On the road

Rode the motorcycle from Tallahassee, FL to Robbinsville, NC. Linked up with another rider from Jacksonville, FL in Madison, GA. We rode together to Murphy, NC and stayed away from the interstates and major highways.

Just outside of Murphy, the other rider had an issue with a rear wheel wobble on a Harley. We were about equidistant from a couple of repair shops. Called the first one and they did not offer tow and were kind of rude. Called the Backstreet Iron in Murphy and explained we had a disabled motorcycle. They said, "Give me a little bit, gotta get the trailer but we'll be there."

Several other riders looked but rode on while a couple of others stopped to check to see whether we were okay. I think within 45 minutes, the guy shows up with trailer and loads the Harley.

I follow them back to the shop to make sure everything is on the up and up. When we arrive and while waiting for the motorcycle to be unloaded, I was teasing the rider about being stranded on the road on a Harley and how it was kind of cliche, and said, "I got a photo of your Harley on the trailer with my Honda in the foreground." It was all in good fun.

Once we checked out the shop and spoke to a few people, the other rider said it was going to be alright and I could ride on, so I continued on to my destination. If you don't know, western North Carolina is mountainous and rural Appalachia. We were lucky to have been stranded where we were, rather than the middle of nowhere/BFE.

I know another rider from home that has a youtube channel, Two-wheeled Teacher, and he is a Harley guy. Anyway, he and his channel got me wondering what is it about Harley that makes the brand's followers so loyal? I've never ridden one and they all mostly look the same to me. I just figured it was American machismo and stubbornness.

So anyway, riding on, I got to thinking about what if the situation was reversed and it was me that was stranded? I doubted that any shop within 40 miles would've had Honda parts in stock and would've been able to get to work. My ride probably would've been down for days, not hours.