A nice little story about a fallen bike and some nice Yanks

Just something to make you chuckle and realise there are some good people in the world.

As you may have seen from the avatar and linky in my signature, me and 'er indoors done a mini tour across California, Arizona and Nevada in July this year on a phat fat Harley. On our second day we decided to go up an aerial tramway in Palm Springs, which travelled nearly 13 000 feet and took us just under 6 000 feet up to the top of a mountain. In the picture you can just see the road to the right of the river:




Anyway back to the story. On the way to the base station we rode up a 4 or 5 mile road to the car park. On finding a space I turned to park and whack. We were over. I'd been going so sedately that by the time we'd reached the car park I'd forgotten we were on a hill and went to park it at 90 degrees to the hill. What a plank. Missus jumped off and I ended up lying down with the bike already imaging the pain my wallet would feel.
I had a little graze but was more gutted that I'd dropped a $19 000 bike on the second day of having it and was liable for the first $1 000 worth of any damages. I'd broken the front brake lever and what looked like scraped up the engine bars which, incidentally, I'd been told were about $500 a pair before I left the hire place. My despair aside, a friendly fella immediately came over to help me pick it up. Then I couldn't believe it. In true Yank style someone from the office came over and took every little bit of any little details I had, of course in case I decided to sue their ass. By this time I'd moved the bike very carefully to the motorcycle parking area which was nice and flat and just then a young fella and his missus pulled up on a big BMW bike. He told me that he'd done exactly the same the week previous and a few minutes later the security guard/anti suing man got a call on his radio that someone else had just done it! My pride was nearly restored. It really wasn't a busy place but we were dropping like flies! After asking why they didn't put a sign up the worker told me someone had knocked it over. So put up another one moron! All the time this was going on a funny old man had pulled up on a Harley and was buzzing round us. It turned out he was a bike spotter and he took the frame number! He was a real character and I wish I'd got a picture with him.

We done the tramway and carried on with our holiday, albeit with the poorly bike in the back of my mind. A few days later we stopped in a town called Williams in Arizona on old Route 66 and I got some tar remover because where the engine bars were scratched there was a lot of tar on them too. Well it wasn't until the last day in Vegas that I used it. The stuff worked like magic and actual took about a 5mm thick layer of road tar off in one shot. No scratches! I was a bit more of a happier bunny now. That night we done the Vegas thing and came across a Harley shop. I bought a top and the shop told us how to get to their workshop the next day to see if I could get the lever replaced. At the 'shop the next day it was amazing. They had probably every different type of Harley in there. The workshop was mahoosive and even the staff parking was filled with big old tractors. When I went to pay for the lever I asked how much I owed them and the man said "oh don't worry about it". I was flabbergasted. I checked and he said "we took it off another bike". I didn't know what to say but thanked him profusely and smiled from ear to ear. Talk about customer service! Imagine that happening here? Not likely. I couldn't even tip him because he didn't do the work and I to be honest I was a bit stunned. I did buy a t-shirt though.

When we took the bike back to the hire place they didn't notice that it had been down and I was as happy as Larry. I could see my Vegas winnings being spent on a very unfortunate occurrence.

Scroll down for the funny picture:





























I do hope you enjoyed my little story. There are loads more to come. The hardcore biker feeding chipmunks on the Hoover dam, our Eskimo friends and winning streak in Vegas and running out of petrol in the middle of the Arizona desert at 3:30 in the morning.

This has been Monkeyboy. Signing off.

You know what mate, I am not actually that surprised about Yank Hospitality. My parents have been across there twice in the last 2 years, and after everything that TV and other media tell us about Americans (Which is basically that they all carry guns, are rude and brash and would not think twice about invading your country if it had oil) is simply not true.

Little is it known that New York regularly wins "Politest city in the world" award.

My parents love the country and they are shy and retiring people. They come back saying how much everyone will go out of your way to help you, and just like you said then refuse payment or tips.

Plus you know what they say about bikers. The biggest set of friends in the world.

Nice story mate. I am saving up at the moment for a 6 month tour of America by bike. I need to save for about another 5 years though yet.

Nice to get some balance in a world of virulent anti-Americanism....usually coming from people whose only contact with the USA has been watching Die Hard 2.

I rode the length of Route 66 in 2006: Wisconsin to California, 3333 miles. I saw great sights, met fantastic people, experienced great friendliness, had THE best time.

Never once was I less than welcomed.....except perhaps when (on my Magna) I blundered into the middle of the Santa Fe HOG rally! Even then, I just said "Sorry, guys....I'm English!", producing smiles and shouts of "Well THAT explains it!".

If you don't try America, you'll never know.............

[the_lone_wolf]

where did you rent daisy dukes?







what? you didn't expect a serious response did you?

That car park looks really deceptive, the bike park shouldn't have been on an angle like that (if it was a bike park area). I think I'd have fallen the other way though, to the left when I put my leg down and having no ground there!

Nice story
And gotta agree, been over to America twice now (albeit good few years back), but the people over there were mostly great.

Just don't go shopping on Black Friday Their manners are less impeccable then LOL

The only bad bit about my time in America was being hassled by a street tramp in Boston, but my friend had given me some wise words of advice ... keep your hands in your pocket at all times (helps to stop ya loose change from rattling, and prevents them pick-pocketing you!), don't engage with them, be firm but polite.

All the retail staff I encountered were very happy and almost every single one of them gave the stereotypical "Have a nice day" with a smile as they served us You just don't see that over here ... over here its spotty oikes whose whole mannerisms scream "I don't want to be here ... least of all serving YOU!"


Also met a nice pair of bikers (rough-a$$ looking pair they were too) a 3am at a diner in the middle of nowhere (well ok, probably somewhere just outside Providence, RI), who were just fascinated by the English accents Must admit, we were a little worried when they made a beeline for us at that time, in an almost empty diner ... but they were so nice LOL

A trip like that of teriyakimonkey or Ol Boc is way up high on my list of things to do. Nice one.

that is a great place, i went there in 2001. i went from being roasting hot at the bottom to playing in the snow on top its just a amazing place best part of my hoilday, but being up that high i got the worst head ache iv ever had, was out of breath just walking up the hill back to the cable car. wow what a day

[Biker Biggles]

Have to agree about Americans as individuals being so much nicer than their countries image.I still have great memories of being treated like royalty in New Orleans and other southern cities just for being British.
Never ever call anyone from the south a yank though,as its akin to calling a Scotsman English.(Or a Taff intelligent)---Taxi

My experince of yanks is they are either

genuinly incredibley nice
paid to be nice
very rude


Good story, sounds like a good trip