Knoxville TN - Deals Gap
Oct.20-23, Fri-Mon
St. Augustine FL - Knoxville TN = 600miles - 10.5hrs
Finally some Good news guys…
So I got a call from the dealer (US1 Powersports) and was told that the problem came from the Alarm system.
They told me that Yamaha Technical Support would cover 2hrs of labor, and US1 Powersports were covering for another 2hrs, but I was liable for the remaining 2 hrs at $85/hr.
I was pleased to have a 4hr discount, but not satisfied.
So I called Yamaha Corp. North Amrica and spoke to customer relations.
I explained to them how I had been on the road for a month and a half and how I’ve been blogging, using motorcycle forums to let others know about my journey.
And how it would be in their best interest to try to help me out and have a positive light in this whole negative incident.
Unfortunately, by the time I got to the dealership to pick up my bike on Friday, customer relations had not called me back.
So I went ahead and paid them for only 2hrs of labor, coming to a total of $170.32.
I gotta admit, US1 Powersports in St. Augustine worked their asses of to get my bike back up running when they were so busy with other bikes due to Biketoberfest.
When I got back to the hostel, I received a call from Yamaha Corp., they asked me if I had paid for the service, and I told them that I paid for 2 out of 6 hrs.
They told me that I shouldn’t have paid for anything at all and that Yamaha Corp. was taking care of the bill.
Yamaha Rocks!!!
They sent out a fax right away to the dealer for my refund.
So I got a call from the dealer (US1 Powersports) and was told that the problem came from the Alarm system.
They told me that Yamaha Technical Support would cover 2hrs of labor, and US1 Powersports were covering for another 2hrs, but I was liable for the remaining 2 hrs at $85/hr.
I was pleased to have a 4hr discount, but not satisfied.
So I called Yamaha Corp. North Amrica and spoke to customer relations.
I explained to them how I had been on the road for a month and a half and how I’ve been blogging, using motorcycle forums to let others know about my journey.
And how it would be in their best interest to try to help me out and have a positive light in this whole negative incident.
Unfortunately, by the time I got to the dealership to pick up my bike on Friday, customer relations had not called me back.
So I went ahead and paid them for only 2hrs of labor, coming to a total of $170.32.
I gotta admit, US1 Powersports in St. Augustine worked their asses of to get my bike back up running when they were so busy with other bikes due to Biketoberfest.
When I got back to the hostel, I received a call from Yamaha Corp., they asked me if I had paid for the service, and I told them that I paid for 2 out of 6 hrs.
They told me that I shouldn’t have paid for anything at all and that Yamaha Corp. was taking care of the bill.
Yamaha Rocks!!!
They sent out a fax right away to the dealer for my refund.
I’m impressed at the power of the Internet.
After getting my money back, I shot straight up to Knoxville TN.
When I left home, it was still summer, and being in Florida for so long I had forgotten that the season had changed.
When I left home, it was still summer, and being in Florida for so long I had forgotten that the season had changed.
It was a weird feeling riding back up north with the weather getting colder and the leaves changing color. It all happened so fast.One of the reasons why I went to Knoxville, was because there’s a hostel that’s only 1hr away from the Deals Gap.
The Deals Gap or the Dragon’s Tail, is one of the best, if not the best, motorcycling road in the country.
Any a true rider must make a pilgrimage to the Dragon.
The Dragon is infamous for taking lives or anything near it.
Anyone who’s not able to tame the Dragon, and lets the Dragon have the best of them, has to post pictures up or even motorcycle parts on the Tree of Shame. 
I spent 2 days taming the Dragon without incident, and I must admit, it was the best riding I have done so far in my trip or in my life.I was able to mount my digital camera to my GPS stem mount and take a vid of the twisties.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gc-QfrlIBvg
It’s a bit shaky, but that’s the best that I was able to do.
Also, while I was warming my tires, weaving back and forth, I almost lost control of the bike for a sec. Caught this on vid too.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDhnr2GM340
