Rally in Tennessee, The Preparation

About 1 month ago I was offered a full time teaching position which I accepted. This meant two things, One - I wasn't going to have to spend the summer searching and interviewing for a job, and Two - I could go to the BMWMOA International Rally in Tennessee in July. Sweet.

So to prepare for the the trip I needed to do a few things and make a couple of purchases. Purchase #1 was a pair of waterproof gloves. Being the middle of the summer its a sure bet that some rain will be in the offering, and nothing is more miserable than wet cold hands.

I also needed a new pair of rain pants. My old pair had been purchased by my sister as a Christmas present more than 20 years ago. They simply were not very waterproof. So I needed these things. I also got myself a toy.

I got an iJet which attaches to my iPod and acts as remote control. It is also waterproof. So everything is connected and in the tank bag safe from water and prying eyes and the control unit clips to my fairing. I had hours of uninterrupted listening which is good on a long trip, and it played a big role later in the ride, more on that later.

The bike was due for inspection in June, so I told my mechanic to give everything a good look over to make sure it was ready for the trip. Especially the tires. I was sure the back was good, but the front seemed like I might need it to be replaced, but I wanted his opinion. He said I was good to go. I changed the oil and checked all of the other fluids.

I pack small tool duffel bag for long trips I grabbed just about all of my metric stuff threw it in the bag and that went into my saddle bag. I was glad I did this later.

All that was left was to pack the clothes up and throw them on the bike..