Clear the Runway

As I sit in Twede's Cafe, pondering the boysenberry pie and cup of coffee before me, I'm thinking about the journey that's taken me up to this point. 

Today marks the final major task before I head out across the country and back as I'll be picking up the Tiger from I-90 Motorsports in Issaquah as part of its routine maintenance. The bike has 14,000 on it and the next major scheduled service is at 18,000 but since that will be in the middle of the ride, I'm getting it done now. Here's what they recommended for the Tiger and here's what I took care of:

1. Battery: 80 and 20 (100) Done
2. Tires: 196 and 251 (447) got the rear tire replaced. Front tire deferred
3. Chain and Sprockets: 350 parts and labor. Deferred
4. Air Filter: 35 and 99 (140) with Service Upgrade. Will save for after I return

For the past 9 months, I've been planning and prepping and acquiring gear and developing contingency plans for the trek. Now the clock is down to less than 6 weeks and 99% of the prep work is done.

I have one shakedown ride on the calendar before heading out--next weekend I'll ride down to Astoria, Oregon, for the day. It's a 390 mile day. Compared to what I'll be doing everyday for 3 weeks, it's a light ride.

But today, it's all about the coffee and pie.