So beer and amazing food with family, more beer with friends, pizza so good that you reserve your dough….what else could this stay in Philly give?

I had called a yamaha dealership in town called Yamaha City right when we arrived on Tuesday. After talking to the service manager for all of 5 minutes, he told me that he could squeeze me in around noon on Wednesday or Thursday and that I should just call if I hadn’t figured it out. I don’t know about other people’s experiences, but I have had pretty bad luck with customer service from Yamaha dealerships. The fact that these guys were going to be able to fit me in was amazing. As mentioned, I forgot the owners manual at home and have found an online copy to download. This is outstanding and I’m hoping that I can get the full service manual this way as well. After reading the section on oil levels and finding that the engine oil lubricates the clutch and transmission, it really started to make sense that yes, I must be low on oil. Call went out to the garage and he still recommended that I bring it down but to be sure that I top it off with oil first. When we arrived, this guy comes walking out, asks a few questions, and hops down on one knee to check the oil. Now I should mention that checking the oil level on a bike is a tricky process of running the engine, letting it cool for a minute or two and then peering into a little window near the bottom of the frame. This sounds all fine and good but the bike has to be upright….in other words, it can’t be leaning on the kickstand. With a road-trip buddy (Brendan), this is fine….but by yourself….well I hadn’t figured that out yet. Needless to say, this guy had his game face on. He knelt down, and with his right arm, held the bike steady and upright! Stuck in Philly without a working bike was a possibility in the back of my head, but more in the foreground was a story my dad had told about a local mechanic trying to grease him out west(pun intended). This guy takes the bike for a spin, and lets me know that not only is it running fine, but that my engine will tend to burn oil if kept at speeds above 70mph for extended periods of time. He also said that he’s had many bikes come in way lower on oil than mine. Soooo, bike is good. I caught that hiccup in time and rather than grease me for a new air filter, he sent me on my way free of charge and free of worry. City of Brotherly Love.

Brendan had come along for this fun little journey and we were planning on spending the rest of the day exploring the city. After finding a post office, we meandered about, driving up and down residential streets to make our way through the center of Philadelphia. After making it out to the western edge, we turned around and headed for the Science Museum. Now, I’m a sucker for any Museum where you don’t have to be quiet, there are interactive exhibits, and throw in an IMAX theater while you’re at it. This led us to the Ben Franklin Science Museum. As it turns out, Ben Franklin was an everyday guy who was fascinated by the world around him. He was always curious about how things worked and how he could make everyday life easier. Sounds like my kind of guy. The exhibits revealed a lot about his life and showed off some things that I didn’t know he was involved with. After seeing the science section of the museum, we settled in for an IMAX movie about climbing in the Alps. Every time I see one of these movies, I’m more and more convinced that this is what I need to be doing.

Finally, with museum fatigue starting to wear, we hit the Pirate exhibit. This is a section of the museum that is showcasing the only legitimate pirate treasure to have ever been found. A pirate ship was wrecked off the coast of Cape Cod and the story is told quite effectively through a series of movies and exhibits. Not only is there actual treasure and other pirate artifacts to be seen and touched, but the exhibit is set up so that it feels like you’re walking through the different areas of the very ship you’re learning about. Very very cool. With museum fatigue fully on, we got back to the bikes and headed home to enjoy some dinner with Todd and Kristyna. Even though I had pounded an authentic Philly Cheese Steak for lunch, when they mentioned mexican, I was game. So ending the Philly stay with some more food and drink after a day exploring the city was much enjoyed. It should be mentioned that not only did Todd not allow us to spend a cent on food and drink but he put us up in an apartment that he and Kristyna had to be out of by the end of the weekend. Another outstanding addition to an already fine group of Champions of the Road Trip.