I call Reggie to see if he still has the afternoon open to help me change the wheel bearings on the bike. He had assured me earlier when I'd talked to him that he would have any tool we might need and it's a pretty easy fix, so we shouldn't have any problem.
For those of you who don't know me real well, I am not what you'd call a "Master Mechanic". I'm always willing (and anxious) to help when someone's working on the bikes, and I relish the mechanical learning opportunities that riding and owning an older Harley present. That being said, unless it's a pretty simple fix, that I'm somewhat familiar with, I'm not real comfortable unless there's someone there that really does know what they're doing. (Like both of my brothers, David & Brian)
Back to Reggie.... After making the initial mistake of not throwing that napkin with his phone number away as soon as he left the O'Reilly's parking lot, I give him a call... He gives me some pretty simple directions to his place about 6 miles away and I limp the bike in that direction. He tells me that he doesn't have much going on, so he'll be happy to help me fix the bike.
I see his old Chevy and I pull into his yard... It's lookin' a little spooky so I give him a call again from the from the front yard. The guy's got 3 gnarly lookin' horses on his little 2 acre plot & they're looking like they might be really happy if they could make their escape.... (Just like I'd be feeling later in the day) lol
He answers the phone & a minute later I see him at the front door... He says to me.... "C'mon in and grab a chair" and I do...
He's got a 6-pack of beer on the coffee table in front of his couch and he's finishing off the last one....as he explains to me that he hasn't had a 6-pack of beer before 1:00 in the afternoon for a "long time".
I'm thinkin' he'll finish his last beer & we'll get to work on the bike. He's a talker....and he lets me know all the important people he knows....and all the different types of work he's done...and the different businesses he's run, etc.... and all the while, I can see he probably would have a hard time finding 2 cents in a pinch... He's layin' on the couch, rubbin' his eyes....and yappin....
1/2 hour later, I see movement on the couch...
I'm thinkin'... "YES!" let's get this show on the road so I can get outta here....
He stumbles outside and we go around back and get all the tools we'll need. He's got about 3 other old vehicles back here and he explains to me that he could've had 3 "jobs" today, but his pickup needs the brake pads replaced.
Reggie does help me get the bike jacked up & on blocks, so that the work can be done.... (as he's telling me about all the times he's been stabbed and shot) We get the front tire off of the bike and Reggie heads for the door of his little pad. He says to me..., "Well, you're on your own now."
I'm not likin' this.... I'm feelin' pretty darn uncomfortable and as I explained earlier, I'm not the master mechanic that I'm wishing I was right about now.... but with the tire off and the bikes on blocks, there's not really any lookin' back at this point.
I give Dave a call and he starts walking me through the process of changing the wheel bearings.... I'm putting the phone down, while I'm pounding on the bike.... pick the phone up to ask more questions, etc... I'm really feeling that I wished I'd never have come on the guy's property.... Reggie seems to be getting a little more spooky every time I have interaction with him....
I have to run into the house a few times to ask Reggie if he has this tool....or that tool.... and every time that I open the door after knocking, he wakes up.... He's laying belly-up on his couch getting every last wink of sleep that he can....
I had asked Reggie if he had grease for the wheel bearings and he had assured me on our first phone call that he did. With the help of David, I eventually get to the point of needing that grease, so I again go wake Reggie up. He stumbles back into one of the bedrooms and comes out and says.... "I must've used that for somethin' else". So, I ask him if he'll give me a ride into town to get grease....assuring him that I'll pay for gas.... (Thinkin' to myself that he might have all my money and belongings anyway by the time this is done... ) :)
He tells me that he'll give me a ride....and he needs to buy a C-clamp anyways so that he can finish fixing his brakes. I immediately offer to buy that for him....for all the "help" he's given me....
Now, maybe part of why I was a little uncomfortable might be that I have a fair amount of cash on me....and I have my computer and expensive camera.... and if this guy had any idea of the value of what was on my person and on my bike.... he'd think he'd hit the lottery....
Probably was a good thing I looked as rough as I did also....
I'm unshaven.... My face is about is dark as a white guy's face can get, from ridin' in the sun every day...and I'm dirty... I got grease everywhere.... If Reggie was someone that I had been feeling comfortable with... I probably would've had him take a picture of me... (and the bike) just because I don't look as rough ever....as I looked that day...
The ride into town is quite an adventure in itself... I'd say about half of the time we were driving on the right side of the road....and the other half we were on the left-side of the road...or somewhere in the middle.... But without fail, he seemed to get back in the right lane whenever he'd see a vehicle coming. I'm tellin' ya.... If I'd have seen a cop... I'd probably have tried to non-discreetly wave him over... I'm gettin' more uncomfortable all the time with my new friend....
We safely make it to O'Reilly's, get the stuff we need, and head back to the house...
I call David again and tell him I've got the wheel bearings packed and I'm ready to get the wheel put back together. I'm wanting him to kind of walk me through it as I'm doing it to make sure it goes back together like it's supposed to. I also tell him I only have 1 bar left on my phone....so if I lose him...that's why... I also get the message across to him that I'm very uncomfortable and he WILL be hearing from me if and when I get out of there safely.
David gives me a crash course on getting things put back together correctly, in the event my phone goes dead. I'm thinkin' I want to save enough juice to at least make a 911 call if I need to... lol
I gotta give some major kudo's to my brother Dave....
After this was all done, I said to him... "I bet this is the first time you've ever changed the wheel bearings on a bike, via the telephone..." We had a few good laughs over the whole deal, once I did eventually get out of this guy's place..
So....I do manage to get everything put back together and the wheel turns the way it's supposed to...so things are lookin' up. I go back into the house to wake Reggie up again and let him know that I would sure appreciate his help getting my bike off the blocks. This is virtually an impossible task for 1 person.
Reggie briefly sits up on the couch....only to recline back into his belly-up position. He tells me to go ahead and wash my hands...and grab a glass of lemonade out of the fridge and sit for a bit. I oblige....and am not surprised to see that the pitcher of lemonade in the fridge...is the ONLY thing in the fridge... Not even ketchup.... lol
Another 1/2 hour goes by & I'm just chompin' at the bit to get away from this man...
He finally rouses again....and throws his slippers on and heads towards outside. I follow and I'll be darned if he doesn't head into the back yard. He starts working on the brakes on another one of his old pickups. Another 1/2 hour goes by and I finally say to him, "Reggie... I'd sure to like to get on the road, and if you'd just help me get the bike down I can do that..." He says, "OK..." and continues working on his brakes until they're done. Now he has to put the wheel back on the truck & thank the good Lord, he needed the jack that I had on the bike. He realizes this and cussin' under his breath, says, "Well, I guess we better go get that jack".
On the way to the front yard, he stops to feed his starving horses....pets them all.... and says sweet nothings to them....
I honestly am starting to get very nervous by this time wondering if I was going to get out of there. While he's feeding his horses, I go to the bike & gingerly try to start jacking it up, holding the bike up, and removing the blocks.... I was to the point that I would NOT let Reggie walk behind me, because I was afraid I might get the old MN bullhead treatment. (which is a knock on the head)
I was also getting to the point, with the back tire of the bike on the ground, if I needed to I would start the bike & just give 'er hell and somehow get off those blocks.
About this time Reggie sees me working on getting the blocks out, he comes over and gives the jack a few pumps.... It's all I need to get the remaining blocks out & get both wheels on solid ground again...
I had the bike completely packed up and ready to go before I had alerted Reggie to the fact that I needed help....so that once I got off those blocks, I could make my escape.
I had finally made it to that crucial point.... Reggie started to saunter into the backyard and I hollered over to find out of he wanted me to close the gate behind me... He told me that I could just leave it open...and then he asks me..., "Oh... you takin' off already?" I casually said "yeah.... I better get a few miles on yet tonight".....as my heart's racin'... I thank him for his "hospitality" and start the bike....
I know I'm close now.... lol
I make it to the gate.... open it....ride through.....and I'm home-free!
I had survived the ordeal.... I rode into town, stopped at a gas station & called David again to let him know that I had gotten out alive.... We did have some good laughs.... I sure appreciate him taking the time to help me get through a few interesting incidents on this trip. He's always willing to help (especially with bike issues) and it's SO nice to have the expertise available of someone like him.....
I ended up driving to Albuquerque and did find a very nice hotel, very attractively priced, (no sarcasm here) and very close to a good poker game. I decided last night to spend an extra day here just to relax and count my blessings....and that's what I've been doing today...
That brings us to the present time.... I hope to arrive in Vegas early Sunday....
I will try to keep you posted on the adventures yet to come... :)
For those of you who don't know me real well, I am not what you'd call a "Master Mechanic". I'm always willing (and anxious) to help when someone's working on the bikes, and I relish the mechanical learning opportunities that riding and owning an older Harley present. That being said, unless it's a pretty simple fix, that I'm somewhat familiar with, I'm not real comfortable unless there's someone there that really does know what they're doing. (Like both of my brothers, David & Brian)
Back to Reggie.... After making the initial mistake of not throwing that napkin with his phone number away as soon as he left the O'Reilly's parking lot, I give him a call... He gives me some pretty simple directions to his place about 6 miles away and I limp the bike in that direction. He tells me that he doesn't have much going on, so he'll be happy to help me fix the bike.
I see his old Chevy and I pull into his yard... It's lookin' a little spooky so I give him a call again from the from the front yard. The guy's got 3 gnarly lookin' horses on his little 2 acre plot & they're looking like they might be really happy if they could make their escape.... (Just like I'd be feeling later in the day) lol
He answers the phone & a minute later I see him at the front door... He says to me.... "C'mon in and grab a chair" and I do...
He's got a 6-pack of beer on the coffee table in front of his couch and he's finishing off the last one....as he explains to me that he hasn't had a 6-pack of beer before 1:00 in the afternoon for a "long time".
I'm thinkin' he'll finish his last beer & we'll get to work on the bike. He's a talker....and he lets me know all the important people he knows....and all the different types of work he's done...and the different businesses he's run, etc.... and all the while, I can see he probably would have a hard time finding 2 cents in a pinch... He's layin' on the couch, rubbin' his eyes....and yappin....
1/2 hour later, I see movement on the couch...
I'm thinkin'... "YES!" let's get this show on the road so I can get outta here....
He stumbles outside and we go around back and get all the tools we'll need. He's got about 3 other old vehicles back here and he explains to me that he could've had 3 "jobs" today, but his pickup needs the brake pads replaced.
Reggie does help me get the bike jacked up & on blocks, so that the work can be done.... (as he's telling me about all the times he's been stabbed and shot) We get the front tire off of the bike and Reggie heads for the door of his little pad. He says to me..., "Well, you're on your own now."
I'm not likin' this.... I'm feelin' pretty darn uncomfortable and as I explained earlier, I'm not the master mechanic that I'm wishing I was right about now.... but with the tire off and the bikes on blocks, there's not really any lookin' back at this point.
I give Dave a call and he starts walking me through the process of changing the wheel bearings.... I'm putting the phone down, while I'm pounding on the bike.... pick the phone up to ask more questions, etc... I'm really feeling that I wished I'd never have come on the guy's property.... Reggie seems to be getting a little more spooky every time I have interaction with him....
I have to run into the house a few times to ask Reggie if he has this tool....or that tool.... and every time that I open the door after knocking, he wakes up.... He's laying belly-up on his couch getting every last wink of sleep that he can....
I had asked Reggie if he had grease for the wheel bearings and he had assured me on our first phone call that he did. With the help of David, I eventually get to the point of needing that grease, so I again go wake Reggie up. He stumbles back into one of the bedrooms and comes out and says.... "I must've used that for somethin' else". So, I ask him if he'll give me a ride into town to get grease....assuring him that I'll pay for gas.... (Thinkin' to myself that he might have all my money and belongings anyway by the time this is done... ) :)
He tells me that he'll give me a ride....and he needs to buy a C-clamp anyways so that he can finish fixing his brakes. I immediately offer to buy that for him....for all the "help" he's given me....
Now, maybe part of why I was a little uncomfortable might be that I have a fair amount of cash on me....and I have my computer and expensive camera.... and if this guy had any idea of the value of what was on my person and on my bike.... he'd think he'd hit the lottery....
Probably was a good thing I looked as rough as I did also....
I'm unshaven.... My face is about is dark as a white guy's face can get, from ridin' in the sun every day...and I'm dirty... I got grease everywhere.... If Reggie was someone that I had been feeling comfortable with... I probably would've had him take a picture of me... (and the bike) just because I don't look as rough ever....as I looked that day...
The ride into town is quite an adventure in itself... I'd say about half of the time we were driving on the right side of the road....and the other half we were on the left-side of the road...or somewhere in the middle.... But without fail, he seemed to get back in the right lane whenever he'd see a vehicle coming. I'm tellin' ya.... If I'd have seen a cop... I'd probably have tried to non-discreetly wave him over... I'm gettin' more uncomfortable all the time with my new friend....
We safely make it to O'Reilly's, get the stuff we need, and head back to the house...
I call David again and tell him I've got the wheel bearings packed and I'm ready to get the wheel put back together. I'm wanting him to kind of walk me through it as I'm doing it to make sure it goes back together like it's supposed to. I also tell him I only have 1 bar left on my phone....so if I lose him...that's why... I also get the message across to him that I'm very uncomfortable and he WILL be hearing from me if and when I get out of there safely.
David gives me a crash course on getting things put back together correctly, in the event my phone goes dead. I'm thinkin' I want to save enough juice to at least make a 911 call if I need to... lol
I gotta give some major kudo's to my brother Dave....
After this was all done, I said to him... "I bet this is the first time you've ever changed the wheel bearings on a bike, via the telephone..." We had a few good laughs over the whole deal, once I did eventually get out of this guy's place..
So....I do manage to get everything put back together and the wheel turns the way it's supposed to...so things are lookin' up. I go back into the house to wake Reggie up again and let him know that I would sure appreciate his help getting my bike off the blocks. This is virtually an impossible task for 1 person.
Reggie briefly sits up on the couch....only to recline back into his belly-up position. He tells me to go ahead and wash my hands...and grab a glass of lemonade out of the fridge and sit for a bit. I oblige....and am not surprised to see that the pitcher of lemonade in the fridge...is the ONLY thing in the fridge... Not even ketchup.... lol
Another 1/2 hour goes by & I'm just chompin' at the bit to get away from this man...
He finally rouses again....and throws his slippers on and heads towards outside. I follow and I'll be darned if he doesn't head into the back yard. He starts working on the brakes on another one of his old pickups. Another 1/2 hour goes by and I finally say to him, "Reggie... I'd sure to like to get on the road, and if you'd just help me get the bike down I can do that..." He says, "OK..." and continues working on his brakes until they're done. Now he has to put the wheel back on the truck & thank the good Lord, he needed the jack that I had on the bike. He realizes this and cussin' under his breath, says, "Well, I guess we better go get that jack".
On the way to the front yard, he stops to feed his starving horses....pets them all.... and says sweet nothings to them....
I honestly am starting to get very nervous by this time wondering if I was going to get out of there. While he's feeding his horses, I go to the bike & gingerly try to start jacking it up, holding the bike up, and removing the blocks.... I was to the point that I would NOT let Reggie walk behind me, because I was afraid I might get the old MN bullhead treatment. (which is a knock on the head)
I was also getting to the point, with the back tire of the bike on the ground, if I needed to I would start the bike & just give 'er hell and somehow get off those blocks.
About this time Reggie sees me working on getting the blocks out, he comes over and gives the jack a few pumps.... It's all I need to get the remaining blocks out & get both wheels on solid ground again...
I had the bike completely packed up and ready to go before I had alerted Reggie to the fact that I needed help....so that once I got off those blocks, I could make my escape.
I had finally made it to that crucial point.... Reggie started to saunter into the backyard and I hollered over to find out of he wanted me to close the gate behind me... He told me that I could just leave it open...and then he asks me..., "Oh... you takin' off already?" I casually said "yeah.... I better get a few miles on yet tonight".....as my heart's racin'... I thank him for his "hospitality" and start the bike....
I know I'm close now.... lol
I make it to the gate.... open it....ride through.....and I'm home-free!
I had survived the ordeal.... I rode into town, stopped at a gas station & called David again to let him know that I had gotten out alive.... We did have some good laughs.... I sure appreciate him taking the time to help me get through a few interesting incidents on this trip. He's always willing to help (especially with bike issues) and it's SO nice to have the expertise available of someone like him.....
I ended up driving to Albuquerque and did find a very nice hotel, very attractively priced, (no sarcasm here) and very close to a good poker game. I decided last night to spend an extra day here just to relax and count my blessings....and that's what I've been doing today...
That brings us to the present time.... I hope to arrive in Vegas early Sunday....
I will try to keep you posted on the adventures yet to come... :)
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