When Not to Nod at a Fellow Biker.....

[WhyNot]

So, there I was, stressed as my boss is calling me on my mobile and not being able to answer as I went out for a sneaky blast on the bike and found myself broken down on the side of the A338......

Fellow bikers riding past, waving, nodding, but none of them stopping to see if I was ok.

60 minutes, sat on the main road and trying not to get run over, and not one person thought to see what the crack was. Obviously, its normal for a girl to sit with her bike on a main road avoiding getting hit....

So, does anyone have a number for a local bike transporter just incase the need arises again?

:)

[WR6133]

Never count on anyone stopping to help I pushed my old one back from the A303 slip road at thruxton track to Tidworth once. Sunny day masses of bikes out not a single one stopped.

AA breakdown or similar is probably best for recovery.

What broke?

[theoldbaldone]

Been there, i was sat on a road side last week with my son and nodders going passed, i don't know what AA are like but the RAC have NO bike mechanic's or their own transporters, their get a contractor from near where you are, was on the opposite side of Trowbridge too my house, contractors was coming from Radstock, got my bike started in the end :)

[Burbler]

A few weeks ago, I came across a huge BMW with 2 peeps looking fraught at the roundabout by the old Severn bridge. I stopped and enquired. They were in matching BMW kit, boots, hats, hard luggage etc. and were en route from Edinburgh to Plymouth. Their satnav had packed up and they had manage to screw up at Almondsbury interchange. Led them down to M5 (S) at Avonmouth, in fact not too far a deviation. They were very grateful.

[SupeRDel]

Check policies with motorcycle breakdown. Most of the free ones attched to bike insurance have a £300 limit to each call out when you breakdown. £300 does not get you very far.
Last year I got a puncture on a saturday evening on the A303 near Popham. I called out the "Ebike" free breakdown cover.

45 minutes later the van from SOS Motorcycle Recovery turned up. My £300 cover will take you about 120 miles total before you have to start paying. Actually I should say - it will take you just 60 miles as they measure the distance from the point of breakdown to home and back to breakdown point.

http://www.sos-direct.co.uk/

Chatting to the breakdown guy and he said Some insurance free breakdown cover will only take you 10 miles to a garage. Read that small print on your policies. Even the AA has a cover on a call out to a bike.

I was stuck, 50 miles from home, in the rain and all alone - its that moment you realise you need cover

[shiftyblake]

Hopefully you are up and running again ! I think if I remember rightly you can call the AA out as a non member but you have to pay for membership there and then !

[WhyNot]

Thanks for the breakdown advice guys, i'll check with my insurance but if I havent got it then maybe I should think of investing.

Turns out it was trivial and lack of fuel, lack of experience on a new bike.

In the end I dumped it by the side of the road and the old owner bought a trailer down an hour later, thankfully it wasnt stolen.

[shiftyblake]

Happens to us all, as long as you got back safety with the bike too.

[Conehead]

Dont even start me on breakdown cover through your insurance cover. Absolute waste of space and time.

I am due to be made redundant in the next year or so and I am planning on buying a van for my business but it would also be to help recover broken down bikes. I will let you all know when that is and also give you a contact number so no need to worry anymore. Just call me batman

[wheelers]

you need a friendly local bike shop with a van, not a big one that dosnt care!! been on numerous local callouts up to midnight. its the personal touch not someone funding big showrooms and their own racing. we have even met AA vans at the unit at 2am with breakdowns. thing of the past now as only doing selective work as riders prefer lower prices then complain about treatment. not sour grapes , I love the easier life Im getting now.
regarding the AA, you can wait hours, then have to wait if their driving hours have run out. only a few dedicated bike recovery vans, and knowledgeable patrol men. they prefer to take you to a garage as bikes are harder to work on due to compactness. generally they just look at fuel and battery and that's their limit.
maybe there is the need for a chain of local vans willing to call out.....

[BB]

Aw, sorry to hear of your bad experience with other bikers. I've even turned round in the car to go back to check someone is ok if they are stopped in a questionable place. Not that I can really do anything being a mechanical numpty but will do what I can. I must have been lucky in the past whenever I've coasted to a stop as I've always had a fellow biker stop to check I'm ok.
I'm covered through my insurance and also have RAC, we also have a van so if local one of us will rescue the other or nip home for the van :)

[Nano]

My last bike was italian and although it was nice to ride, it frequently threw its dolly out. One year I had 5 breakdowns alone for different faults. I have full aa cover through my ban acount and it works out about half of he direct cost from them. There is no limit in value with this bt there is a 7 calloufs per year limmit. They on averGe left me waitinv for 3 hours each time buf the got there ijn the end! Not bad price but lots of waiting

[Jon_W]

I have AA relay and my other half has RAC and we've both found them very good.

[Trev]

I have RAC cover although only ever used it once when in France in a car, certainly proved it's worth then.

Only bike breakdown I've had recently that left me stranded was when my 'new to me' Royal Enfield shredded the the valve from it's rear tube (a powerful bike will do that!) resulting in instant and quite scary flat, 50mph doesn't sound quick until you try it with an instantly, totally flat tyre. Even though I carry a puncture kit there was obviously no chance of repairing but rather than wait ages for RAC, as I was only 20 miles from his place I called my brother who has a van (plumber). While waiting the hour or so for him to finish his tea and clear his van at least half a dozen people stopped to see if they could help, all of them in cars although one or two were bikers. Would I have got the same on one of my Gixers, not sure as the RE seems to bring out the best in 'older' road users........... or maybe it's just pity that you have a Royal Enfield and a puncture, how sad must that be ;)

[Swanny]

I've stopped when a bikers been on the side of the road and I'm definitely going to stop next time I see one after reading this thread :)

[Grey haired bloke]

I have often stopped for a biker who looks like they have a problem, on most occasions there's little to done as they have made phone calls and have things in hand but every now and again just the fact that someone has stopped and offered help has given them a bit of a boost on a crap day.
On the other hand I have stopped on the side of the road, more so when I used to smoke, and every now and then someone would stop and ask if all's well, it's always pleasant when someone takes the time to ask.
As for the breakdown services I've only ever used the RAC and that twice, once for a puncture and the other when a drive chain snapped on the M5 (picking up a bike from Liverpool for my son) I've found them exellent, when your sat on the side of a motorway a 150 miles from home, you ain't half glad to see that van turn up and then a direct lift home with no stops and the bike on a proper trailer.

[BB]

Ghost reminded me about when my 1968 Triumph decided to coast to a stop on out in the sticks on a Bath Classic run about two years ago. Obviously the guys behind stopped but it was clear it wasn't going anywhere so the rest went on and Ghost went home for the van as would be quicker than waiting for breackdown to come & say 'Yup, it's broke' and then wait another hour or so for recovery. There was no real place to get in off the road so the bike was just tucked alongside the verge and as it was a stinking hot day I decided to lie on the verge alongside the bike. It wasn't a wildly busy road but over the time I was waiting quite a few vehicles went past and not one stopped to investigate the 'body' at the side of the road! Didn't want to get involved if it was a body I suppose lol

[Florentine]

If your bike has broken down and you are stranded at the side of the road, the absolutely last thing you need is a total noob like me stopping to make things worse...

Mind you, perhaps I should keep tea making equipment and cake in my topbox? I could be the department for morale whilst awaiting someone who knows what they are doing. :cool:

[Vulcanboy]

I'm quite surprised that no one stopped .... a sign of the times, I guess ....

[Rabb]

I always stop or give them a 'Thumbs up' - If I get a 'Thumbs down' signal I stop and check they're sorted.
Most of the time bikes on the side of the road are waiting to meet mates for a ride out and have agreed to meet at that point.
And yes - I am a knight of the road
I have even stopped for cars too when I have seen that they may be in a vulnerable situation.

[wheelers]

Ive been on a couple of business runs in the van and come across bikes parked on the side of the road, easy to stick the yellow light on and give a bit of protection, even if they have made arrangements to get collected. even run them home .

[WhyNot]

I'm enjoying the reliability of the Aprilia at the moment (for now....)

That might all change tonight though, it's Honda time....

[BB]

lol good luck :)

[House]

I know there will be some people who will shoot me down for this for insurance reasons but maybe a list of willing people with trailers/vans and location on here would be good? I've got a trailer and would be willing to help another member for fuel costs should they break down in the Frome area. Don't want to put my number on a public forum but there must be some way around it?