Real World Real Angels

Right before the truck doors opened I told my wife if she wanted to see what angels looked like… watch who steps out of that truck. Greg and Shari, two super heroes in my eyes. It goes even beyond those two… there is Dick and Sandy, the amazingly wonderful Triumph riders who stopped within minutes of our mechanical breakdown of our beloved 04 R1150RT. Dick and Sandy had great knowledge of my bike and were determined to get us back on the road. They diagnosed the issue of low oil level quickly, rode off to return with oil to hopefully resolve the issue. 2 and 1/2 quarts later the oil returned to the sight glass. We were all baffled since there were no traces of oil on the bike. After restarting the bike, only to hear the terrible rattling sound of whatever is wrong get only a little less violent - we knew it was bad. We were in a semi remote area with one bar of cellular service and having difficulty setting up a tow. Dick texts a buddy who lives 70 miles away that has a trailer. Best recollection of text was “911 bring trailer intersection of 88 & 89.” An hour and a half later Greg and his wife Shari arrive and everyone is more concerned about my wife Carla and my vacation plans. We were on day 2 of a 7-day planned vacation. They find out we are staying in South Lake Tahoe and are trying to figure out how to get us on one of their extra bikes for the next day's plan of riding around Lake Tahoe. Unbelievable!!! We are 25 miles from Hotel reservations so Greg and Shari take us to the Hotel. Thankfully they accepted my invitation to at least feed them a nice dinner before their 1 hour trip home in the dark. We shared contact info and I got a great reference to take bike to Ozzie's BMW in Chico which is another 3 hours further North. Greg, being the super hero that he is, mentions he has been needing to take a 1200GS up there to Ozzie's for a while and he would gladly take my bike there as well. Are you kidding me!!!! So I try to give a little cash for the gas he is using and that's a no go. Greg said these words that keep replaying over and over in my head… “It doesn't work that way”. Again, he is more concerned about us having a fun vacation and completely bummed that I will be having an expensive repair soon. We finished the trip in a rental car, but not the same as on the BMW so we went home after 4 days.

Tomorrow the bikes are going to be dropped off at Ozzie's BMW in Chico. I am expecting the worse but hopeful that it might not be too serious. Whatever the cost of the repair, it will never compare to the genuine kindness in these four people and what it means and meant to Carla and myself. I always wondered what would happen if I broke down on my bike one day. This was a most pleasant and unexpected adventure considering the situation. I wish for all of you to have such an experience in time of need. I will be looking to pay this forward many times over.

Thank you to our four NorCal Angels,

Dennis & Carla (BigFish and Little Fish)

Wow, the extra mile and then some! I'm sure they feel pretty good themselves, for helping out to that extent, I know I would.

Pat

"It doesn't work that way." Wow, truer words have never been spoken.

Good luck with the repair...

Thanks for sharing your experience! Wonderful to know there are some really wonderful people out there that will go the extra mile for a fellow rider. Hope you mentioned BMWST.com to them no matter what make of bike they ride. We have a lot of people on this board that go the extra mile for fellow riders, however, we always welcome more to be a part of this community!

I'm glad things worked out for you and Carla, and best of luck with the RT. Did you get to the intersection by coming up from 395?

I'm glad things worked out for you and Carla, and best of luck with the RT. Did you get to the intersection by coming up from 395?

Indeed, via the 395. Prior to that we rode through Yosemite via Fresno and the day before we went into the Sequoia National Park. We had a couple wonderful days of riding before the failure.

Bummer about the breakdown, but it's great to know there are still such wonderful, helpful people in the world!

BTW, I've got a wheel chock, 3-panel ramps, and, for that matter, a pickup truck (which I think you also have), if any would come in handy when it's time to bring your bike home. Unless you're planning a fly-and-ride.

I guess I'm a little surprised they didn't send you to Sierra BMW in Reno, but then, I only know them through online parts and accessory sales and don't know the rep of their service department.

Thanks for the offer Bill but I am planning to fly in and ride her home. The guys who helped me out both spoke very highly of Ozzie's BMW. I'm pretty sure my bike is in good hands there after speaking with the mechanic. Mike, the mechanic, is going to tear into the bike next week so I will be updating this post with the news of repair.

A ride-and-fly is going to offer some minor logistical challenges: "Currently there is no commercial air service from Chico Municipal Airport." (source: Chico Municipal Airport). You can probably fly to Sacramento and take a Greyhound (I see a Greyhound station in Chico on Google Maps). Amtrak's Coast Starlight arrives in Chico at a very convenient 1:47 AM. Or, if you have a friend with a private plane...

I just had a thought, and I see there's a van shuttle service to and from SMF, North Valley Shuttle. There are probably others, but that's the first one Google came up with.

I have a good friend who lives there. Would you like me to ask him what travel methods he uses?

Bill, thanks for your thoughtful insight and research on my fly and ride. As of now, I am hoping to coordinate with Dick and Greg, the two guys who helped me out. Greg is planning to pick up my bike as well as his after repairs and bring to his home. He lives 1 hrs drive from Sacramento and I think Dick might be helping me get to Greg's house. I'd love for those two guys see me ride off on my bike.

Cool!