AAA and bikes

Barb

Barb

XS650 Addict
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Hi Guys,

I keep forgetting to mention it: last Fall when I was riding over from the coast to visit my Father in Montana, I had a battery problem and had to stop at a rest-area on Hwy 90, in western Montana. I called AAA and asked them to come get me so I could get a battery in the next town. Fine and dandy, no problem, what kind of car do you have?

"I'm riding a bike with a sidecar", I answered.

"Oh", the nice man said, "We don't cover or make calls for motorcycles."

"What", I asked in my innocence.

"Nope, only four wheeled vehicles." he answered.

By this time I was getting angry, remembering the many months of payments without using the stupid service at all.

"Then perhaps you can answer something for me?" I asked, sweet as sugar.

"Certainly, Ma'am." he replied.

Quietly, in my best "company" voice, I asked: "Can you please tell my why in the fu*k I pay you people every month?" (Except there was no little * when I asked him...)

The upshot? They don't help with bikes. If you have AAA, at least in my experience, don't depend on them. One of those "A"s means "Automobile" and that's what they help.

Oh, and make sure that the little pad under the battery doesn't go away and leave the battery rubbing on metal.....my bad. :shrug:

Well! That feels better! :bike:

Barb
 
AAA is only for older than us people. 70+, snowbirds on there way to florida, housewives. My father (bout 50 at the time, had trouble with them, He's in Tacoma, My little sister in spokane breaks down in her little car. AAA helps out as they should, everything works out. A few months latter, AAA drops the whole family.
Your not alone. I'm sure there are exeptions to everyrule, cuz, they must do something rite to be around as long, Right? just gotto wait till we are on deaths door, pulling our O2 tanks behind us, on our second set of tennis balls on our creepers!!
 
Barb:

AAA offers RV coverage, which includes motorcycles. It's an additional $33 to a Plus or Premier membership. I have it, but fortunately have not had to use it, so I can't say anything about it from personal experience. I got it just before VMD at Mid-Ohio last year, then ended up not going. :-(

My whole family has AAA Plus memberships, and we have been very pleased with the service. We have easily gotten our money's worth. Since we all drive older cars, it's a nice to have that peace of mind. We renew our 3 kids' memberships every year as a Christmas present, and they are all happy to get it.

Didn't mean to sound like a AAA commercial, but I hope this helps.
 
I suppose (gritting my teeth here) I should acknowledge that when a friend and I managed to drop a tree on our wood-truck and smash the windshield, AAA did come out and haul it home......OK, so with cars they are good, but why a premium on a premium for a bike? That part I don't understand---it's almost like the old days when anyone one two wheels was borderline illegal or a tramp or something.

I dunno--it is what it is, as the kids say. I don't lose sleep over it.....:shrug:

Barb
 
It's hard to get a general consensus as to whether the AAA RV service is good or not. If you do a Google search, you'll find people that have the RV coverage, but when they call for service are told it does not apply to motorcycles. Others have had great experiences with it.

I thought maybe the extra cost for the RV coverage would be to ensure that a truck with the special equipment necessary to tow or haul an RV or motorcycle (a lift, tie-downs, etc.) was dispatched. I would hope so, anyway. It would probably be a good idea to carry a set of tie-downs in case the truck sent to pick up your bike didn't have them. I keep forgetting to buy some. I'll have to put that on my 'to-do' list! :)
 
I have AAA with RV Plus. The real benefit to RV coverage is instead of towing you like 5 miles and you pay for the rest of the mileage, they'll tow you up to 100 in any direction. That's worth the upgrade in itself. Also not as big of a deal but if you run out of gas, they come put some it your car and you don't have to pay for the gas. With RV plus you also get up to $1,000 of Trip Interruption Insurance vs $600 with the regular AAA. If you are going to visit relatives a couple of states away and your car breaks down, as long as you are more than 100 miles from home, they'll tow your car somewhere to get it fixed and also pay for your hotel and meals and maybe even a rental car. Just tried to verify what I wrote and found this:

AAA Plus RV for Extra Security

  • Towing distance allowance increased to 100 miles from the point of disablement to the destination of your choice. This gives you the freedom to have your vehicle towed to a repair facility or other location of your choice within 100 miles. (Regular membership covers tow to responding station or up to 5 miles from place of disablement.)
  • Free emergency fuel. (Regular members pay for fuel.)
  • Extrication – Services of a second truck and driver for one hour if needed. (Services of one truck and driver for unlimited time available to Regular members.)
  • Up to $100 in parts and labor for lockout/locksmith services for your vehicle. ($50 covered under Regular membership.)
  • Plus RV extends benefits to campers, motor homes and motorcycles.
  • Extended legal fee reimbursement.
  • Up to $1,000 Car Travel Interruption Protection. (Regular members receive up to $600.)
  • $300,000 air travel accident protection when tickets are purchased at AAA Travel. ($100,000 insurance included when Regular members purchase tickets at AAA.)
  • Two sets of passport photos free per PlusRV member, per member term. (Regular members pay $8 per set, non-members pay $12 per set plus tax.)

I'm pretty sure I've got my moneys worth every year. You can make up for the yearly premium just with hotel savings alone. A lot of times the AAA rate is the best rate at hotels and can save you $10-20 per night. I've also been with a friend when their car broke down and they were very grateful when they didn't have to pay for towing since you're covered even when in other people's cars as a passenger. That got me some free lunch. Once, my ex-grilfriend locked my keys in my car and I used it for that too.. So, I'm also not trying to sound like a salesman for AAA, but if you use the discounts you can get at hotels and auto parts stores and places like that, it should almost cover the yearly premium, and then if you ever have a problem out on the road whether it's your car or not, you'll be glad you have it.

Barb, I can understand you being mad about them not covering your motorcycle. Sometimes it's confusing on what's covered and when. Like if you're pull over for drunk driving or arrested for drugs, they won't pay for that tow. Or if your car breaks down but it's not properly licensed, they won't pay. Or if you buy a beater that's not running and want it towed home, that won't work either. But that's understandable I guess. Having to pay for RV Plus just to get your motorcycle covered? I guess that's what the Plus is for.
 
Hi Travis,

Well, I get it, I really do, and I've used AAA several times in the past in my car, and as I mentioned, the wood truck. The thing was that I was in the middle of Nowhere, Montana, the sun was low in the sky and behind dark clouds, it was raining, and I was probably not in the best of moods. Then this perky voice on the phone tells me, "Sorry, but you're on your own. Have a nice day, wherever you end up". Meanwhile, the guy that watches the rest area for the State is telling me that he has a trailer and would be happy to put me up for the night....yeah, like that's gonna happen! :yikes:

The upshot was that my little sis drove about 110 miles at night and rescued me, and the next day my uber-friend Sonny and I drove back, armed to the teeth with a rented trailer, and in the end it was fine.

I guess the only thing that really bothered me was the "Ehh, not my problem" attitude. Anyway, I have Premium, so I guess I'll be upgrading to cover the bike when I head for North Carolina this Spring---just in case. Oh, and thanks for taking the time to check all that stuff out....:)
 
Barb said:
Oh, and thanks for taking the time to check all that stuff out....:)
Click to expand...

No problem, I like to check on stuff like that every now and then to help remind me what is covered, what isn't, and also what benefits I should be remembering....
 
ya when i did the motorcycle trip out to cali i upgraded to the RV on my AAA, i fiqured if i had to get my car towed at least once the additional cost of the rv would pay for it self.
 
Ok, so standard AAA over there covers all of your vehicles?
In West Aus (RAC) you pay around $80 a year, that's just one car. Bikes can be done, not sure on the $$. You can pay around $160 a year, that covers 1 car (no matter who is driving it) and any other car the policy holder is driving at a particular time (I shall see if that covers bikes)!
 
Yeah, but if you've got AAA, it covers 1 car, or all your cars? What do you pay a year for that?
 
- here i get cover for any car or bike i am driving, i get 2 free tows for up to 500km each, per year, including my transport if they cant fix the problem on the spot...for a small surcharge this includes all eu lands...this also covers basic legal advice for any problems with the pigs and the cost of emergency transport to the nearest accident hospital, also by chopper, if necessary
 
- somewhere in the region of 100 euros per year...as a family membership it also includes my wife as a driver
 

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