AMA Roadside Assistance

Ken - So you have it as part of your AMA membership renewal? They've got the 'auto enroll and get it free' deal and I'm just trying to decide if I want to go that route.

Phil, I have mine set up for auto renewal and that gets the roadside assistance for free.

John

Uncle Phil said:

Ken - So you have it as part of your AMA membership renewal? They've got the 'auto enroll and get it free' deal and I'm just trying to decide if I want to go that route.

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Exactly. Don't recall how much it was. $50 maybe?

Year was 2011. It was day 3 of a planned 17 day trip from KY to CO, WY, MT, SD and back. Rockies, Yellowstone, Beartooth Pass, Cody, Devil's Tower, Black Hills, Badlands and more were all on the agenda.

We were westbound, 20 mi. or so outside of Great Bend, KS after spending the night. It was early on a Sunday morning, and the rear tire of our 2009 ST1300A suffered an un-repairable puncture. We called AMA Roadside Assistance, and a friendly gentleman arrived surprisingly quickly with a tilt flatbed suitable for a car. The guy didn't have much idea how to attach tie downs to an ST so I helped, based on how I've done it on our enclosed trailer. Wife & I talked in the cab of the truck on the way back into town about how this would put a serious damper on our plans to see friends in Pueblo, CO that evening, and other destinations as well. I was anticipating that any bike shops in Great Bend would be closed the following Monday, and also be unlikely to have a tire that fit the rear. That would have meant being stuck in Great Bend, possibly for days waiting for a tire. That would have put a serious crimp in the whole trip. The driver got on his phone and called his wife, who is friends with the mother of the Service Manager at bike shop in Great Bend. The Service Manager and lead mechanic opened the shop for us that Sunday morning, found a soft sport tire in stock (a 180/55 Shinko Shinko IIRC) that had an acceptable load rating, mounted & balanced it and we were on our way within 4 hrs. of coming to a stop in remote western KS!!! We were only 4 hrs. late for our rendezvous with our friends in Pueblo, and for the remainder of the trip we were where we wanted to be, when we wanted to be there. That Shinko would never have been my first choice but, it was there when we needed it and it worked fine in rain, heat & cold.

AMA Roadside Assistance, that flatbed driver and the guys from the bike shop essentially saved our vacation trip. The tire was pretty much shot by the time we returned home 3,500 miles later but we didn't care. Soon as we got back home to Louisville I called Hillerich & Bradsby and had custom, personalized Louisville Slugger bats made for the flatbed driver & the shop guys to say Thank You.

That's the only time We've had to use AMA RA, but needless to say we were happy with the outcome.

Good Ridin'
slmjim & Z1BEBE

So far, I'm seeing more 'fors' than 'againsts'. Anybody else want to throw in their experiences?

Uncle Phil said:

So far, I'm seeing more 'fors' than 'againsts'. Anybody else want to throw in their experiences?

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Renewed my AMA membership when I got my ST. The roadside assistance is free, but only if you auto-renew, as I understand it. Haven't needed it for the bike, but have used it twice for other vehicles. Seems like there is a limit to the free mileage, 20 miles or so, as I recall. Response time was at least as good as AAA, and the dispatcher was top-notch; called back several times to inform me of wait time and to make sure everything was satisfactory. I think the AMA is a good thing, so I have no problem with auto-renewing.

I use Dairyland insurance for the bikes, and the first year, without telling me, they added roadside assistance to my policy - for an extra 10 bucks, so you may already have coverage and not know it. I resent having charges sneaked in on me, so I set Dairyland straight, and presently have only the AMA. Been working for me...

I have the AMA coverage for the US as it comes with my membership stuff. It has worked for a couple of flats as well as a crash in Pennsylvania . They have been great to work with.

CPR4Life said:

If you are an AMA member you have it. It's included in your membership at no additional charge.

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That's what Bones thought that coverage was useless.

I (almost) used it once. The AMA program only provides thirty miles, anything more is a fairly hefty per-mile charge. A sixty mile tow home was going to cost me $150. I reverted to the brother-in-law and pickup plan. Cost me a steak dinner. The AMA plan is better than nothing; it may get you to civilization, but many of us are a lot more than thirty miles out a good deal of the time. I still do the AMA auto renew just because it's easier. The best plan is the one Honda offers (I assume they still do.) They'll take you to the nearest Honda dealer, regardless of distance. Back when I had it, it was about twenty or twenty-five dollars a year if you bought five years worth. Only good on one bike, though, and it has to be a Honda.

We were on the way to Ameracade in June of 2016 when I had a bearing failure in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada on Saturday night, Called AMA Road Side and tilt bed truck arrived with motorcycle dolly for front wheel , bike winched onto bed and secured with straps by driver. Great service and short tow to dealer with no charge.

Have been an AMA member for years. Mostly because I used to motocross a little bit. I'd get a AMA schedule for hare scrambles, and rides for the year, and the magazine. That's about it. I found it a waste a money after a while. Never did use the roadside assistance.
Like others have said, My riding is most of the time more than a 100 miles from home, anyway.

So some of you don't belong to AMA to support all the work they do for us with the government? I have belonged for about fifty years and Full Life Member since I can't remember. Used to ride District 37 Enduro's with my boys. My Life Member Plus also $50 includes the towing but I am pleased to say I've never needed it.

Ed

We probably ought to separate a couple of issues here. While I haven't made use of the AMA towing, I continue to value my AMA membership. Like it or not, we need to maintain a political voice. I believe that the AMA is the best choice for that voice, and I'll continue to send in my dues as well as a contribution to the political action committee.

Well stated Roger !

Ed

This thread ain't about pollyticks, but who has used the AMA 'rescue' service and how did it work. I've been an AMA member for along time but just trying to decide if the auto-renew/rescue is what I want to do going forward. If there's value that is one thing, if not, I really don't mind sending them a check and spending a little on postage for the privilege of not having my credit card number stuck in another database that sooner or later will be hacked. ;-)

I've tried to use the AMA (auto-pay version) twice with no results. First time was in Cortez CO when my ignition switch stuck in the off position. They couldn't find anyone to help me move the bike to Heather's about three miles away. Called AAA and after about 45 minutes, they finally found a tow but by then I didn't need one.

Second time was in Orange County CA. Had a battery go bad at a gas station. Turns out they don't do jump starts for motorcycles and couldn't get a tow truck anytime soon. Called AAA and hey said the same thing about jump starts, so I told them to send a flatbed and tow my bike home. Guy shows up a short time later and was ready to load the bike when I told him the story. He laughed, shook his head and jump started my bike. Easy to do for him and saved him the trouble of loading the bike and the drive. I'm sure he charged AAA for the tow but I didn't care.

The first time I saw anyone use AMA was on a RTE to KOFA in Arizona some years ago. fnmag broke the key off in the ignition when he went to leave. We all tried to turn the lock to no avail. He called both AMA and AAA, I believe and neither one could get there that day, Sunday, I believe. Petar gave him a ride back to Mesa where they got a truck and took the bike home.

I took a ride on a AAA flatbed one time in central Cal when 970 mike and I were coming back from a trip and the air started showing through my rear tire. They showed up quickly, loaded the bike and took it to Lompoc, no problem.

Actually, I'm thinking the best option is to have towing insurance on your bike policy. I've used it with cars a couple of times and the ins company paid the bill, no problem. Doesn't cost much to add and you get a ride to wherever you wish, not the closest dealer or shop, and with a local company.

CPR4Life said:

I'm confused. I don't have mine set up to auto renew. Every year I get a letter and I pay them to renew. And I still have the roadside assistance.

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I'm confused also about that. I've been a member for years and they will not provide the 'rescue' unless I auto renew. The real 'rescue deal' appears to be through Honda Direct (the old Honda offer) for $99 for 5 years (IIRC). But it's for 1 bike per pay so that's $300 for me - but still not a bad price over 5 years and it works in the USA, Canada and Mexico. I've also got Progressive with roadside assistance in my policy. My original question was whether the AMA version was worth it or not to do the auto-renew. It appears to be a really mixed bag and dependent on where you happen to be at the moment as to what is available. If it is a mixed bag, then it's really not worth the hassle to me to let them 'have' my credit card number in their database. Nothing worse than depending on something like that and they don't deliver the one time you need them. ;-)

Got an unrepairable -- I tried! -- flat in Wind River Canyon south of Thermopolis, Wyoming in September 2013. AMA roadside was of no use, since the nearest Honda dealer in Riverton was 50 miles south. I also had AAA Plus RV, so they did the job with a flatbed.

I have since discontinued my AMA membership due to disinterest in racing, off-roading, etc.

TomStickler said:

Got an unrepairable -- I tried! -- flat in Wind River Canyon south of Thermopolis, Wyoming in September 2013. AMA roadside was of no use, since the nearest Honda dealer in Riverton was 50 miles south. I also had AAA Plus RV, so they did the job with a flatbed.

I have since discontinued my AMA membership due to disinterest in racing, off-roading, etc.

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Ha!!! I know that road! Great ride! That pretty much sums up my feeling toward AMA too. I get the "Street Edition" of the magazine and only the front cover is different. Don't do dirt so the magazine isn't interesting. Some of their discounts can be useful but not much else.

I've never had to use it but I have it with auto renew. I don't read the magazine and I don't off road, I keep my AMA membership for the legislative efforts and their support of activities that enjoy being a spectator of. I'm going to renew every year anyway so it is just easier to do the auto renew option and get the roadside assistance.

Maybe its a difference in generations but I have less concern about using a CC than a check. A check has every bit of information on it that a criminal would need to utilize your checking account online. There is no protection on a checking account where almost all major CC companies offer fraud protection.