It was yet another regular weekend. Regular,all thanks to the pandemic, weekends aren't very exciting anymore. We are mostly trapped inside our home, staring at a corner of our living room with moments of our previous trips playing so vividly in our heads that we could almost live it. We have been looking back on all our old photographs, counting all the days that we missed seeing this beautiful world. Good old days. Life is short as is and this pandemic is not making it any better.
This Sunday too was supposed to be no different. It was a day reserved for our family of three to go out for a spin for Phoenix's sake, to run a good stretch on the highway so that he is fine during these stagnant times. We set out at around 5.30 p.m. to stretch Phoenix's wings. I, of all was super thrilled to be back on Phoenix, even if it was for a short spin. Something is better than nothing right?
We chose to ride him towards Bangalore Airport road because past all the city traffic it was a good stretch of highway for Phoenix to munch some miles. But as soon as we hit the Outer Ring road, Akshay started noticing that things weren't all well. He complained that Phoenix's throttle response was not right and that the bike seemed to pop after a point. To our shock, Phoenix shut down all of a sudden in the middle of the road! Akshay tried starting him up a few times but he just wouldn't. We were worried, if due to prolonged non-usage the battery had died. But the headlights and the display were lighting up fine so a dead battery was out of question. We thought of giving him sometime and tried starting him up once again after about 10 minutes. This time, thankfully, Phoenix came to life and we thought that this could have been a one-off glitch and got on the bike, still a bit concerned about this. However, to be on the safe side, we cut short our journey and decided to head back home.
As it had been several days since Phoenix had received a good wash (he didn't need frequent clean ups as he was always cosily covered in our parking lot) we decided to stop by at a bike wash station before heading home. There, right there at that moment, we had made a really bad decision for Phoenix. Phoenix did receive a pampered wash and he was all spic and span when he headed out of the wash station. But when we tried to start him up he just wouldn't! We tried the same old trick of giving him some time, just in case if water had lodged in places due to which he might not start up. But no! He didn't start. Panic was now building up in our minds and we tried coming up with all the reasons due to which he might not start. But nothing seemed to add up.
By now, the daylight was dwindling and so was our wits. The only thing we could think of was to seek help from Benelli Road-Side Assistance (RSA). It was a Sunday evening and we had no much hopes of help from RSA either and thought we would have to fight our way for help. But to our surprise, they did respond promptly! They tried to help us out but it being a Sunday there was only one RSA open for the evening and they were on the other side of Bangalore and would take another two-and-half hours to reach us. Even after that, they could only help us tow the bike to our house as none of the Benelli service stations were open.
We were only a kilometre or two away from our home and waiting close to three hours for help did not seem reasonable at 9 o'clock on a Sunday night. So Akshay decided that he will walk the bike back home. Now picture this. 230-odd kilo bike, one and a half kilometre distance, Bangalore traffic and the cherry on top? A steep road all the way back home. A workout charted for the week came true that very moment for my poor husband. What choice did we have? So started our walk back home with Phoenix. We tried starting him several times on the way but he didn't. It wasn't an easy task pushing Phoenix up the steep road, but Akshay did it nevertheless. I knew my husband is strong but I didn't know up until then that he was "Captain America" strong. I was walking beside them feeling guilty that I couldn't be of much help, all the way praying that we reach home safe and sound. Finally when we parked our bike home did we feel a wave of relief wash over us.
The next morning RSA team arrived on-time, 8 sharp, to take Phoenix to the service station. As this was our first experience with anything like this, honestly, we were very concerned about their way of handling the bike. But seeing the punctuality shown from their end and their sincere efforts to help us the previous evening, we tried to brush aside our doubts. When Phoenix was taken away it felt like we were sending off a family member to hospital for diagnosis.
We waited most of the morning impatiently, for any news about Phoenix's health. Every ring on the phone set a small wave of worry in our minds. Minutes turned hours. Finally the long awaited call came and we were informed that the ignition issue was due to the fuel pump wire that had come loose! We took a wild guess as to who might be responsible for it. It must have been the "craftsmanship" of a cat whose paw prints we often used to find on Phoenix's seat. All in all we were so thankful that it wasn't a major issue and Phoenix would be back home the same day. His second service was due as well so we got that one done too. When we arrived to collect him at the service station he looked like a knight in shining armour. More like Optimus Prime, majestic and powerful (PS - I always felt that all the vehicles around are Cybertronians in disguise, looking out for their humans and that we always owned an Autobot !!!) All is well that ends well :)
After this episode, we decided not to keep Phoenix in exile anymore and hence the following weekend we went out on a short half-a-day trip. Of course, we took all the precautions taking into consideration the new norm of life. You can expect that post to be up soon!
Until the next adventure, take care...
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