CAA Motorcycle towing - Question | GTAMotorcycle.com

CAA Motorcycle towing - Question

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torontoZX6R

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I am going to pick up my new FZ-09 this Saturday early morning. I have a Corporate CAA membership which includes motorcycle towing. My question is, if the weather is crappy/unsafe for me to ride the bike home, could I use CAA to tow it home? Does anyone have any experience with this?

Just wondering if they will give me hassles because the bike is in working order and not broken down

Any advice is appreciated
 
Depends on who you get. I helped a buddy out when he was buying a bike last year and the guy had a proper rig for bikes and didn't care since he was getting paid anyways. Some drivers might care if its unplated. Sounds like you will be plated but you could pull the main fuse and "it won't start and jumping did nothing, I have no idea I just need to get it home to fix"
 
I've had CAA tow me about 5 times in the past 10 years. I've notified CAA it was a motorcycle and they always sent a flatbed to do the tow. None of the towing operators checked for a plate on the bike nor did they ask to see my CAA card. It could be I have an honest face.
 
torontoZX6R said:
I am going to pick up my new FZ-09 this Saturday early morning. I have a Corporate CAA membership which includes motorcycle towing. My question is, if the weather is crappy/unsafe for me to ride the bike home, could I use CAA to tow it home? Does anyone have any experience with this?

Just wondering if they will give me hassles because the bike is in working order and not broken down

Any advice is appreciated
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As long as vehicle is plated , insured, caa will tow, doesn't matter if it runs or not.
 
Well, it's technically roadside assistance. CAA contractors do get audited to make sure they provide quality service as well as ensure they take proper steps to avoid abuse. For example, calling for a tow home because you're hammered at a bar.

A truck operator is suppose to try and get the vehicle going. Very basic steps but, still suppose to look at things like a loose battery cable or the key lock is stuck etc. If the vehicle needs a boost or fuel, they are suppose to bring you some.

Saying all that, you can call and tell them your bike is disabled and need to get it home.

Most truck operators don't bother checking on bikes because they don't know enough about them.

And most get paid for the call and frankly, prefer to keep the peace and have positive customer feedback.

So, in a nutshell, you can.

But, it's possible the call service could be denied or not covered.

No harm in trying.
 
torontoZX6R said:
I am going to pick up my new FZ-09 this Saturday early morning. I have a Corporate CAA membership which includes motorcycle towing. My question is, if the weather is crappy/unsafe for me to ride the bike home, could I use CAA to tow it home? Does anyone have any experience with this?

Just wondering if they will give me hassles because the bike is in working order and not broken down

Any advice is appreciated
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If you have a hitch in your car, just rent a Uhaul trailer and buy some straps (always come in handy). If you don't have a hitch just rent one of those small Uhaul vans.

Or you can try your luck with CAA.
 
I have moved my bike from A to B on a few occasions. (CAA) One time the Driver said that he could not move it as it was not plated. However, the vehicle he brought was not suitable. It had a ramp and would not go up without sliding and hence need one that dropped to street level. Reason, Snow and ice. He called for another vehicle that dropped level to the street. This time I covered the bike with a cover. End of problem.
 
Jayv said:
Remove the fuse for the fuel pump.
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Basically this.

You can also use Motolimo, you'll have to pay up front and submit to CAA for reimbursement. Took me about three weeks to get a cheque
 
Just had a problemo and had to have the bike towed 8km to a local shop.

They didn't ask if it was plated, didn't ask if it was running.

Came with a flatbed, the driver just got out saying "I hate towing these things" (nice guy, just lamenting about liability issues, etc).
So I helped him of course to get it up and we tied it down together.
Very courteous, good service.
Didn't ask to see the card, though I just showed him when he got there.

2 days later needed it towed back home. Pretty much same thing.

Good luck
 
I once used caa to move a bike from one storage place to another. Only reason I used caa was because I had no insurance. Guy asked me what was wrong... Said had no insurance and needed it moved, guy said oh OK. That was it.

Sent from my XT1563 using Tapatalk
 
So basically this is insurance fraud? I tried to pull this stunt many years ago. Tow truck driver read me the riot act. Good to see things have loosened up. Shouldn't affect membership rates.
 
I don't know if this is the case or are some of the posters assuming things.
If the vehicle runs and is plated, explain why it needs to be towed.
 
First post reveals the intentions.
 
torontoZX6R said:
I am going to pick up my new FZ-09 this Saturday early morning. I have a Corporate CAA membership which includes motorcycle towing. My question is, if the weather is crappy/unsafe for me to ride the bike home, could I use CAA to tow it home? Does anyone have any experience with this?

Just wondering if they will give me hassles because the bike is in working order and not broken down

Any advice is appreciated
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CAA requires the vehicle to be plated with a valid sticker. Throw a plate on from another bike and call the tow truck; as long as you have a valid sticker they wont care. I've used CAA to tow my cars/bikes over 20 times, and only ONCE did the driver refuse...that was simply because the sticker was expired 3 years ago. Apparently they have "secret shoppers" so the drivers are cautious.

As for the "reason" for the tow, you can pull the main fuse, fuel pump fuse etc... or you can just say "bike started overheating and making noise, so I turned it off. I do not want the bike turned back on in case the overheating causes more damage. I need to tow this bike home so my mechanic can come over and look at it."

Once you say that, NO driver will try starting the bike because then you can blame any internal damage on CAA, and they'd be ****ed.

Remember folks, be honest as you can... unless it costs you money.
 
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DOHC1 said:
CAA requires the vehicle to be plated with a valid sticker. Throw a plate on from another bike and call the tow truck; as long as you have a valid sticker they wont care. I've used CAA to tow my cars/bikes over 20 times, and only ONCE did the driver refuse...that was simply because the sticker was expired 3 years ago. Apparently they have "secret shoppers" so the drivers are cautious.

As for the "reason" for the tow, you can pull the main fuse, fuel pump fuse etc... or you can just say "bike started overheating and making noise, so I turned it off. I do not want the bike turned back on in case the overheating causes more damage. I need to tow this bike home so my mechanic can come over and look at it."

Once you say that, NO driver will try starting the bike because then you can blame any internal damage on CAA, and they'd be ****ed.

Remember folks, be honest as you can... unless it costs you money.
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The bike will be plated and stickered from the dealership.

Thank you everyone for the advice.....here I go
 
Despite the 2 hour wait and getting passed from tow company to tow company 3 times, the flatbed finally arrived and the driver was the nicest guy ever. Now that I think about it, he never even asked to see my membership card at all....( and if I could ever figure out how to get a photo small enough to post, I would actually share a few pics)
 
I'm still shaking my head. Yesterday I helped my gimpy old neighbour get his Sportster out of the basement. He's selling it on consignment at A.L.Choppers (in case anybody needs a 2 inch lowered ape hangar polished turd). He used CAA to get it there. I still can't believe this is kosher. My CAA Plus allows bicycle tows. I think I'll peddle out as far as I can stand and then get a free ride home. Why not?
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