Towed Away, Towed Away

I'm still very tired. The other night, I didn't get home until after 2:30 am, and through no fault of my own. But my story actually had a pretty happy ending.

In addition to my SUV work, I sometimes pitch in with a review or two for Motorcycles.About.Com. I love riding motorcycles, and I really love reviewing them. I decided to ride my test bike, a Triumph Rocket III Touring, out to the movies instead of taking Moose or my current test SUV, the 2008 Toyota Land Cruiser.

The movie, The Dark Knight, was quite good. But when I came out to saddle up and go home, the Rocket III wouldn't start. I'm still not quite sure what the problem is. I disassembled the seat, got to the battery, and my friend gave me a jump start from his Jeep Grand Cherokee. I hopped onboard, only to have the engine die again half a block away. Another jump start, another half block. I decided to give up and have the bike towed home, a 20 mile trip.

This is where the object lesson comes in -- I had a towing plan in my pocket. Actually, I had two -- one from AAA for my SUV, and one from Harley Owners' Group for my motorcycle. The flatbed tow truck arrived about an hour later, and I got home safely.

The moral of the story? A potentially awful story ends with a mundane, safe soft landing. And the key to that soft landing was a little bit of towing insurance and a cellphone -- two essential pieces in every vehicle owner's toolkit.

Do you have towing insurance? Don't wait until you're stuck by the side of the road to find out.

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