Oh, and one more thing...

That's how things keep happening. You think you're good...but then there's one more thing. Today there was one more thing on my back porch when I got home tonight: a tire repair kit. That was from a suggestion made by a member on the world's best motorcycle website (www.beginnerbikers.org). Thank you Downshifter for your advice and link :)

Earlier this week, when I thought I'd be ok for luggage, turned out to be one more thing to get - the saddlebags already written about. When I forwarded a pic of the bags to a co-worker, he emailed back that all I needed now was black wheels. I've investigated getting them powder coated, but don't have the time or money for that right now, and my reply to his email went something like, "NOT BEFORE THE TRIP!!" to which he replied "S-P-R-A-Y P-A-I-N-T."

And the wheels started to turn (no pun intended). Since I was taking the bike in for new tires today anyway, which meant the wheels come off the bike and the tires come off the wheels...what better time to paint? I called TJ at the shop to ask if I brought paint with me, if he'd paint the wheels while they were off the bike. Being the obliging soul he is, he was perfectly willing to do that, if that's what I wanted. So after I got home last night to inspect a new driveway of recycled asphalt I'd had laid down (talk about one more thing...), I had to leave to meet my friend who was helping me coordinate my rides for today, but before we met, I went by Advance Auto Parts (no black paint) and Auto Zone (black paint!) to get the supplies to leave with the bike. And in all that rush, I forgot to load up the moto tires in the truck (that I was leaving at the shop overnight so I could drive away from there after leaving the bike in the morning to have its wheel work done).

Oh, yeah, and for reference's sake, here's what the bike looked like before I rode it this morning. Too bad I couldn't get a shot of me on the bike, wearing the tires on my waist. I'm sure there was more than one office this morning with a story starting out, "You'll never believe what I saw on my way in to work today!!"