Dingdangdoggonnit

I'll leave out the little insignificant details and just tell you what happened. I needed to put air into the rear tire on my Ultra, so I cruised into the truck stop and went around to where the Big Rigs get their fuel (since I was on a Big Rig of sorts myself, snicker-snicker), because I know that the air pumps way back by the diesel pumps are free. No need to spend $1.00 for a little air when you can get it free, right? Well, turns out that "free" air is going to cost me.
:gah:

It turns out that on those air pumps the attachment that you place onto your valve stem to get the air in your tire has screw type threads inside of it which help it to hang onto the valve stem--a little too well in this case. It got stuck on my valve stem because of the funny angle and my "DOH"ness, I guess. All I could think about as I was lying on the ground wiggling the attachment like crazy trying to remove it, next to a rear tire as it was being rapidly inflated well past the safe PSI level was: "That tire will take my head off it blows out." So I give the air hose one good yank and off it comes, along with my valve stem( I told you it was stuck on there!). It's amazing just how fast a rear tire on a 900 pound bike can go flat without a valve stem.

Three hours later I'm loading it up on our trailer and heading home. Luckily this happened about 1hr from my house. Sheesh. I guess there IS no such thing as free air after all....LOL-BOO-HOO-HOO-LOL!

So, lesson learned: Spend the lousy dollar to get the air from a "normal" air hose, or do what I'm gonna do today--get an air pump that I can hook to my battery.

Holy Cow Dung Batman, I thought my luck was pretty low. Sorry to hear about this man. I have now made a mental note to leave the FREE AIR (something just sound wrong about that anyway, shouldn't all air be free) alone.

I've always heard that there ain't no such thing as a free lunch, but I guess it holds true for air also. Did you look around to see if you were on Candid Camera? I know you were more than pi$$ed at the time but this is one of those stories that will live forever. Good luck.

That really sucks! Sounds like something that would definitely happen to me while trying to save a buck (no pun intended)

Sh*tty deal! I think that I was more surprised that you guys down south have to actuall PAY for air! You gotta be fu*kin kiddin me! STUPID! STUPID! STUPID! Do you have to pay to use the washroom as well? What about using that window wash stuff at the pumps... how much does that cost? That us truly capitalism at its worst. Unreal!

In the meantime, sorry for ya, bro. You must be related to me...

In NYC, while out shopping and site seeing. If you hafta go, IT costs... There are pay toilets... Gotta pay to take a piss or a dookie... Yeah that does suck... ANd I'm sure other larger cities do that too...

Tubeless tires all the way. I'm gonna use a solid aluminum valve stem (the one that ripped off was rubber) with the 90* angle, that way if something like that EVER happens again I don't have to worry about popping the valve stem off.

To add insult to injury, I went by the truck stop again and took a good long look at the air hoses at the diesel pumping stations. Guess what I saw. There is an air flow cut off valve, 90* turn lever, at the base of EACH air station. I couldn't see the one at mine because that is where someone put the five gallon bucket with the windshield scrubber down. All I had to do was turn the lever to stop the air flow, but I didn't know it was there. I probably coulda hit it with my foot from where I was laying.

Oh well.....live and learn!

They ALWAYS return to the scene of the crime :roflmao: . I believe the first go around would have made me completely POed, I KNOW that second trip and finding those valves would have.

you handle anger much better than i do....
i would have been so pissed off,, stomping on the air hose, kicking the 5 gallon bucket. all the while cussing the truck stop and all the onlookers and there mothers too........
sorry officer i wasnt thinkin.......please put those cuffs away...

i know i know.......i need counceling......

TRG

Well, that explains why several part of NYC are so dirty... if I had to go, I'd be pinching my loaf on the side of the road too! :roflmao:

They're charging for compressed air up in NW Calgary so stay away from the Esso's...me? I carry a compressor.

Sorry to hear of your misfortune, but it sure did give me a good laugh. Hell, I can visualize the whole episode, but then I see this 45 coming out of the saddlebag and the air pump getting blown away.

Or like TRG said, kicking that bucket, ripping the air pump out of the ground, shooting the pump etc, going back and getting my truck and running the damn thing over. :roflmao:

well i know one thing.......
there a bunch of us on here that could use counceling.....
pointing fingers.....you and you and you....get in that van, were going to a meeting.......:roflmao:

TRG

Well of course that is why we all have motorcycles isn't it. I thought Harley Davidson was a therapist. Harley has been using tough love on me :roflmao:

My first destructive thought would have been screw it cut the hose. But then again I like blades. LOL.

counseling never worked for me, but if we must, I'll try it again......and again, and again.....:roflmao:

Fu*k counselling... booze works better. :drunk:

No anger issues, no ulcers, no problems! :drunk: LOL Yeah, RIGHT! The best vacation I ever had was when I went out of my mind!
:gah:

I try to view everything as a learning experience; sometimes I'm the student, sometimes I'm the teacher. This time I was the teacher and the student! I taught that dang valve stem a lesson! Mess with me and I'll just yank yer freaking head right off!

I'm right alongside of ya, bro!