Dirt_Dad
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Despite old sayings and insurance company advertising, I call BS on the idea a bad day of riding is better than a good day at work. By mile 250 of my 340 mile ride day on Friday I would have gladly traded the bike seat for my office chair and been extremely happy to do it.
I took last Friday off to take DM's BMW in for the 12K service/valve check. There are 3 BMW dealers within 100 miles of the house and I selected the most distant one because they have the best reputation. Well worth the 85 mile ride there to make sure it gets done correctly. I had called weeks earlier so they knew what I was bringing in and would have the parts ready to go when I arrived. I told them I'd want a rental bike. Try to catch up with ChecksWrecks and ride while they are working.
I don't know how to get there, so the night before I attached my phone to the BMW navigation system on her bike. Plugged in the dealership and was all set to go for Friday.
Friday was miserable weather. 52 degrees (F) foggy, misty, drizzly overcast crap day. Roll the bike out of the garage and for some reason her always flawless bike now has no control over the TFT. Menu button doesn't work, rotating dial does nothing, absolutely no control. I turn off the main power button 3 or 4 times, always the same result...no control. Crap! We'll I don't know where I'm going, but I'll get to the general area then figure things out. I launch into the fog.
As I ride the screen switches to the navigation screen when I am close to the exit. Okay, so the nav is working, just not much warning before it shows me what to do. I hear the audio, but it is so faint that it's useful only enough to tell me the screen will be changing soon. I can live with that. Bottom of the ramp, hit the turn signal...nothing. Really!!? What about the horn...nope. High beams...nah. Everything on the left control cluster is dead. Lovely...return to old fashioned hand signals the rest of the way.
The cold drizzle lasts for the entire ride and as I get close to the dealership I hear the faint chatter of the nav system, but the screen never changes. Lot's of exits, don't know which one to take as I see the dealership off to the left as I miss the exit. A couple of miles to the next exit where I turn around at the entrance to NSA (yes, that NSA).
I explain the control issue to the service guy at the dealership. He walks out to the bike. I hear a horn beep. He comes in and tells me everything is working now. Of course. He tells me the only bikes left for rental are the 750 and 850 GS. I know I hate the 850 GS, so I take the bike I just rode in on. Disappointing the 1250 something isn't available.
I hang out at the dealership for a bit checking a potential new helmet. Before I leave the service guy comes out to tell me they don't have the spark plugs and I can keep the rental bike until tomorrow when they'll be able to finish DM's bike at some point. Hmmm...the weather sucks. I call ChecksWrecks and suggest a raincheck. The weather is awful, not good for fun riding. I'll just ride home and come back tomorrow. I ride 85 miles home on a stock GS, now windscreen, no hand guards, and rain most of the way. My Klim gear is earning it's keep on this ride.
At home DM and I end up at lunch after running errands. I have hot peppers which can be risky. Near the end of lunch the phone rings, it's the dealership telling me the bike is done. Really...what about the spark plugs? Guy on phone says they're done. DM and I discuss. I don't want to waste another 4 hours tomorrow, I'll just go get it before they close today.
Back on the bone stock, naked GS it is raining...hard. For a while on the interstate even using my finger rain wiper I still can't see for more than a second or two before needing another swipe. Pretty much keeping my finger at my face shield wishing I had DM's big windscreen out front. God this sucks. On and off I notice traffic is at a stand still going the other way.
Paid the nearly $1100 service bill and set DM's navigation to avoid highways. I saw how backed up they were on the way in. I'm making my way though red lights and side roads avoiding highways when the lightening starts. Flash, boom...that was close. I HATE riding in thunderstorms. I can't outrun lightening and I know riders get killed by lightening. I absolutely hate this. It's raining so hard the cars are all 25 MPH under the speed limit...so am I. Switching from one lane to another you can feel the tremendous amount of water running over the road. This sucks. Why am I not at work? I just point the bike at the brighter skies and keep going.
DM calls. I get her to look at the weather radar and tell me if I'm clear of the lightening. Yep, finally behind me. I ride to Damascus, MD and symbolically say hello to CheckWrecks as I keep heading towards home.
So no, I do not believe a bad day of riding is better than a good day at work.
I took last Friday off to take DM's BMW in for the 12K service/valve check. There are 3 BMW dealers within 100 miles of the house and I selected the most distant one because they have the best reputation. Well worth the 85 mile ride there to make sure it gets done correctly. I had called weeks earlier so they knew what I was bringing in and would have the parts ready to go when I arrived. I told them I'd want a rental bike. Try to catch up with ChecksWrecks and ride while they are working.
I don't know how to get there, so the night before I attached my phone to the BMW navigation system on her bike. Plugged in the dealership and was all set to go for Friday.
Friday was miserable weather. 52 degrees (F) foggy, misty, drizzly overcast crap day. Roll the bike out of the garage and for some reason her always flawless bike now has no control over the TFT. Menu button doesn't work, rotating dial does nothing, absolutely no control. I turn off the main power button 3 or 4 times, always the same result...no control. Crap! We'll I don't know where I'm going, but I'll get to the general area then figure things out. I launch into the fog.
As I ride the screen switches to the navigation screen when I am close to the exit. Okay, so the nav is working, just not much warning before it shows me what to do. I hear the audio, but it is so faint that it's useful only enough to tell me the screen will be changing soon. I can live with that. Bottom of the ramp, hit the turn signal...nothing. Really!!? What about the horn...nope. High beams...nah. Everything on the left control cluster is dead. Lovely...return to old fashioned hand signals the rest of the way.
The cold drizzle lasts for the entire ride and as I get close to the dealership I hear the faint chatter of the nav system, but the screen never changes. Lot's of exits, don't know which one to take as I see the dealership off to the left as I miss the exit. A couple of miles to the next exit where I turn around at the entrance to NSA (yes, that NSA).
I explain the control issue to the service guy at the dealership. He walks out to the bike. I hear a horn beep. He comes in and tells me everything is working now. Of course. He tells me the only bikes left for rental are the 750 and 850 GS. I know I hate the 850 GS, so I take the bike I just rode in on. Disappointing the 1250 something isn't available.
I hang out at the dealership for a bit checking a potential new helmet. Before I leave the service guy comes out to tell me they don't have the spark plugs and I can keep the rental bike until tomorrow when they'll be able to finish DM's bike at some point. Hmmm...the weather sucks. I call ChecksWrecks and suggest a raincheck. The weather is awful, not good for fun riding. I'll just ride home and come back tomorrow. I ride 85 miles home on a stock GS, now windscreen, no hand guards, and rain most of the way. My Klim gear is earning it's keep on this ride.
At home DM and I end up at lunch after running errands. I have hot peppers which can be risky. Near the end of lunch the phone rings, it's the dealership telling me the bike is done. Really...what about the spark plugs? Guy on phone says they're done. DM and I discuss. I don't want to waste another 4 hours tomorrow, I'll just go get it before they close today.
Back on the bone stock, naked GS it is raining...hard. For a while on the interstate even using my finger rain wiper I still can't see for more than a second or two before needing another swipe. Pretty much keeping my finger at my face shield wishing I had DM's big windscreen out front. God this sucks. On and off I notice traffic is at a stand still going the other way.
Paid the nearly $1100 service bill and set DM's navigation to avoid highways. I saw how backed up they were on the way in. I'm making my way though red lights and side roads avoiding highways when the lightening starts. Flash, boom...that was close. I HATE riding in thunderstorms. I can't outrun lightening and I know riders get killed by lightening. I absolutely hate this. It's raining so hard the cars are all 25 MPH under the speed limit...so am I. Switching from one lane to another you can feel the tremendous amount of water running over the road. This sucks. Why am I not at work? I just point the bike at the brighter skies and keep going.
DM calls. I get her to look at the weather radar and tell me if I'm clear of the lightening. Yep, finally behind me. I ride to Damascus, MD and symbolically say hello to CheckWrecks as I keep heading towards home.
So no, I do not believe a bad day of riding is better than a good day at work.