wiredgeorge
New member
Yesterday was a comedy of errors. Went to Walgreens in San Antonio after lunch to pick up a prescription. I was going to take my 2013 CB1100A but it was HOT HOT HOT (96F) so I jumped on my 2010 Can-Am Spyder RT and pulled into their parking lot, picked up meds and went to start the bike and CLICK... then nothing. This about 4PM now and did I say it was 96 degrees. Called my FINE insurance company Progressive where I pay for the towing service and got a text that said the flat bed would be out at about 5PM. I called my wife and asked to bring some jumper cables and tried to jump. If you jump a bike, don't start the donor car. Connect cables and let it sit for a bit then try it. I did this BUT CLICK... wouldn't turn the starter over. OK, I had just bought a new Yuasa battery from BATTERYSHARKS.com... it is a YTX24HL-BS... well it turned out it WAS NOT a Yuasa it was a knock off. See their ad: http://www.batterysharks.com/Yuasa-...21-350-d.htm?gclid=CPmu2Prn78YCFRCCaQodQF8Nqg
I called the Coyote Motorsports and Fun Center in Boerne and ask if they would wait on me and the tow truck... Sure... no problem
The ad fooled me and I bought the cheepo battery. Well, anyway, either the battery failed after about two months OR something in the charging system was not supplying a positive charging voltage... either alternator or regulator/rectifier but I was not in a position to change the battery in the parking lot since you have to take half the bike apart (mine is under seat). Did I mention it was 96F?
Anyway, about 6:30PM my flat bed rolls up and it isn't a flat bed. It is a pickup truck with a magnetic sign on the door that says "road service" and the guy asks me if I need a jump. I tell him I had called in for a flat bed. He drives off. Another call to Progressive and they are very sorry for the mix up and I explain I have the Spyder in the parking lot and need a flat bed. OK... fine they have it. I called Coyote again and the owner's son, don't worry about it; he would stay till I got there.
OK... 7:30 rolls around and Chicone Towing driver calls and tells me he will be there in a few minutes with a flat bed to pick up my 1988 Kawasaki Voyager and take it to a Kawasaki dealer. Where the heck did they get that? I owned a Voyager about 10 years ago or longer so I guess Progressive got confused somehow and gave them the wrong info. When they found out I had a Can-Am spyder, they cancelled the call as they needed the right bike on the paperwork.
At about 8:30 Progressive tells me that they will surely send out a tow truck this time (flat bed) for my Spyder and about about I get a text that they will be there at 9:15. I call the nice young fella at Coyote and tell him we will soon be on our way. They are about 45 minutes from where I am stranded. At about 10:15, Joe, a nice Iraqi guy with a flat bed pulls into the parking lot and professionally loads me up and the missus and I lead Joe out to Coyote Motorsports in Boerne. At about 11:15 we roll in to unload and that nice young kiddo is sitting on a chair by their front door with a mechanic's bay open for us to unload. We got out at about 11:30PM. The owner's son said he was glad to stay to help us out. My wife was kind of stunned by the MEGA-SUPER customer service and he promised to get my bike fixed first thing in the AM. They did that too... it was the Chinese knock-off battery that gave up its ghost. Charging system putting out 14VDC at 3K rpm. Guess saving a few bucks on the battery was another lesson I had to pay for but Coyote Motorsport just got themselves a loyal customer and I have quite a few friends and I have a big mouth. Bet my friends all get to hear about the way they are an example of how a business should be run. Did I mention that Batteryshark.com is a tad deceptive? I can't remember if the picture that was up when I bought my battery was a Yuasa but that is what I remember. I wonder if they will honor the warranty? hehe Sorry this was so long but I stood out in the heat for over 5 hours (did I say it was 96F) learning this lesson!
I called the Coyote Motorsports and Fun Center in Boerne and ask if they would wait on me and the tow truck... Sure... no problem
The ad fooled me and I bought the cheepo battery. Well, anyway, either the battery failed after about two months OR something in the charging system was not supplying a positive charging voltage... either alternator or regulator/rectifier but I was not in a position to change the battery in the parking lot since you have to take half the bike apart (mine is under seat). Did I mention it was 96F?
Anyway, about 6:30PM my flat bed rolls up and it isn't a flat bed. It is a pickup truck with a magnetic sign on the door that says "road service" and the guy asks me if I need a jump. I tell him I had called in for a flat bed. He drives off. Another call to Progressive and they are very sorry for the mix up and I explain I have the Spyder in the parking lot and need a flat bed. OK... fine they have it. I called Coyote again and the owner's son, don't worry about it; he would stay till I got there.
OK... 7:30 rolls around and Chicone Towing driver calls and tells me he will be there in a few minutes with a flat bed to pick up my 1988 Kawasaki Voyager and take it to a Kawasaki dealer. Where the heck did they get that? I owned a Voyager about 10 years ago or longer so I guess Progressive got confused somehow and gave them the wrong info. When they found out I had a Can-Am spyder, they cancelled the call as they needed the right bike on the paperwork.
At about 8:30 Progressive tells me that they will surely send out a tow truck this time (flat bed) for my Spyder and about about I get a text that they will be there at 9:15. I call the nice young fella at Coyote and tell him we will soon be on our way. They are about 45 minutes from where I am stranded. At about 10:15, Joe, a nice Iraqi guy with a flat bed pulls into the parking lot and professionally loads me up and the missus and I lead Joe out to Coyote Motorsports in Boerne. At about 11:15 we roll in to unload and that nice young kiddo is sitting on a chair by their front door with a mechanic's bay open for us to unload. We got out at about 11:30PM. The owner's son said he was glad to stay to help us out. My wife was kind of stunned by the MEGA-SUPER customer service and he promised to get my bike fixed first thing in the AM. They did that too... it was the Chinese knock-off battery that gave up its ghost. Charging system putting out 14VDC at 3K rpm. Guess saving a few bucks on the battery was another lesson I had to pay for but Coyote Motorsport just got themselves a loyal customer and I have quite a few friends and I have a big mouth. Bet my friends all get to hear about the way they are an example of how a business should be run. Did I mention that Batteryshark.com is a tad deceptive? I can't remember if the picture that was up when I bought my battery was a Yuasa but that is what I remember. I wonder if they will honor the warranty? hehe Sorry this was so long but I stood out in the heat for over 5 hours (did I say it was 96F) learning this lesson!
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