Roadside assistance for bikes?

[rwh]

I've been an AA member for the 20 years I've been driving, and it's occasionally been useful. They tell me they will help to some extent with bike problems, but can't tow, and I imagine they aren't really set up for that.

I'm interested to hear what options there are for bikes.

I've heard good stories of the Honda Riders Club, and it does sound reasonable, but all going well I'm only stuck on my 250 for another 4 months or so, and there's a reasonable chance the replacement won't be a Honda - I'd rather not go for something that narrow.

I'd also rather go with a non-profit rather than a company (which is what the HRC is run by - doesn't really sound like a 'club' at all to me).

Any suggestions?

Richard

[sAsLEX]

Dont need a honda to join the HRC I am fairly sure

[rwh]

Dont need a honda to join the HRC I am fairly sure

The info I have suggests strongly that I do, and details of my honda are required on the application form. Whether they care if it's gone in six months, I don't know.

I guess I could keep my old rusty petrol tank and call it a 'project bike' :innocent:

Richard

[xwhatsit]

I've been an AA member for the 20 years I've been driving, and it's occasionally been useful. They tell me they will help to some extent with bike problems, but can't tow, and I imagine they aren't really set up for that.

I'm interested to hear what options there are for bikes.

I've heard good stories of the Honda Riders Club, and it does sound reasonable, but all going well I'm only stuck on my 250 for another 4 months or so, and there's a reasonable chance the replacement won't be a Honda - I'd rather not go for something that narrow.

I'd also rather go with a non-profit rather than a company (which is what the HRC is run by - doesn't really sound like a 'club' at all to me).

Any suggestions?

Richard

Yeah, they do tow, though! I'm part of the AA, they saved me when my engine seized. Took ages for the truck to get there though, as it can only be a flatbed, and every man and his dog was breaking down that weekend, the tow truck driver had way more business than he could deal with. Cost me $40 for him to tow me from the North Shore to South Auckland, which seems reasonable. I know of a scooter rider who got towed by the AA too.

I'm pretty sure you do need to have a Honda to be in the HRC -- if they allowed non-Hondas, the amount of breakdowns they'd have to deal with would triple and they'd go bankrupt!

[yungatart]

Ummm, kiwibiker? I'm sure there is one in almost every town in NZ, most would be willing to help if you got stuck..
Isn't that part of what we do?

[sunhuntin]

my insurace is through star, and i had to use the call out number while in chch. the truck that showed up was a state one. couldnt tow, but it says on the card they will tow if needed. the guy who came, his jumper pack was flat, and he didnt have any tools [battery being under the seat]

[James Deuce]

I'd probably go with the KB idea now too.

AA left me in the lurch twice and then my wife once, so I'm not ever paying them for anything ever again.

Last thing you want is a towie turning up to pick up your bike. He's likely to attach a couple of ratchet tie downs to the hoist, loop them around your bike, and then crank your bike up into the air letting it swing backwards and forwards. Into the hoist and tailgate most likely. Destroying fairings and exhaust systems in the process.

[notme]

Re the honda riders club - you DO have to have a honda to join, but they don't ONLY help you while you have the honda.

I had a real good chat to the club when i changed camps from honda to suzuki.....this was what i wuz told officially:

- you need a honda to join
- we will allow your membership to run it's (1 year) course if you change bikes mid membership, and all member benefits apply to the new bike regardless of brand, but will not renew membership unless you again own a honda at renewal time.
- if you own a honda and another brand bike, we will only help you out with the honda.


So i still have 4 or 5 months left of honda rider's club cover on my suzuki :rockon:

I also have an AA membership, and by coincidence told a guy all about how to get them to tow bikes earlier tosday on the side of the road near clevedon. I have had a bike break down and get towed by the AA, here's how to swing it:

- call the breakdowns number and tell them you need a tow.
- be real polite and say it's for a bike (just in case it helps them direct a better tow truck to you), if they give you any trouble ask for a supervisor and mention that membership entitles you to a tow truck, and that you will take responsibility for securing the bike to the truck and you understand that the truck is for cars and won't have proper bike facilities.
- when the truck arrives be nice to the driver, he's just a guy doing a job, and try and take as active a hand in securing your bike as you can. They have lots of tie downs and stuff and usually a few blocks of wood, depends on yer bike but i got mine pretty secure by tying it down against the sidestand, compressing the suspension a bit.

The best option by far is to call on a friendly KB'er with the right facilities :yes:

EDIT: as Jim2 points out, and kinda what i mean when i say to tell the AA call centre person that it's for a bike, you really need a truck with ramps...

[yungatart]

AA left me in the lurch twice and then my wife once, so I'm not ever paying them for anything ever again.



What exactly, do you pay yur wife for, Jim? Am I missing out on some possible income stream here, something that Mstrs gets for nothing, that, by rights, he should be paying for??:innocent:

[James Deuce]

I pay for everything mate, you know that. I've seen you talking to her! :)

[MSTRS]

I pay for everything mate, you know that. I've seen you talking to her! :)


And sometimes the return on investment is closer to one of those Nigerian operations!!!

[sAsLEX]

I'd probably go with the KB idea now too.

AA left me in the lurch twice and then my wife once, so I'm not ever paying them for anything ever again.

Last thing you want is a towie turning up to pick up your bike. He's likely to attach a couple of ratchet tie downs to the hoist, loop them around your bike, and then crank your bike up into the air letting it swing backwards and forwards. Into the hoist and tailgate most likely. Destroying fairings and exhaust systems in the process.


like this
EDIT: name and shame rep to who else remembers this incident
<img src=http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=4118&d=1096845903>
<img src=http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=4119&d=1096845903>
<img src=http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=4116&d=1096845903>
<img src=http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=4120&d=1096845903>
<img src=http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=4117&d=1096845903>

[sunhuntin]

id tell em to fuck before they got a chance to even do that. wtf!!

[Mom]

Ummm, kiwibiker? I'm sure there is one in almost every town in NZ, most would be willing to help if you got stuck..
Isn't that part of what we do?

Thank you for saying that!........One of the things that I love best about KB is knowing that if we ever get stuck anywhere a simple text msg to someone will get us help..........I dont have a trailer, or a ute, or a.........o shit I am no help at all........lol..........I have a car and other friends that I can call on to try to assist........at worst I have a bed for you, and a phone for you to use.....KB is your friend

[xwhatsit]

...here's how to swing it:

- call the breakdowns number and tell them you need a tow.
- be real polite and say it's for a bike (just in case it helps them direct a better tow truck to you), if they give you any trouble ask for a supervisor and mention that membership entitles you to a tow truck, and that you will take responsibility for securing the bike to the truck and you understand that the truck is for cars and won't have proper bike facilities.
- when the truck arrives be nice to the driver, he's just a guy doing a job, and try and take as active a hand in securing your bike as you can. They have lots of tie downs and stuff and usually a few blocks of wood, depends on yer bike but i got mine pretty secure by tying it down against the sidestand, compressing the suspension a bit.

The best option by far is to call on a friendly KB'er with the right facilities :yes:

EDIT: as Jim2 points out, and kinda what i mean when i say to tell the AA call centre person that it's for a bike, you really need a truck with ramps...

Hmm, don't really understand needing that entire process... when I called up, I wasn't aware I had to do anything special, so I just told them my bike was broken down -- girl on the phone asked what was wrong, I told them you couldn't fix it on the roadside, the engine was seized, so I needed a tow. She said OK, sure, couldn't seem to get the name of my bike right (Honda CBT, lol?), but eventually the tow truck turned up, he was just late because of high demand. It was a flat bed truck, with ramps, the works. I imagine if I had a car, I would've got faster service because I could've used one of those winch-type setups as well, so I would've had more tow trucks available. But the guy was real good, helped me push the bike up the ramp, get it up on centre stand, ratchet it down super tight so the suspension wasn't moving around at all. Was even worried about scratching the chrome on my bars, so chucked some rags between the tie-downs and the bars.

AA will keep my membership, after that experience. Especially costing only $40 for the tow, whereas talking to the towie, it's often >$200 normally. May look at HRC though, if they'll let a guy with such an old Honda join ;)

[Shadows]

Last thing you want is a towie turning up to pick up your bike. He's likely to attach a couple of ratchet tie downs to the hoist, loop them around your bike, and then crank your bike up into the air letting it swing backwards and forwards. Into the hoist and tailgate most likely. Destroying fairings and exhaust systems in the process.


I'm with the AA. The membership I hold is supposed to entitle me to a room in a hotel, a rental car, and transport for my bike - either to my home, or to a workshop nominated by me.
Thanks for the heads up Jim, if I need their help I will be demanding that they bring a flat deck or a trailer. I can't believe they even considered employing a conventional tow truck, let alone actually doing it!

[Ixion]

It may depend on where you are, perhaps? In a large city there are flat bed transporter type trucks. But out in the country, the only salvage service for many miles may be Joes Garage, with an old converted Bedford and hoist.

[RT527]

It may depend on where you are, perhaps? In a large city there are flat bed transporter type trucks. But out in the country, the only salvage service for many miles may be Joes Garage, with an old converted Bedford and hoist.

Actually not true Ixion, most places will have a flat deck now, I know maramarua does, Ngatea, Keripehi,Thames ,Whitianga whangamata,waihi, coromandel,katikati, just to mention some.....they are everywhere. most reputable guys just have to have them, you will usually only find hook trucks in inner city centres as its easier to get around the tight spots!!!.

[rwh]

Thanks for all the useful tips. Think I'll stick with KB and the AA (with caution) for now. I imagine AA could often be easier, since they only require a phone call, and I don't usually carry my laptop on my bike.

The other idea I thought of, though, was having a method by which text messages sent to a given number would appear on a special 'I need help in this location' thread - I don't know how much it would cost or how hard it would be to integrate it into the KB site, though. I could possibly investigate some of it through work; we deal with both Vodafone and Telecom for text message services already.

Richard

[xwhatsit]

...The other idea I thought of, though, was having a method by which text messages sent to a given number would appear on a special 'I need help in this location' thread - I don't know how much it would cost or how hard it would be to integrate it into the KB site, though. I could possibly investigate some of it through work; we deal with both Vodafone and Telecom for text message services already.

Richard

I like that idea a lot, actually! It's definitely technically possible, just use an SMS gateway or something in the server. You'd still have to pay Vodafone I'd imagine. The other low-budget rigged-up version I'd want to try would be to get an old phone that supports serial transfer -- some of those old Ericssons with the key-cover do -- and simply get a pre-paid card for it, plug the phone into the server, and write some software to communicate (somebody's probably already written that). Then all you need to do is post the message up there, possibly match the received number against database of usernames, so you could put the whole profile up.

Sweet idea!

[Ixion]

We do exactly that at werk , to alert technicians of a problem. I didn't code it myself, but it wasn't complicated. From memory I authorised buying a cheapish third party control .

For a simple alert on the board no cost would be incurred , except for the standard SMS txt charge, paid by the sender (in this case the person seeking assistance, so that is fair enough - it's only a few cents anyway).

If we wanted to get more clever and forward the SMS to other phones , that culd get costly.

[notme]

I have one of the aforementioned ericsson's and a serial cable for it....and experience with something similar.....and the AT command manual.....

All can be willingly donated to this cause.

[notme]

OOps also a prepay sim card to go with the phone.... :innocent:

[klingon]

oooh excellent idea! That would have simplified the following story...

I only have second-hand experience with AA rescuing a bike. Dave C got a puncture somewhere up North... will have to ask him for the details. Anyway he had AA Plus membership so they sent out a (flat bed) tow truck to pick up him and his bike.

The AA had the option of getting the truck to deliver him and his bike to home (Auckland) or putting him up in a motel overnight and arranging a repair for the following day. They chose the second one, and delivered his bike to a safe lock-up for the night. The following day (Sunday) they got the puncture repaired and he rode home. All very satisfactory.

Unfortunately he was left in a strange city overnight (Whangarei is pretty strange) just dressed in his leathers, with no toothbrush etc. And of course he had to find his own food for dinner and breakfast, so had to go walking to look for somewhere to eat late at night in boots that really weren't made for walking. That's when the Kiwibiker connection is really valuable.

Dave called me and told me what was happening, so I PMed some of the Norfland Crew on here. They PMed me their mobile phone numbers and I txted them to Dave. Soon he didn't feel so alone any more! Local KBers offered him help and company and even invited him to a BBQ :) How cool is that?! He said no thanks, but was really impressed at the offers.

So yeah, if he had been able to txt directly to KB it would have probably had the same result, but quicker. Great idea.:yes:

[xwhatsit]

Neat story, Klingon. Actually I kind of relish the idea of wandering around a strange city... of course if I was hungry and couldn't find anywhere to eat, that would suck lol.

The only thing you'd have to worry about with that cellphone idea would be noise to signal ratio. You can imagine a whole lot of random shit being posted there, and if anybody was actually in trouble you'd be hard pressed to find it. You'd have to make sure it was strictly moderated for emergencies only, just posting details and a phone number so you can be contacted (as from a phone you couldn't read any replying posts). The other option is to implement a more general system, where you can post in any forum, but to post in the emergency forum you put a certain string of characters before your message, such as `Emergency:' or something.

It'd be fun to play around with, though.

[rwh]

The only thing you'd have to worry about with that cellphone idea would be noise to signal ratio. You can imagine a whole lot of random shit being posted there, and if anybody was actually in trouble you'd be hard pressed to find it. You'd have to make sure it was strictly moderated for emergencies only, just posting details and a phone number so you can be contacted (as from a phone you couldn't read any replying posts). The other option is to implement a more general system, where you can post in any forum, but to post in the emergency forum you put a certain string of characters before your message, such as `Emergency:' or something.

I was hoping that the cost of a text message would limit the amount of noise, but it's possibly not high enough.

The trouble with moderating it is delay; if you want a moderator to preview any posts then the post will take too long; if you rely on pruning them after the fact then the noise will still be there.

The other concern I have, this being a public forum (this applies using the normal posting method as well), is that if I post saying I need my bike picked up ... someone may just go and do that without any intention to drop it of to me ...

Richard

[jetboy]

I can arrange roadside assistance in a package with motorcycle insurance. The company I use will attempt to get the bike going following a breakdown and if this is not possible a tow will be arranged. They also offer accident co-ordination so if you do bin your bike these guys will come help you out, make sure you and the bike are alright and notify us so we can get a claim underway for you.

[James Deuce]

Do you work for the Mongrel Mob, Highway 61, or Black Power, jetboy?

[Squeak the Rat]

I can arrange roadside assistance in a package with motorcycle insurance. The company I use will attempt to get the bike going following a breakdown and if this is not possible a tow will be arranged. They also offer accident co-ordination so if you do bin your bike these guys will come help you out, make sure you and the bike are alright and notify us so we can get a claim underway for you.

Is this the same SOS roadside assist that didn't know what I was talking about when I told them they covered motorcycles aswell as cars? Luckily I was saved by a very helpful fellow biker.....

[jetboy]

Do you work for the Mongrel Mob, Highway 61, or Black Power, jetboy?

haha no, we make sure the rider is actually with the bike before we try to get it going! Plus I doubt my boss wears a patch or sports a full facial tattoo.

[jetboy]

Is this the same SOS roadside assist that didn't know what I was talking about when I told them they covered motorcycles aswell as cars? Luckily I was saved by a very helpful fellow biker.....
Are you insured with me Squeak?

[Squeak the Rat]

Are you insured with me Squeak?

Not that I'm aware of, but then again I don't know who you work for. It just sounded like the pitch I got when I purchased my insurance and was quite frustrating when I did try to use the service.

A PM is on it's way in case it is your lot.... if it's not then my apologies if I implied (unintentionally) that it was.