Today didn't go quite to plan. I was out in the beautiful Queensland Winter sunshine snapping a few pix for FarRider fun when the bike went all gooey handling-wise. I pulled over in a controlled way. I carry a repair kit and pump, but the first question was, where is the puncture located?
There was no way I could get Ruby2 up on the centrestand to spin the wheel. The only bike I saw in the hour I was stuck was a Harley rider (not outlaw-style) who rode past, chin in the air, looking straight up the road. So much for the brotherhood of riders!
I rolled the bike back one rev of the wheel, checking as it went, and couldn't see a nail or screw. So I rang RACQ. We have Ultracare which covers anything I drive or ride, to be towed up to 60 km in any direction. They arrived inside 45 minutes. Firstly the safety car, as they have a policy of placing a car 50 metres from a breakdown for the duration of the retrieval when it is located on a highway or other road with a 100 kph limit.
The towie from Kilcoy is a biker and was very professional with his meticulous handling of the bike. Apparently RACQ now insists on their contractors having the proper gear for handling bikes. It's only the third time in 44 years that I've used an auto club roadside service, but I reckon the convenience and peace of mind is worth the annual premium.
We had a good chat on the way to the Caboolture branch of Brisbane Motorcycles.
The bike was delivered into their care. They vacated a lift for my bike and 30 minutes later I was back on the road.
The fault? One of those foolish 90
o valve stem adapters. Not the one in the rim- the type that screw onto the stem. I'd heard before that they can cause the stem to fail. The only reason I had it was they were on the bike when I bought it. Trust me, the one on the front was off and into the pocket before I left Caboolture. So it wasn't a puncture, just the air was released through the failed stem.
I've given BM five stars on their FB page for excellent service. Minimum delay and just $40!
