ya believe it?

[LandElephant]

Made it home about 5:00 PM. Left Maysville around 10:30 AM to rain.  Light rain turning to heavier rain, to just miserable rain.  Got north of Dayton to dry air and warmer temps. Unenventful from there to MI.

It may be a $19.95 Bass Pro Shop rain suit (blue no less), but it's dry and fits my large mass.  Duct tape re-inforces the seams in the crotch area.  If it works why screw with it.

Charlie Morse
Land Elephant

[Canuck]

Glad you made it home, dry!

I have now seen a blue land elephant.

[jer0177]

So this is the second time breaking down with the same issue while riding in KY and with Charlie.  Hmmmm     

Charlie has nothing to do with it.  It's Kentucky.  I almost refuse to drive through that state now, here's my history:

Moving to Texas in 2001 (driving '85 Chevy C-10 pulling trailer): axle seal failed, soaked rear brakes with gear oil

Coming to visit a friend in Pittsburgh from Texas in 2003 (driving '85 Honda CB650SC Nighthawk): Spun rod bearing in the middle of nowhere

Moving back to Pittsburgh in 2004 (driving '79 GMC K1500 pulling trailer): left rear wheel disintegrated, dropping the left rear corner of the truck on the ground, shearing off all 6 lug studs and sending my brake drum across my side of the highway, through the center median and across the opposing side of the highway.

Business trip to Texas in 2009 (driving '96 BMW 328i): Alternator failure.

Yeah, it has nothing to do with Charlie - it's just Kentucky. 

[Rams]

Rob,
I'm just glad you made it back home again.  Something about you and Charlie riding together sets the world on a different axis.    Birds start migrating north in the winter, bathing suits show up on Lake Erie at Christmas, things go out of balance.  Must be something to it. 


BTW, it ain't got noth'n to do with Kentucky, there ain't no Land Elephants native to the Bluegrass.