Spank is ON!
Today's big news is that the 08 Spank Rally is on. This is such a relief. Once I found out I was in for 09, it became imperative to run a multi-day rally this year. George had some issues with the Spank and wasn't sure if was going to happen. That caused me to run a bunch of alternate scenarios. But earlier today he let us know it's definitely going to happen. Awesome! My plan is to have my bike all farkled for 09 before the Spank, so I can test drive it in rally mode.

Planning and Research
Now that it's sunk in, I'm starting to get ready. There is a web forum for all the 09 participants to check in. I'm amazed at how many rookies there are. There's safety in numbers! Also good is the number of people who were rookies in 07 and are back in 09. This group is the greatest, because they're still enthusiastic and willing to help, and they have some excellent experiences to share. I think the ones who've done it 3 and 4 times are over all that, they just want to go out and do their thing.

I've told some riding buddies the good news. Immediately I picked up a pit crew and ground support. It's so great and comforting knowing that I have competent people willing to go out of their way to help me. Ken Meese and I have already started talking about what I might need in the way of mechanical services during the pit stop. At this point I'm thinking of a tire change, and possibly an oil change and valve adjustment. Plus there will likely be some minor repairs required, who knows what they'll be? Hopefully nothing more than a blown turn signal. We have a year and a half to work out the logistics of the pit stop.

Pit stop? Well, the rally has a start, two checkpoints, and a finish. I think that the last checkpoint before the finish will be when I want things refreshed. That'll probably be around day 8 or 9. I'll need tires for sure. Rebecca and Paul both said they used ME88s for the whole rally because they didn't want to worry about tread life. I feel that I'd rather have the better traction and feel of a set of sport touring tires, at the sacrifice of longevity. I like to corner briskly, and if I'm not confident in my grip I won't ride as well as I want to.

Some things I want to do:

• Replace my BMW top case with a square Pelican case. Rebecca has one and I'm impressed. The BMW case is oddly shaped and hard to fully utilize.
• I'm talking to RV about swapping fuel cells. Hers is slightly bigger, and I'll take all the advantage I can get.
• Once the fuel cell thing is settled I'm going to order a Linda T fuel cell luggage setup. I've seen them, they're great.
• I've got to get my cell phone hookup finalized. My LG phone doesn't work very well with the Zumo. The sound is crappy. It's not on the Garmin supported list. I'm going to get a Motorola KRZR, which is on the list and the folks on zumoforums.com say it works fine. Got a tip from our Verizon rep, he said to just buy one on craigslist and switch my number. That'll save me about $150.
• I'm considering using a 2nd GPS for average speed and other calcs. I've seen it before on IBR bikes but I always thought it was too much geek/nerd stuff. When RV said it was really helpful I thought again.

Sponsorship
Last week I went down to Ted Porter's Beemer Shop to talk about what my bike needs (it's 11 years old and has 95K on it.) He had some great suggestions, none of which sounded too expensive. I think he's a great mechanic and a good guy to talk to. I have lots of confidence in his shop. I asked him about sponsoring me as an Iron Butt Rally rider. He didn't want to commit, because he isn't sure what he'll get out of it in terms of new business. Also he said it's a slow year for his shop due to the economy. But somehow I got the feeling that he wants to help out, so we'll see what comes of that.