Friday, July 12, 2013

Sad moto. Sad moto owner.

Well, first let me say that nothing horrible has happened. That's the good news. However, here is my tale of woe.

What a day. So, I didn't even get very far from my office. I was at the light at 28th and Arapahoe, just a few blocks from my office, when the bike hesitated. So, I gave it some throttle thinking I just hadn't throttled enough before letting the clutch go. (I don't know why I thought that.) The bike accelerated through the intersection and then just died. I was able to coast into a parking lot and even into a parking spot at a strip mall. Sigh. By then I was sweating profusely from sitting at the light and then not getting any airflow because I had to pull over so quickly. (Good gravy it was hot!) So, I took my helmet off, and jacket off, and peeled my gloves off, before trying to start the bike again. (I'd also tried to start it as I was rolling through the parking lot.) Nothing.
Sad moto.

I walked over to a shady spot to text my friends. We were meeting after work for a ride to dinner. Then I called the hubby, who was, luckily, driving up to meet us for dinner. He rerouted to meet me where I was stalled.

My first thought was bad gas causing a plug again. I didn't really think it was the battery. The way it stalled just seemed more like fuel than power. I haven't had much experience with either but, whatever. Hubby seemed to think the same thing as well. So, we decided it was too hot to stand around messing with it so we went to the pizza place in the strip mall and had dinner and enjoyed the air conditioning.

We decided that if it didn't start we'd call AAA and have them tow it to Mike's Motorcycle, which is where my oil change appointment is on Tuesday. I wasn't sure how I felt about leaving it there since they were closed and it wouldn't be secure. But, I didn't think going all the way home was a good idea either.

After dinner it did eventually start but then it died again when hubby gave it some throttle. Then it wouldn't start again. So, we called AAA. In the meantime, it's starting to get late. The tow truck came and he wanted to try jumping it. It started and he drove off. I still didn't feel comfortable but with it running, we ,ay as well go home. With hubby there to follow me it seemed like the best idea. And then I noticed the sky. (I didn't get a photo because I was trying to get my gear on and get on the road.) It was kind of purple with flashes of light. Yikes!

We hit the highway with the storm to our west. No rain but lots of flashing cloud lightning and also really scary looking cloud to ground lightning. As we approached our exit, I decided I was done. I pulled into the park and ride and we left it there in the garage.
I took this video from the car after we parked the bike. It started to rain almost right after we were both in the car heading home. It rained pretty hard too. Those lightning flashes were what caused me to park the bike. I don't mind riding in the rain at all. I actually really like it. Lightning scares the crap out of me. Sitting at the light waiting to turn towards the park and ride, I would flinch every time there was a flash. Scary!

So, the bike spent the night in the parking garage where it was hopefully safe enough. We won't get to pick it up until after work today. Sigh.

Sad moto. Sad moto owner.

The really bad news is that I missed watching "Sharknado" on SyFy last night! I really love those cheesy movies. I don't know why. They make me laugh out loud. :-) Sharknado. Hahaha!! Really?! Sharknado? Hahahaha!!

2 comments:

  1. Pretty impressive lighting in that video. I won't speculate on the bike problems but hopefully it isn't anything major. Maybe a clogged filter or something...

    At least it didn't happen in the middle of a long trip.

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  2. Hope it is an easy fix. Never a good feeling when we have to leave the bike behind.

    Thanks for the quick video of the lightning. I miss those types of storms. I used to watch them for hours in BC and haven't seen a good one since and it has been 12 years. Wouldn't want to ride near it though.

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