I was lucky enough to break down far from home today

Dirt_Dad

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I recognize that may not sound lucky, but I consider today very high on my short list of luckiest days.

I've been riding the new BDR-X PA Wilds loop over the past few days. It's been pretty solitary with very little car or bike traffic in the nearly 400 miles I've completed as of last night. It's been great with sunny weather so far, but having rained all last night and all morning today I anticipated more challenges on the trails.

Everything seemed normal as I was rain riding to my first gas stop 15 miles away. After topping off I hit the starter...that doesn't sound right, and it didn’t start. Release button and try again. Nothing, no sounds, no dimming indicator lights, it's like I didn't even hit the switch.

I roll the bike to the front door of the station to stay under the awning. Try again, nothing. The bike makes no attempt to start. I've been riding this thing for days. Turning it on and off 10+ times a day, many of those happening deep in the isolated woods of PA.

A guy comes out the door of the gas station and says, 'it can't be fun riding on a day like today.' I said it would be fine if the bike hadn't died. He instantly stopped. He asked questions, gave me his phone number for if I couldn't get it going, introduced me to the station manager who said it was fine for me to troubleshoot the bike directly infront of their main door. The guy, Carl, told me he had a big work shop and to call him if he could help.

I checked all the fuses, terminal connections, even disassembled the starter switch...nothing seemed wrong. I called Carl.

He arrived back at the station with his ATV and a tie-down stap. One end of the strap to my footpeg, the other to the ATV, and away we went to the shop.
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And what a massive shop it was. Turns out Carl owns a gutter company there in St Marys, PA and appears to have been very successful in his efforts.

He gives me a multimeter and after the smoke clears :rolleyes: it sure looks like a dead battery. After being on a charger for 10 minutes the bike fires up. Carl gives me a ride to Wal-Mart. They have the correct battery.

Battery installed, bike is back to normal. We both realize we've been chatting like we've been good friends for years. The whole experience was actually a great time chatting with an old friend who I've known for less than 2 hours.

Lucky day? The bike died at a gas station, not 45 miles from civilization. Someone was instantly there willing and able to assist. Walmart had the exact part I needed for my European motorcycle. Renewed appreciation for the fact that awesome people are out there just wanting to be helpful. Yes, today was a very lucky day.

And if you live near St Marys and need gutters, I have a great company I can recommend.
 

Sierra1

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You're right about having the perfect storm of luck for all that to happen. I'm not surprised about W-M having the battery. Plenty of Husqvarna mowers out there. Is the bad battery old enough for this to happen, or did the charging system give up the ghost?
 

Dirt_Dad

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Unsure the age of the battery. I always keep it on a trickle charge. Its the same battery the bike had when i bought it 28 months ago.

I neglected to put the meter on it after starting with the new one to see if it was charging. That seems a little dumb as I type it.
 

Tenman

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I ride alone in the boondocks a lot. I don't leave home without my anti gravity pac. It's saved me at least 6 times in 9 years from a big hassle.
 
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Tenman

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I ride alone in the boondocks a lot. I don't leave home without my anti gravity pac. It's saved me at least 6 times in 9 years from a big hassle. I also had the same symptoms as you. Starter solenoid failed at 60k. It never made a click. Glad it happened at home. Pushing a S10 off is a chore for me.
 

Cycledude

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Batteries are one of those things where you never really know when it might fail, yes your location when it did fail without any warning was very lucky !
 

Dirt_Dad

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Cool story. I’ll admit to having a lithium jump pack with me most of the time , just in case.
Most of the time is a good way to say it. I would normally have my pack as well, at least for a multi-day ride. For this one my plans on what ride and which bike and even if I'm going at all didn't solidify until 30 minutes before rolling out the garage. I was hasty in packing and left a number of things sitting safely at home.
 

Sierra1

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Funny, because when I was sitting there with rain falling all around and a dead bike I was initially thinking, karma...it's finally caught up to me.
Yeah, but a lot of us would still be sitting there. . . . in the rain . . . . with a dead bike.
 

Grape_salad

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See now you could have avoided all the camaraderie and kindness if you’d installed a lithium starter battery in your bike. They’re rock solid, last 3-4 times as long as a lead acid battery and gradually degrade, so you’re never caught out by them.
 
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