Resolution:
- My dealer has the bike but they say they're backed up and can't look at it for two weeks (!)
- Bike now starts up fine, no evidence that there was ever a problem
- It does appear that the side stand or rollover kill switch is to blame
- If arguing with the dealer doesn't get them to attend to it, I'll go pick up the bike and deal with the kill switch myself. It's not the kind of repair I've ever done, but I'm a smart grownup with a screwdriver and a roll of electrical tape and will be able to figure it out. I'm sure there are instructions somewhere on this forum.
Some parting thoughts:
(1) GEICO Emergency Road Service ($14/year as part of my policy) absolutely delivered. They had a professional motorcycle rescue truck (with a hydraulic lift) to my location 15 minutes after I hung up the phone. Sure, I was lucky that I broke down near Annapolis, a very motorcycle-friendly place, but still. I might not even bother to put in for reimbursement for the $120 I was charged for towing and a set of 4 new straps (see below) -- just knowing GEICO answers the phone is enough.
(2) Being rescued by a professional motorcycle tow driver (as opposed to car tow) made all the difference. The guy knew about bikes, understood my concerns, and spent 90 minutes with me getting me to a resolution. He was just not going to leave me alone until it was clear what my plan was to get the bike home and he saw me off safely.
(3) Fie on all the dealers who won't touch a Royal Enfield. I'm talking to you, Pete's of Severna Park and Chesapeake Cycles of Annapolis.
(4) Incredibly, you can rent a moving truck on the spur of the moment for a 250-mile one-way trip, and this is perfectly normal. It wasn't nearly as expensive as I expected ($120 plus taxes/insurance/gas for 2 days, although I returned the truck on the other end 7 hours after I picked it up).
(5) I'm capable of transporting a motorcycle a long distance in a truck without tipping it over or setting anything on fire. This may sound minor but I do not come from a "drive around with ATVs in the back of the truck" culture at all (my family thinks I am crazy to go near a motorcycle, and I'm pretty sure no blood relative of mine has ever owned a pickup truck or van). The rescue driver provided 4 new ratchet straps, helped me tie down the bike, and even taught me a little about physics. The bike didn't move ONE INCH during a 250-mile trip in a rattletrap rental truck, and I got the bike out of the van myself on the other end (at midnight on a deserted street in Brooklyn) with no trouble.
(6) Owning a motorcycle with almost no dealer network is not for everybody. I can handle it because I'm not afraid of a bit of adventure, but if i were a different person, this one experience would drive me to sell the bike and trade it in for a Honda or Suzuki, with dealers easy to find across the country.
(7) What do you mean, "we're backed up and we'll look at your bike in 2 weeks"? I bought locally for a reason: I expected you would service what you sell. (The jury is still out on this one -- we'll see what they say when I show up in person.)
(
There's 24-hour moving-truck rental in downtown Brooklyn (!). I don't know who would ever need a rental truck at 2 in the morning, but if I ever do, I know I can get one.