Towing

KNOW WHERE TO GO FOR A TOW

By FLBikers.com

Broward County resident David Fleitas never realized what a problem it was going to be to have his motorcycle towed until he ended up broken down on the side of the road.

“I got myself stuck out in the middle of nowhere and none of the tow companies would pick me up,” Fleitas said. “A friend of mine had a trailer and he came and rescued my butt.”

Towing a motorcycle is not as simple as it sounds. Members of AAA are covered only if they enroll in AAA RV Plus and many local towing companies do not handle motorcycles.

“Really the only way to transport a motorcycle is a flatbed trailer or enclosed trailer,” said Frankie Kennedy, president of the Southwest Florida Chapter of American Bikers Aiming Toward Education. “If a tow truck tries to pick it up, they are going to damage the bike.”

We here at www.flbikers.com recommend you find a knowledgeable company to tow your bike and put their name and number in your saddlebag or under your seat – before you find yourself broken down at the side of the road.

The experience was enough to make Fleitas get a trailer of his own and start Motorcycle Rescue – the part-time gig turned full-time five years ago because of the demand for people who can properly tow motorcycles.

“The tow companies that do motorcycles very rarely ever have the right stuff,” Fleitas said. “The biggest challenge is finding someone who knows what they are doing.”

Jeff Wagner, of Iowa, started Motorcycle Towing Services with his brother in 1988. The company offers AAA-like services to motorcyclists in all 50 states, Canada and Puerto Rico. Covering more than 600,000 riders in North America, Motorcycle Towing Services maintains a list of more than 7,000 qualified towing companies.

“The biggest challenge is making sure you have the right towing company because they are not set up for it,” Wagner said. “It’s really something you have to stay on top of if you want to make sure the right equipment comes out and picks up your bike.”

Motorcycle Towing Services offers annual memberships for between $20 and $89.95.

However you choose to prepare for the possibility of a breakdown, the message is simple: Know where to go for a tow.

“And be safe,” Fleitas added. “Don’t get run over on the side of the road while you are broken down!”