#65 In Roads-Super service
I’ve taken my bike in for its 30,000-mile service and I’m told I also need a rear tire. I was hoping to get to Sturgis before spending the bucks but the guy behind the counter convinces me that’s a bad idea. He says, “You’re not going to get that far. You could risk it, but I wouldn’t.” I can tell by the way he assumes the “no BS” stance that he is concerned about his customer’s safety. He takes measurements, quotes numbers and requirements and next thing I know I’m looking at a big ass bill. He’s sensitive and offers ways it might be less, depending on what they find during the service. Jay makes the experience less painful as he cracks jokes and chatters through the process of checking in the Beast. We discuss the bike’s various battle scars and scuff marks when he volunteers a cute story.
“You know, I have a customer who brought his bike in for service and the tops of his bags were really scuffed up so I was teasing him about it. He tells me, “Yeah, you know how it is, stripper shoes scuff up everything.” Jay chuckles and continues with, “I was relating the story to one of his friends and the guy told me that stripper he was talking about is actually the guy’s wife. The next time he came in after I had given him crap he’d topped his bags with that Rhino stuff. Guess he found a remedy for stripper shoes.”
Jay tells about his in-laws who were riders when he met his wife years ago. Over time his father-in-law realized he needed to make changes so Jay was trying to get him on a trike. Dad explained it wasn’t his balance that was the issue, it was his wrists and twisting the throttle was painfully difficult. “We just finally decided an RV was the way to go so he gave up riding altogether. Now, he’s even had to stop doing that. He’s almost 80 so I guess it’s time.” It appears to me that Jay takes care of his customers much like he does his family. Safety first.
