Every trip to Sturgis SD has its joy’s and its frustrations. If you ride with a group of bikers or drive a rig you know what we mean. Breakdown’s are commonplace, and the time needed to get back on the road can be long or short, you never know. But the one thing you learn is that the biker community is always there to support and help you out when a problem occurs.
On the first day out of Los Angeles driving the big grade into Vegas we blew that beautiful 9’ long belt on this Ford F550 diesel, and when it went we went nowhere. For the next five and one half hours we sat in the beautiful Nevada Desert dreaming of where we could be by now. Thankfully it was a mild day by desert standards and only hit 101, and we had a breeze too.
Broken down…cannot move, can’t run the air conditioner, can’t go back twenty miles or forward the next 85 we have to find someone that can help out. The first call is to our trustworthy AAA card number to get their fabulous roadside assistance. We have used them before for our F350 w/a trailer, but only now do we find out that that very same AAA card only covers trucks up to the Ford F350, and we are now in a F550 crewcab stake truck…will they help you at all if you don’t fit in their guidelines? No way, the manual says we only work on F350 and below so we can’t help you one lick.
Next Henry’s (or something similar) road side assistance…their motto…
can they help…well they used to until a month ago one of their guy’s got hit by a car working on a car along the roadside, so now they will not work on the truck while it sits on the side of the road. It has to be pulled off the highway to be worked on. Do they tow? What do you think … No way they are only a repair service. So what next, Truck towing? We are 85-90 miles from Vegas guess what that bill would have been and needless to say we were not about to unhook our trailer with $200,000 worth of bikes in it and leave it sitting on the side of the road. So who do we call?
What can we do…well let’s call Danny Coker at Count Kustoms and see if he knows anyone…his gorgeous wife answers the phone and takes the ball and runs’ with it. Fifteen minutes later the guy’s from the shop call, they found the belt (actually three different versions so we knew we would have the right one), they have the directions to pick it up and they are on their way. Just as dusk settles in they crest the hill, flash their lights, do a sliding power turn through the median strip in their F350 dually, and smoke tires back up the hill to our location…What an entrance guy’s. With two flashlights, a lot of comments, laughs, mistakes, and try’s we finally figure it all out and they boy’s have us back on the road again. In a cloud of dust the boy’s from Count Kustom’s are off again with barely time to say thanks, and we are on the road again.
Whenever bikers have problems we know we can always count on fellow bikers to stop and help out. These guy’s left work fifteen minutes before quitting time, drove an hour and a half, spent an hour fixing the rig, and drove back an hour and a half to their homes for the evening. The fellowship of the biker community is the only place that I know this will happen.
Bro’s Club Cycle ServicesMaybe you’ve been in this situation. You’re enjoying the rolling green hills, the smell of hay in the sunshine, free from the hustle bustle of city traffic, your mind melding with Nature…and then zonk! your run over the only nail this side of Dixie…or that alternator goes south or maybe you’ve even run out of gas (yeah, it happens to the best of us). You coast to a standstill. You get lucky, your cell phone has reception. You get even luckier. In your wallet is a Bro’s Club Cycle Services membership card. You call the number and a vehicle, and the right kind for a motorcycle, is on its way to transport you and your bike to the nearest shop.
In the past, the Harley’s Owner Group, AMA and AIM were about the only service organizers who had a program to the assist bikers who broke down on the road, then Joe Teresi, of Easyriders magazine fame, put together Bro’s Club, the year being 1991. The idea was to offer “rescue” services to bikers 24/7, but not only offering emergency roadside assistance. Joe also knew that guys with custom bikes weren’t having their insurance needs met, so he went about adding that service to what Bro’s Club offered in addition to enlisting towing companies that knew how to handle motorcycles and their special needs.
In order to put the roadside assistance aspect of the program together and make it responsive to the needs of its bike riding members, Joe Teresi called upon the services of a rider/writer by the name of Rip. Rip was an icon himself, a longtime contributor to Easyriders and a rider who had traveled hundreds of thousands of miles exploring the country where he documented “biker friendly” spots then writing about his adventures for the biker magazines. He also put together a publication called “Rip’s Run” that provided this information in Rip’s unique style. At about this time Dana Coates, because of his extensive background in insurance and his relationship with Easyriders going back to 1981, was called in to handle the insurance services provided by Bro’s Club membership.
“Over the years Bro’s Club went through some transitions,” says Dana. “While the insurance aspect was consistent, the roadside assistance wasn’t up to par. Our surveys showed that our clients wanted reliable insurance to cover a variety of motorcycles and also road service that was equally reliable and available 24 hours a day.” To that end in the year 2000 the management of Bro’s Club was turned over to Dana Coates. Under his direction, as National Director, the name was changed to Bro’s Club Cycle Services and then began the implementation of what member’s had been crying out for. First off, surveys were conducted on each and every dispatched road service call in order to get feedback on how the subcontracted towing services were performing for their members. “We found some major problems and began to address those issues very proactively. Our members were very helpful by responding to the survey. Those surveys really had a positive impact on the organization. We ended up changing our service provider to a new one. With that change we began to have the kind of quality control we wanted to see. We listened to our customers and molded the services they needed. For example, Bro’s Club customers said they wanted local shops to be their resource for Bro’s Club services so we made that available.”
As a result, Bro’s Club services are now provided from shops across the country with obvious advantages both to the shop getting the work and to individuals who feel comfortable having their bike transported to a shop they know. “While we sell memberships directly to individuals via our website, we are promoting more shops to offer the program. Several shops now give a free Bro’s Club membership with every new bike they sell. And again, the service is available for all kinds of motorcycles and is offered in the U.S. including Hawaii as well as Canada and Puerto Rico.”
To be broken down in a motorcycle rather than an automobile is a different situation especially out in the boonies where a biker is subject to the environment and weather with no protection. Getting help is critical. While other companies have got the city coverage handled very well, where Bro’s Club stands taller is offering service outside the more easily serviced areas. And their providers bring the right type of vehicle to transport your bike, so you won’t be finding your bike hanging suspended from a tow truck hook. Flatbeds, pick-up trucks with special equipment, trailers…the right tools for the right job.
The cost of membership is $85…for two years. When you bike needs transport, you call the assistance number, a vehicle is dispatched and you and your bike are rescued. Payment is billed to the Bro’s Club. The Bro’s Club membership offers a mileage guarantee of 35 miles for every transport and up to five transports a year. They’re also looking at extending their mileage, again listening to their customer’s via a survey. In addition, if you break down in an area where a Bro’s Club transport provider can not respond, you can arrange coverage through whoever’s available (a local police department can provide transport information).
Keep in mind that Bro’s Club Cycle Services, including roadside emergency service and insurance, is offered to all kinds of motorcycles, everybody welcome. Also if you have several motorcycles, you’re covered on all of them.
How to get your own Bro’s Club membership? Check with your favorite local shop to see if they offer it, or if not, you can ask them to call the Bro’s Club to sign on as a distributor. You can also get your individual membership by calling (Tues.-Fri) 1-800-547-2767, Option 2 or you can sign on via their web site at www.brosclub.org where you will also find info on full coverage insurance for all kinds of bikes including customs, trikes, sidecars, you name it. (The insurance is written independently so you don’t have to be a Bro’s Club member and vice versa.)
