A Friend in Need is a Friend in Deed

Let me first start off by saying that I have owned three Kawasaki Motorcycles and they are incredibly reliable. One of the best parts of owning a motorcycle is the camaraderie that comes along with ownership. Shortly after purchasing my 2005 Nomad I joined a website/forum called KawaNOW. Forums like KawaNOW contain incredible amounts of information and generally encourage camaraderie and lasting friendships.

Stranded in Florida
In July of 2009 my wife and I took off on our very first cross country trip on a 2005 Kawasaki 1600 Nomad. We had taken several 2 or 3 day trips, but this cross country trip would be taking us over 6000 miles and through 16 states. Our plan was to camp and visit with family along the way while seeing as many scenic sites as time would permit.

One thing that was consistently on my mind while packing was, what’s going to happen if we get broken down, or if we have mechanical problems (which almost never happens)? I researched the internet and consulted my friends for the types of tools I should bring and I felt confident.

Just a few days prior to leaving, I was visiting KawaNOW.org and I noticed an emergency list. I read through it and noticed that there were several Nomad riders along the way who had listed themselves as being able to help out in an emergency situation. I printed off the list, folded it up, and packed it in my tool kit.
On our eighth day we got a flat tire. Luckily it was a day we were arriving at a family member’s house. I was going to call a tow truck and have the bike brought into a motorcycle shop, which would have hurt our trip budget, but before I got a chance, some of the members of KawaNOW found out about my situation and came to my rescue. With in just a short period of time, members were calling and offering to come help me. A member drove down to where we were (70 mile trip) to bring me a motorcycle jack. With the help of members, I was able to get my tire off, the bike repaired and back on the road in just a short amount of time.

Stranded in St. George
Last March me and two other friend towed (because of the SNOW) our bike to St. George, Utah, where we would be parking the truck and trailer at a family members Condo and riding out to Death Valley to spend a few days and riding back. We arrived to St. George late at night, unloaded the bikes and slept for the night. The next morning we packed the bikes up and took off. Before we hit the open road we stopped at a local diner for breakfast. After the meal we came out hopped on our bikes to take off. My bike wouldn’t start. At first I thought it was a dead battery. Did I leave my lights on, I was silently questioning to myself. I got the seat off in a matter of seconds and ran in across the street to an automotive store. They weren’t able to test it, but were able to point us in the right direction to a Kawasaki dealer. There dealer tested it and sold us a battery. Good things that all it was, right? Not so much. The new battery didn’t change anything.
I started yanking out all of the fuses as quickly as I could (my friends are waiting on my), but they all appeared to be in good condition. I asked my friends to go get the trailer and we’d bring the bike back to the Condo where I could work on it and try to catch up to them. I have worked on several bikes and feel comfortable with a wrench.

I got back to the Condo and made a few phone calls to some fellow Nomad riders to pick their brains and see if they had any good ideas. One of the friends posted the situation on the KawaNOW forum and within a matter of minutes I started getting phone calls offering advice. I tried everything that everyone could suggest, but to no ad vale.

It appeared as though the ignition had failed and one of the members came to my location and allows me to remove the ignition from his bike and test it on mine. With this provided no positive results I was at another lost. Not only was I not able to enjoy the ride out to Death Valley, but I was stranded in St. George with no way to get back home until the two returned from Death Valley.
The fellow Nomad rider, who allowed me to test his ignition, told me to take his bike. Now, where I’m from riding other people’s motorcycles is a no no. Only those you know very well would you ever trust with such a treasure.
I declined, but he insisted. Not only was he letting me take his bike, but he had found a local group that would be doing a day ride the following day and let them knows my situation and that I would be coming along with them.
I was completely blown away at this kindness!

The next day, I mounted someone else’s motorcycle, met up with an awesome group of riders and enjoyed an amazing ride through Zion National Park.
A friend in need is a friend in deed

I have motorcycled throughout the country and could give countless stories about friendly fellow riders. The instant camaraderie with motorcycling is one of the things that I enjoy most about it. I encourage you to be that friend who pulls over or goes out of your way to help. A friend in need is a friend in deed.