OK, So I always tell myself that I don't post because nothing exciting ever happens to me or Frank. Well I had a event happen tonight and as Frank has told me I will never EVER live it down I must share it with you all. I don't have a picture of it but I'm sure you all can use your imagination. I was riding my motorcycle to work today because gas prices are hovering around $3/gallon and the cost of filling my car is $40/tank vs $7/tank on the bike. For that reason and because we are now in the 80 degrees, I felt I should ride. Well, my bike has not been running correctly for several months now because I don't ride it often enough. I have to ride it with the choke completely on or it dies. I rode it last night and it was doing better but still running rough and jerky. But oh well, I rode it to work this morning and got there just fine. In fact it seemed to be running a little bit better. So I start heading home and it is running like always but I notice that my mileage is getting high (that's how you judge if you have gas or not) but I know I can get home and should be fine. I get going and make it through the first highway I take and through the city streets I take and then I'm on the second freeway (at rush hour) cruising along in the carpool/motorcycle lane on the far left when with a splutter and spurt my bike dies! I have no way to get off to the right emergency lane. All I have it about 3 feet between the carpool lane and the concrete barrier that I have to pull over and I can't get my bike started again. Thank heavens for cell phones and good Samaritans. I called Frank and then waited for a police officer hopefully to stop and help. Well I had one Sheriff's car and one motorcycle cop pass by me with nothing but a wave when this really nice guy named Bruce stopped his beat up little pickup in the carpool lane. With much effort we tried to get my bike up into his pickup but I wasn't much help and he couldn't do it by himself. So he flagged down a big Harley rider who helped him lift it up and then we tied it down. By that time a police officer had finally stopped to see what was up and he was able to stop the traffic on the other 3 lanes so we could slowly move over to the right and exit off the freeway. He drove me and my bike not only off the freeway but several miles back to the motorcycle service shop. ON the way I found out that he had seen me stranded, got off on the next exit, got back on the freeway going the opposite direction and then off to be able to come up behind me to help. He said he was having a really bad day and didn't think anyone else needed to have as bad a day so he felt the Lord had prompted him to stop. Well when the guy at the motorcycle shop looked at it he said "your out of gas". THUS the reason Frank will NEVER ever let me live it down. But then I asked him about it running rough AND I had tried the reserve gas tank and it wouldn't do anything. SO he is going to look at it but thinks that there was some bad gas gooping up the fuel line which is why the reserve didn't work.
SOOO...moral of the story. When in doubt, PUT GAS in the BIKE! AND Never EVER leave home without praying for safety!
Love you all!
Patti
6 comments:
Thanks for the story Patti. Did they give you a ticket for causing all that traffic disruption?
I once had a motorcycle that ran rough like that, so I had to keep the engine running fast so it wouldn't die. Anyway, when I got pulled over for speeding home from work down 2nd south, they didn't accept my explanation of why I needed to ride so fast.
Anyway, glad you are home safe.
Larry
Wow, I was just about to say something like, "Ooh Aunt Patti on a motorcycle- a sight to see..." and then I saw the comment above.
My DAD on a motorcycle?? Now THAT would be a sight to see!
Glad you're safe!
I had my motor cycle for about a year or two until I wrecked it and broke off a brake handle and some of my skin. I decided the pain wasn't worth it.
The summer before my senior year in high school, I stayed at my Grandma Maynes in Midvale and commuted to the UofU for classes, sometimes using that motorcycle. It had a top speed of about 35 mph (downhill with the wind at my back, full throttle to keep it from dying)so I commuted on surface streets and it took a long time.
Patti is way over my class. Mine could be picked up and dragged to the side of the road, even when injured.
Mom and Dad must not have seen your blog yet Patti. I know Dad would have some advice for you. I think riding must run in the families--or at least being married to a motorcycle rider.
This reminds me what Brittany M. says.. she told me that she tries to never let her car get below the half a tank mark.
I am gald your day turned out better. And I also see another moral to the story, if your having a bad day, find someone who is having a bad too and try to make there day better.
hey just to clarify about what Brittany P said i have never said that i don't let it get below 1/2 a tank i siad i try to fill up as soon as teh light comes on. but i thought the story was pretty funny.
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