Bummer before the Blueridge.

[Moparlvr4406]

Background.....

I had the 93 VR "professionally" serviced 4 days before my trip of the parkway was to begin.....bad move.

I told the young man at the independent shop I was heading out for 3-5K miles and please check it over and inform me if it needed ANYTHING before the trip and I would have them take care of it....don't need problems on the road.

To begin with the tech dropped my bike in the parking lot.

after riding it into the service area for him I waited about 4 hours for the oil change and "checkover" and for them to try to find a replacement for my hiway board that broke when it hit the ground. 2 days later they had my new board and I installed it.

 

The trip begins....

Rolled out Monday down I65 out of Indy and all was great until the bridge going into Louisville. I noticed a huge RV towing a crewcab pickup slowing in front of me ...slowing significantly... so I back off the throttle and cover the brakes.

All of the sudden the RV jams the brakes(no lites hooked up on the towed truck) and the fun begins......squalling, sliding and bouncing on the lovely bridge surface I stopped just short of the back of the towed vehicle only to see the driver of the RV jump out, run to the guardrail ......AND SNAP A PICTURE OF THE RIVER !!!

The RV pulled away and after a short cursing session I roll away and hear a noise in the front of the bike....RF brake is now grinding metal to metal.

1st rest stop on I64 i pull off to see what happened and both RF pads are completely worn out and the lining is gone on the inside.

just a note...all cycle dealers in the south are closed on Mondays.

I ease my way closed dealer to closed dealer all the way to Lexington KY and finally can't stand it anymore...the noise or thought of going into mountain terrain with minimal front brake ...so I stop in a rest area and swap pads from the left to the right caliper to get descent front brakes....and cautiously go on into Gatlinburg trying not to use the rear brake any more than necessary.

next note...cycle dealers in TN and NC are closed on Tuesday.

Wednesday morning I get on the phone and find a set of pads about 80 miles away.

so here we go...I ride in and buy pads for both sides and put them on in the parking lot.

and replace my missing "gremlin bell"

 

By this time the remenants of the hurricane moving in from the south east has caught up with me..so I head north rather than try the parkway in torrential rains and 40mph+ winds.

Rode in a nice hole of blue sky to Cave City KY and as the black clouds closed in I stopped for the night.

Thursday AM I left out to come on home and rode in rain to Madison IN where it turned to hail...really noisey and kinda stings the exposed skin.

But got home that evening safe and sound.

 

This was an important trip for me not for the ride but for the learning experience.

The Blueridge Parkway will still be there next year....

 

All in all it was still a great trip...I am alive to try again

 

Lessons learned....

Never take a professionals word that your machine is OK

If they drop it....don't let them work on it !!!

Don't try to time your vacation by the weather channel

And......

Make damn sure your Gremlin bell is there !!!

Edited August 3, 2009 by Moparlvr4406

[Hazenson]

wow glad it worked out ok in the end, but how disapointing, Im not sure how I would act if I saw someone drop My bike. But I think I would feel the same way, I would never do business with them again. I did have a dealer once loose control of a inpact wrench and marred the brackets up on the motor ( bad too I think I would notice it from space).

Trying to learn all I can now so My trips to the shop are very minamal. But sometimes ya have no choice. I guess I better get one of those Bells on my bike too, cuz Im hearing alot of good things about them

[saddlebum]

wow glad it worked out ok in the end, but how disapointing, Im not sure how I would act if I saw someone drop My bike. But I think I would feel the same way, I would never do business with them again. I did have a dealer once loose control of a inpact wrench and marred the brackets up on the motor ( bad too I think I would notice it from space).

Trying to learn all I can now so My trips to the shop are very minamal. But sometimes ya have no choice. I guess I better get one of those Bells on my bike too, cuz Im hearing alot of good things about them

The bell works best if it is a gift received. Maybe you two should buy one for each other.

[Hazenson]

hey Im all for that

[Moparlvr4406]

The bell works best if it is a gift received. Maybe you two should buy one for each other.

I gave mine to my VR as a gift...close enough....it got me home !!

[Monty]

I live in Tennessee, and our Yamaha stealer is closed on Monday, but always open on Tuesday. Glad you got home safe.

[eazyduzzit]

live in Tennessee, and our Yamaha stealer is closed on Monday, but always open on Tuesday. Glad you got home safe.

 

Same here in Knoxville. He must have gotten his days mixed up. They're closed Mondays, open Tues.

[Sylvester]

I live in North Carolina and all the dealers I have been to are open Monday thru Saturday.

I do have to say that my barber is closed on Monday.

[dksmith196958]

for what ever reason... a lot of the shops are like that unless u give them a list.......with large print they cant see it. then even if they said they did it u better double check before paying the bill.......when we bought our bike the shop was supposed to change -all fluids- not just the oil..... they didnt change the gear lube..coolant..brake..or clutch fluids or the oil filter......they just dumped the oil.....and refilled.....and it was on the sales writeup--------I was not a happy camper and let them know it:mugshot:

[Guest wrench]

Dang dude, that did suck. There are a LOT of issues most every morning on the Kennedy Bridge coming in to Louisville. Sorry to hear you couldn't find an open dealer, but I do know that Yamaha of Louisville is open on Mondays, that's where I bought my bike. I've got info on 3 local dealers and I'll post it here. Maybe it'll help someone else passing through the area. See, it IS true about them gremlins!!

 

Yamaha/Polaris of Louisville (just off Gene Snyder Frwy/841 @ Shelbyville Rd)

400 N. English Station Road

Louisville, Ky. 40223

Ph. 502-254-1188

Hrs. M-F 9-6 EST

Sat. 9-4

 

Fun For All Motorsports (I-65, Exit 92, Hodgenville exit ramp, right @ 1st light on 31-W)

2500 S. Dixie Hwy.

Elizabethtown, Ky. 42701

Ph. 270-769-7726

Hrs. M-F 9-6 EST

Sat. 9-3

 

Ready To Ride Motorsports (turn North at redlight # 11 on Main St/Hwy-68)

817 Saloma Rd.

Campbellsville, Ky. 42718

Ph. 270-465-RIDE (7433)

Hrs. T-F 9-6 EST

Sat. 9-3:30

[mini-muffin]

Our dealers are closed mondays as well. There is a place in Morganton NC that's open on monday's closed wed. We ended up there when we had a tire pick up a nail. Glad you made it home safe and sound.

 

Margaret