IV

Four days to go....Just four.

It's Monday. I didn't sleep a wink last night, due either to excitement or just a bug I picked up from someone. So I decided to stay home from the office and get some rest. Or at least that was the plan until about 10AM.

See, as I was leaving the garage last night, I stared back at my rear tire. I'd ridden the bike a little so the grooves were dark, but the outer tire surface was a dusty brown from rolling it into the garage. And there was a hell of lot more dusty brown showing than dark grooves. A closer look told me I had maybe a trip out with no worries, but I'd probably need a new tire on the way back. The front looked serviceable for the whole trip.

So at 10 this morning, I called a local outfit, Coleman Powersports in Falls Church, VA, and spoke to Gary in Parts. They didn't have the Continental in stock that was on Big Blue, but he did have a Metzler M880 and said they could do the install today if I brought the bike in. I figured I could either sit here and rest or sit at Coleman and rest, and getting something done while resting seemed like the best course of action.

Off I went....

On the way over, I wondered about having a mismatched set of tires, or having one wearing out sooner than the other. Tires ain't a good think to gamble with on a scoot, and especially not when you're a long, long way from home or a HD dealer.

At Coleman, the service guys got me right up in line (first come, first served) and Gary got my tire for me. I asked the service guy about a price for mounting front and rear instead of just one, and the price break for two was pretty decent. And a quick trip back to Gary revealed they had the matching front tire in stock, so the decision was sorta made for me. Make it a double!!!

A couple hours later I was riding back out the garage door with a new set of tires on Big Blue, and a little more peace of mind during the ride. Deeeeeeep grooves on those Metzlers.

I'll offer a shout-out to Coleman Powersports. Great people, and they gave me a decent price for the tires and mounting. $426, out the door. They've got the place in Falls Church, and another in Woodbridge, Virginia, down near Potomac Mills Mall. And it didn't hurt that there's a cute reddish-blonde girly walking the hallways there. Not that I noticed.

In other news, Linda and Charlie are touring Chicago after a day's stay in Maumee, Ohio, gradually making their way to Sturgis, with the next stop planned for the Harley museum in Milwaukee.

And Beverly and John are still at home....John may actually still be in bed. But Bev has the trailer loaded and swears they're leaving tomorrow.....LOL

Cowboy

PS - To slow down (end, maybe?) some of the nagging from Chuck, I filled the gas can.  Just sayin'.....