Rural Filling Stations

[Dmcfadyen]

I was out in the middle of nowhere today on my bike. I was on the shores of Loch Long, Argyle, and stopped for a break. When I started the bike the 'transponder Battery Low' warning was flashing. It wasn't that much of a big deal but I came accross a tiny petrol station, you know the type with a pump and a wee bothy next to it. I asked the old wifey if she might have any flat round batreries and she looked at me and dug out an old ice cream tub and lo and behold, there was the correct battery for my fob. I mean, how do these folk always seem to have what you need, put a right smile on my face. She was also well pleased to have had the right thing in stock.

Cheers, Donald

[Lonewolf]

Donald, I called into a small old'e world'e petrol station on my way home from Port Patrick on Monday just beyond Kirkcudbright heading to Dumfries. The sort of petrol station where as you drive onto the forecourt you drive over a wire/cable and it pings in their office and out they come and serve you.

If it wasn't for the cost of unleaded, 142.9p per litre at this station I might have even smiled at the woman that served me.  ;D

[Gresty]

About four years ago in Ireland I pulled up at a small run down petrol station. The pump looked ancient. When nobody came out I started to fill up the tank.  The woman behind the counter must nave been at least 85 years old.  She asked me how much I had put in. I told her the correct amount and she said "that will do dear." I still wonder if she was testing me.

[Hans]

About four years ago in Ireland I pulled up at a small run down petrol station. The pump looked ancient. When nobody came out I started to fill up the tank.  The woman behind the counter must nave been at least 85 years old.  She asked me how much I had put in. I told her the correct amount and she said "that will do dear." I still wonder if she was testing me.

You did not notice the big Pumpgun which were below the desk?

[Ziderman]

I was working in Ireland some years back & due to the shit roads at the time I managed to break a leaf spring on my Toyota Hi lux...I was near Cork...I found a Garage , I knew I was hardly likely to get a new spring there , but it needed some way of holding it till got back to uk.
They made a metal tie strap to keep the snapped one in touch with the others as it was the bottom one that was banging away.
When I asked how much , they would not take any money. I did eventually convince them to at least take some cash for a Beer. They Said.." Ah but well never no , we might need help in England one day"

Yeah & like there not going to charge you. Dam decent though & a great way to think.

[Lonewolf]

Old fashioned values unfortunately, but very admirable.  ;D

[Andy]

The nearest petrol station to Cadwell Park is a classic. Local petrol for local people :-)

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=cadwell+park&ll=53.29122,-0.08935&spn=0.008106,0.027874&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-a&gl=uk&t=h&z=16&layer=c&cbll=53.291082,-0.089484&panoid=X91-jSmPpYUzsJpSYF4GDA&cbp=12,91.48,,0,6.44

Incidentally if battery goes flat you can just hold it next to ignition switch

http://www.kawasaki-techinfo.net/showOM.php?view_lang=EN&spec=US&book_no=99987-1608&lang_code=EN

[Boomer]

I snapped a throttle cable in France a few years back on one of my GTR1000's (Ethel) just north of Limoges.
A call to the RAC got me a local breakdown guy to get me off the motorway.
Chatting to him (I speak fluent French) on the way to his depot I learned he was a full on biker (2 Harleys, ST1100, Honda MX bike and a mostly restored CBX1000).
Anyways, back at the depot he spent 4hrs MAKING a new throttle inner cable for me using a bicycle cable and even made a mold to cast the lead bit on the end.
Normally, I would have waited until the next day and gone to a Kawi dealer for a new cable but it was the 14 July weekend and France was shut for 4 days.
New cable worked perfectly and I gave him €80 and told him to look me up if he ever made it to Blighty.

2 years ago I got a call from him. He was at Ashford with a fried coil on his ST1100. I drove down with a GTR coil and we bodged it together and he followed me home. Next day got him to a Honda dealer, new coil, and he was off.
He tried to give me some money but I wouldn't take it so 2 weeks later on his way back home from his tour of UK & Eire he stopped in with a bag full of goodies and told me to stop by when i was next in France.
I fully intend to.

As for rural petrol stations, in the mid 80's I waited 27hrs at one in the Greek mountains for the overdue tanker to arrive.
The guy there arranged a super-cheap hotel room locally (about £5 including dinner and breakfast!) and once they had petrol he even insisted on pre-filtering the petrol for me as he said filling an empty tank like that stirs up all the crap in the tank.
Nice people, nice country, TERRIBLE roads!! <LOL>

[Lonewolf]

Some nice stories there Boomer. If only everybody was that considerate.

[100milesaway]

It will be a very sad day if we lose all our rural filling stations, It would make travelling about on a and b roads very hard work and extreemly frustrating, maybe not too bad on a GTR but on a limited range smaller bike looking for fuel could be a nightmare. My local filling station in Leyburn must sell the dearest fuel in the world, but I use them all the time because not to have them there is unthinkable. ;D

[Lonewolf]

On that note, unleaded by us at the moment is £129.9 p per litre. :o

It wont last!! >:(