So, as many of you know I had to leave the GA rally early to meet a work obligation in Pittsburgh. Bummer! Anyhow got there Sunday and did the stupid trade show thing. All in all not a bad trip as business trips go. Saw a game (thanks again Ryan, that was pretty awesome), a little sightseeing, a little beer drinking at Fatheads, a Pramanti Brothers gut buster, etc. etc. Not a bad little business trip.
Okay, ready to depart Thursday morning. Call a bellman to bring my gear down and don all the leather. God I just love doing the biker get up in fancy hotels (William Penn Omni). They just don't know how to act, it is fun to see the looks on the old fuddy duddy's faces and such, but I digress. Go to the parking lot (indoor fortunately) get the bike and pull up in front of the hotel. The bellman was actually going to try and load my bags for me. Thought that was funny. Bike and rider are ready to go baby.
Get on the bike and pull out into the rain sodden street. It is just great fun riding in the heart of a city's downtown on a nice wet day, NOT!!! Head down a block, hang a left, prepare to make a right at the next light which is red. Start braking and pulling the clutch in ... SNAP! Freaking clutch cable snaps. DARN DARN DARN DARN and some other words that may have been uttered. What to do, what to do? Ahh, push the bike up onto the sidewalk out of the way of traffic. Brilliant. Figure I will sit and have a smoke and determine what my next step is going to be.
Miracles of miracles, in walk John and Joe into the picture. See me sitting on the bike on the sidewalk and their curioisity just must have gotten the better of them. "Hey, how's it going'? Got a little problem there?" So we start talking. I find out that the two of them are elevator repair guys that work downtown Pitt. I let them know what happen and we start talking options. Joe runs across the street to get a yellow pages and find a Triumph dealer. Me and John are just standing there looking things over. Call the Triumph dealer. He has to call me back since he has to look through his non-computerized inventory. In the meantime I mention to the Elevator Repair guy duo that I think I remembered reading somewhere that a Honda or Yamaha cable would fit but didn't remember which. "Well," says John, "there is a Honda and Yamaha dealer just up the road. Let us two superheroes go get our truck and see if we can find you a clutch cable. You just stay with your bike, we'll be fine." We exchanged cell phone numbers and off they went. Guess it is a good thing I finally got me one of those instruments of satan on this trip.
While I wait, the Triumph guy calls back with no help. Crap, I hope the elevator repair guys score. Cop: "Do you always ride your bike on the sidewalk?" Man did I want to be a smart a$$ here but thought better of it and explained my situation. He went away. Elevator repair calls, no luck at Honda going to Yamaha. Told him no luck on the Triumph end. So standing there for a bit more and from behind I hear: "Hey, you always park your bike on the sidewalk?" I am thinking crap not another one. Nope, apparently the elevator repair guy super hero duo have a freaking sense of humor too. Splash one baby, they had a clutch cable in hand. Fit perfectly. Paid John for the cable. Offered to buy them lunch - not having any of that. Offered them cash to buy their own dang lunch - not having any of that either. They just wished good luck riding to Chicago on this miserable rainy day and went on their merry way. Thank God for other bikers out there. Man, this is a big one for me to pay forward but I will try. I did fill the tires with air for some hot chicks on the ride home but don't think that quite measures up.
The ride from that point on was pretty uneventful. It was with out a doubt the most miserable freaking ride I have ever done. Rained from Pitt all the way in to Indiana at about 55-60 degrees. Then it just got downright freaking cold, 40-45 degrees and damp the rest of the way home. So, left the hotel at 9:30'ish with about 2 hours on the clutch adventure and got home at around 11'ish PM after 500+ miles of the crappiest ride ever. Turned the house thermostat up to 75 when I got in and don't think I warmed up 'til about 2AM when the whiskeys finally started warming the core.
To all the John's and Joe's of the world I just wish to say thanks. Without guys like that this world would be a much more miserable place. I think I will feel much safer when I ride the elevators in Pittsburgh now.
