David, the Tiger, and the Tire That Came Too Soon

Sometimes the universe has a pretty twisted sense of timing.

Meet David, a 20-year Retired Veteran and a new friend of the Hill City Warriors shop, and his 2017 Triumph Tiger Adventure. David rolled into the shop with a tire that needed changing.

Now, you might think, “No problem. Motorcycle shop. Tire change. Easy.”

Well... about that.

The day before, we had just voted to get a tire changer. Notice the important words there: the day before.

The tire changer had not yet magically appeared in the shop. Apparently, the motorcycle gods don't work on our preferred schedule.

So David's tire change became a good old-fashioned tire spoons, sweat, questionable noises, and muscle operation.

We wrestled that tire into submission the traditional way. No fancy machine. No push of a button. Just a couple of stubborn humans, some tire spoons, and the determination to prove that apparently we had nothing better to do with our backs for the rest of the day.

But we got it done.

More importantly, while we were working on the Tiger, David became more than just the guy who showed up needing a tire changed. We spent the day talking motorcycles, swapping stories about rides and adventure rides, and talking about those long-distance journeys that take you across the country and remind you why we put wheels underneath ourselves in the first place.

There were plenty of laughs along the way; changing a tire the hard way is even more entertaining when you have good company.

Eventually, the Tiger was back together, David was back on the road, and we had ourselves another new friend at HCW.

And next time? We're doing it on an actual tire changer. There's a fine line between being old-school and being unnecessarily tired. 

Welcome to the HCW family, David. We enjoyed having you and that Tiger in the shop.

Until the next adventure... keep the shiny side up and the rubber where it belongs.