2011 Mid Life Crisis Tour

---

BROOKLAND, Ark. - It's 4:30 p.m. and I'm preparing for an early morning departure for Indianapolis.
The bike is ready with properly inflated tires (36psi front, 42 psi rear). I just realized I forgot to check the oil level, so I must do that before I ride it down to the Citgo station to top off the gas tank.
The front tire has just enough tread depth to cover the top of Abe Lincoln's head on a penny and the rear tire has substantially more.
My plan is to buy new tires in Colorado next Tuesday - either at Pike's Peak Motorcycles in Colorado Springs or Foothills BMW in Lakewood - whoever has tires and can fit me in - and scrub them in riding up to Tim and Linda Balough's place. I've got the GPS coordinates of both dealerships programmed into my Garmin Zumo 550.
The weather forecast for my travels appears sunny and dry, so I shouldn't have any worries about a lack of tread.
I'm setting out with all new gear thanks mostly to killer deals from MotorcycleGear.com (formerly New Enough). I'm eager to see how my new Hi-Viz Firstgear Kilimanjaro 5.0 jacket performs in the chilly high country. I've replaced by uncomfortable and worn-out BMW boots with a pair of Bates Gore-Tex tactical boots, my 9-year-old Arai helmet with an HJC flip-face model, my worn-out BMW summer gloves with summer-weight Olympias, my BMW summer pants with Firstgear Mesh-Tex pants. I'm glancing out the window every few minutes in anticipation of the UPS truck that bears my new Firstgear Kathmandu pants.
The Kathmandu pants coupled with the Kilimanjaro 5.0 jacket will give me waterproof protection and make it possible to leave home without my raingear and the Wunderlicht tail pack I carry it in. I plan to stuff whatever jacket and pants I'm not wearing into my BMW waterproof bag and lash it to the luggage rack. This should eliminate the need for my oversize saddlebags, letting me use the stock bags that are color-matched to the bike and considerably more aerodynamic.
5:20 p.m. - Still waiting for the UPS guy. I rode down to the Citgo only to find that their pay-at-the-pump system has crashed. Fuck 'em. I have about 90 miles on this tank and will refuel at Kennett tomorrow morning.

---