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I often receive calls for roadside assistance from riders who are on the side of a busy highway or freeway. As you already know, cellular phones are less than ideal in situations like this. The riders cannot usually hear me unless I shout into my phone, and it is difficult to understand them while cars are whizzing by, creating engine and tire noise in the background.
Sometimes I rely on text messaging when it is difficult to have a voice conversation due to the background noise making either party's voice nearly impossible to hear.
I suggest that you take the time to stop by Fry's Electronics, Radio Shack or your local cellular phone store and pick up a small set of DUAL ear bud headphones with a working mic built into it. they can be kept in a very small plastic container beneath your seat, or in a bag, or even zip tied to your frame in some inconspicuous place.
When you break down, pull them out and plug them into your phone. With BOTH ears able to hear me, and a small external mic you can hold right up to your mouth, we are certain to exchange the information I need to provide a quick and accurate response!
It would be best to test them out prior to actually needing them for an emergency call. Stop along a noisy freeway in a location where you can SAFELY re-enter traffic after the test. Hook up your chosen headset and make a call! you can even call me to test them if you wish.
By doing this ahead of time, you will not find yourself in a situation where you are trying to tell me where you are, and ending the call only HOPING I understood you clearly.
Along those same lines, it is a good idea to buy an extra "cigarette lighter" phone charger for your cellular phone. Some customers actually wire a cigarette lighter plug to their battery, mounting it in a hidden, but accessible location. A few customers have even mounted a battery charger plug to their phone's charger, so they can plug it into the same pigtail they use to charge the battery.
When you are on the side of the road, it is amazing just how many people you suddenly realize you need to call. Your phone's battery can die suddenly unless you have a way to power the phone off of the bike's 12vdc system. Do it now! Find a way to give your phone the power it needs in an emergency situation!
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Another situation that I encounter now and then is when a rider has been enjoying the ride so much, he really didn't pay attention to where he is! I receive about 10 calls each year where the rider is 10, 20 or even 30 miles away from where he thinks he is. It is so easy to take a fork in the road and not realize that you are no longer on highway ##, but you are now rolling along route ##.
More often than I care to count, I receive a call from someone asking for a tow, and the ONLY information he can give me to estimate his location is something like, "Well ... I passed a casino about 20 minutes ago!" Sometimes the rider doesn't know if he was headed East or West. Other times, he isn't even sure which road he is on. This makes it very difficult to find him, and adds to the response time. If a rider doesn't know how far into a road he is, I have to start at one end and follow the road until I find him! By knowing where he is, I might be able to use an intersecting road and shorten the response time.
It is a good idea to note mile markers or call box numbers along the road as you pass by. If you break down, or you are involved in an accident, it can really help me pinpoint you on a map and give you an accurate ETA.
Make a mental note of the name of the last road you passed, or any recognizable landmark such as a campground or restaurant. Unless you absolutely need your trip odometer reading, reset it to ZERO at the last gas station or roadside hangout. Then you can tell me, "I'm 11.3 miles east of ..." That is a lot better than, "I'm somewhere between Hemet and Palm Springs."
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