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It is time again to head out to my favorite rally of the year, the 43rd Annual Finger lakes BMW rally.  Always enjoyed travelling to this area, quaint little towns nestled around the Finger Lakes, some great riding, good eateries and always a fun rally.

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Seriously???

IMG_3091 Before beginning to pack the bike, I noticed the front tire (newly installed Metzeler Tourance) being flat.  WTF - Looked around the bead, and noticed that a few of the rubber "nipples" are stuck in between the rim and the bead, that is precisely where it is leaking from.  A bit disappointed considering a local BMW shop mounted the tires for me ...  I checked and determined the tire to leak about 2lbs/hr, so I could make the run to Finger Lakes while stopping once to top off the air.  So I continued to pack the bike and got it ready for a 9pm departure (100% chance of rain on Saturday), if I leave Friday night I should be staying mostly dry.   

After a decent run, I was on the rally grounds at 02:20am, not too bad considering I made one brief stop to check front tire and luggage, then a longer stop for fuel, to put on another lay of clothing (it was downright cold).  

Just barely parked the bike onsite and was greeted by a few friends that immediately took me to the fire to warm up, which was perfect. The party was pretty much on, had mostly really nice weather, saw old friends, made new ones and had many laughs. Got to see an Avett Brothers Concert, made two trips to the Penn Yan Diner for some great breakfast fare. Another great Finger Lakes Rally in the books!

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