A fine service experience!

Even though we have been driving in Texas for 3 days, now we are back in the Lone Star State!  We made a trip into Austin (with the CR-V and trailer) and on the way back, stopped in Johnson City (named for LBJ) at a small town restaurant and had true Texas fare: Joan had chicken fried steak, I had chicken fried chicken.  And, yes, they know how to make it.

The trip wasn't just about lunch: we made the two hour drive from Fredericksburg to Austin to get new tires for the Vespa.  AF1 Racing is one of the premier Piaggio Brands dealers in the country (Vespa, Aprillia, Moto Guzzi, and Piaggio).  I made this appointment with them the same day we discovered my rear tire on the Vespa sporting some dangerous-looking bulges.  We got to this area a day early for that appointment, and when I called yesterday to see if there was any chance I could move it up one day, the service tech said, "Absolutely.  We have other bikes in, but I see you plan to wait for this - I'll have you in and out of here with new balanced tires in an hour."

Well, that sounded great... but, realistically, I expected it would probably be longer than that.  If I could get it back the same day, I would be a happy camper.

The sky was threatening when we left Fredericksburg; it wasn't long before it opened up and poured on us...

Not entirely bad: the Honda was plenty dirty after being towed from South Dakota - the rain knocked some of the road grime off of it.

It took every bit of two hours to get there; through Hill Country, some 4 lane roads, some 2-lane roads, and a short stretch on the Interstate.  We rolled in 15 minutes before our appointment.  I went inside, checked in at their service desk, and was told the service manager would be right out to take the bike into the shop.  We unstrapped the Vespa and rolled it out of the trailer - the rain had stopped for a bit... nice!  I watched him ride away on my scoot...

AF1 Racing has a nice new building just off I-35 in Austin.  This place gets rave reviews from the folks on the Vespa forum.

One of the salesmen came over to see if he could help.  The service manager told him to give us a tour of the facility.  We were hoping to let Joan get some seat time on a Piaggio BV350, but they had sold the one she had her eye on when checking their website, and they didn't have another in stock.  We got to see their shop (including this especially good-looking GTS being worked on)...

Also, their racing bike inventory, as well as their parts and shipping; I ordered from them last month, and the accessory I ordered arrived at Hart Ranch in two days.  They also supply other dealers around the country.

We had some time to look around a bit...

That white one above is the new "Yacht Club" model: crisp white with blue accents; it is a sharp-looking Vespa.

Lots of color options on other models...

By the time I was done looking around, Drew (the tech working on my bike) came out to see how we were doing and see if we needed anything else for the Vespa.  "Fine," I said, "but I don't want to hold you up."

He said, "Your Vespa is done - it's out in the parking lot by your trailer.  That's a nice scooter!"

Less than an hour!  Drew knows his way around a Vespa!  I picked up a t-shirt, paid the bill, and we put the Vespa back in the trailer.  Just in time for the sprinkles to start again.

Now, for the 2 hour ride back to our motorhome.  Bumper to bumper traffic on the short bit of I-35 we had to cover...

This stretch of Interstate always seems backed up.  We got back on Highway 290 and headed west.  Off and on through rain.  The stop in Johnson City for a late lunch, then the last 30 miles back to the RV park.  Along the way, this...

That is what we call a "sucker hole."  Oh, you might think there is better weather coming, but don't you believe it.  Yeah, more rain.  At our site, we backed the trailer in behind the coach and put Joan's Honda back in it... yes, just as it started raining again.  If Mother Nature cuts us some slack, we'll try to get some riding in.  If not, we'll tour around by car and umbrella.  Fredericksburg is a major tourist destination area, with a German heritage, over 30 wineries, breweries, live music, and plenty of things to do... we won't get it all in with just the week that we're spending here.

This was the only Vespa t-shirt that AF1 had...

They have plenty of Vespa scooters in stock.  Not a lot of branded clothes, though.  (Remember, we were just in the Black Hills, where you can get Harley Davidson on all kinds of stuff!)  Nothing I needed, other than those lovely Michelin City-Grip tires.  And did I mention: 8/10ths of an hour!  And, everyone we came into contact there was friendly.  We'll be back!