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Las Vegas! Sin City;
City of Lights -- city of irrepressible heat, wide streets, and more
pathetic souls than Hell can hold. Last home and final resting place
of my maternal grandparents. And that was the reason I'd come down here.
Over the years, I've seen the shows and done the touristy things, so those weren't even on my list this time. I just wanted to find my hosts -- the Bakers -- and find my grandparents' marker. But first, a tire change was in order.
I found
it hard to believe that I'd already worn out my rear tire, but it was
certainly more square than round.
After finding Las Vegas HD, I rolled up into their staging area. I had to hunt around for a service writer and finally got one to come outside. His first questions was, "It's a Dyna, right?" In hindsight, I should've asked for a different service writer right then and there -- it would have saved both of us a lot of trouble.
Well, I corrected him, told him it's a XL1200C. After getting a blank look, I elaborated, "Sportster". So he finally got it and asked what I needed. Told him I needed a new rear tire and did they have ME880s in stock? Well, he couldn't find anything that said Metzler or ME880 in the parts book. Well, of course not! Finally I had to ask another guy if they had Metzlers in stock. No, they don't. Hm. So the first guy is trying to look up the correct Dunlop tire and right away got the wrong part. I kept having to point out, "no, that's for a Big Twin; no, that's for the Sport model" etc. Finally we got to a tire that he and I agreed was the right one.
I looked at the service ticket he wrote up and he still got the bike model wrong! But at least the tire was right and the wrench doing the work would know what's what.
Unfortunately, before work could be performed, I had to unload Roxie, which resulted in quite a pile of crap on a bench in the corner. Then they took the bike -- at least they put travellers ahead of other customers, realizing I guess that the regular maintenance bikes aren't going anywhere and their owners have other means of transportation.
While waiting for the tire, I strolled around the showroom. The place is really big -- they claim the biggest HD dealership in the world -- and considering the size of the shop, that may be. They have a small cafeteria area setup between the showroom and the shop, with huge windows looking into the shop. Also near there is the rentals desk, which seems to do a pretty brisk business. The showroom itself had the usual bikes and accessories, of course, but also a few unusual items, like HD furniture, and a special tent. Above the floor they had old racing cycles on display. All in all, a really nice dealership.
Once my tire was changed and the bike washed, the service writer wanted to charge me for two hours of work and the bike wash! I argued that I'd only been there for an hour and a half and that their sign clearly said COMPLIMENTARY bike wash. We ended up getting another service writer involved and he confirmed what I'd been saying. He also gave me a 10% discount for my HOG membership, even though that's usually only for their local chapter. All in all, I'd say that their service desk needs some re-working. There simply shouldn't have been that much confusion.
After the tire change, I headed toward the Bakers, where I'd spend the next two nights. They weren't home yet, but their sons let me in and I settled in pretty comfortably. This stay could turn out somewhat awkward, I reflected, as I didn't know the Bakers too well, though we'd met several times before. But I had a task to accomplish.
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