We didn’t plan it this way and certainly didn’t want it to happen the way it did. The trike needed experts to look at it. Far more than I could do in a motel parking lot. All indications are that the vehicle is running correctly (oil pressure, oil temperature, throttle response, etc.) but the red overtemp light continues to shine which means the check engine light is also on.

We stopped for breakfast at Kix (on Route 66) in Tucumcari then headed straight toward the dealership. Unfortunately the dealership is High Plains Harley in Clovis – 86 miles away. In an effort to get there early, I didn’t call ahead. I was hoping that if a wounded trike with Indiana plates showed up, the dealer would feel sorry for us and get us right in.

The morning was nice and cool. It was perfect riding weather except that nagging red light on the dash. The roads were good enough. We did see some “rough road ahead” signs. What they call rough roads here in New Mexico would pass for Indiana’s finest pavement (come on Indiana – get your act together). We were also travelling through open range. I hoped there were no cattle in the road because I was going through several scenarios in my head as to what could be wrong with our Black Magic trike.

The dealership looked like it had been there a while and was not one of Harley’s new glass and brick design. The trike was wheeled into the service bay at 9:57 AM. I had some hope we would be out of there by noon. Suffice it to say it didn’t work out that way.

The water pump was DOA but High Plains Harley didn’t have a replacement. They had to go get one from Amarillo which is almost 2 hours each way. The service manager, Sean Landry, said he thought they would have the pump back by 2:30 and thought we’d be on the road by 4:00. We took advantage of his kind offer to drop us in town so we didn’t just sit in the dealership.

I’m sure that at some point in it’s history, Clovis, New Mexico was a bustling metropolis. After all, there is an air force base located here which means a constant supply of young men with money in their pockets. Today, downtown Clovis is a string of second hand thrift stores. We walked at least 8 blocks down Main Street and there was not a single retail shop selling new items. It makes me sad that small town USA is disappearing.

About 3:00 we finally got the text that the pump was at the right dealership and they would send someone to retrieve us. (Clovis has no taxi service, no Uber, no Lyft service. Sad for a population of 37,000.) Back at the dealership, Sean the service manager was actually working on the trike. It seems the lone technician had to leave for a doctors appointment.

The dealership closes at 6:00. Our belongings are 86 miles away at Tucumcari. Our trike is still sick even with the new pump. The only rental car place in town has closed for the day. I’m not sure how many dealership would do this but Sean gave us the dealership’s pickup truck for the night. We drove back to Tucumcari in the near darkness dejected. In the morning we’ll head back to Clovis and hope the master technician will be back at work to resolve the issues. Just in case – I reserved a rental car from Enterprise. At lease we won’t be stuck at the dealership and they will have their truck back. Stay tuned for how this all works out.