Sunday, July 27, 2014

Ural Ride to the Monderosa

A small group of us rode out the the Monderosa again. I think this was the third time this summer. I think it is the only place that is a "convenient" distance away from Fairbanks. By "convenient" I mean somewhere handy to ride out, have lunch and return without having to fill up the bikes. Or for this group around 45 miles each way. This photo was taken looking to the west towards the flats but does show what blue skies that we had. The gas cans are now empty but I think it looks odd with just the gas can mount so for now, I'll leave the empty cans in place.

On this day, there was a R1200GS, Harley Road King (I think), two 200cc-ish dirt bikes and the Ural. One of the dirt bike riders was a new rider and has only ridden around 400 miles and this was by far her longest trip. I was the last to arrive (big surprise) but only by a couple of minutes. 55mph is a real comfortable speed on the Ural for me though I think I may need to balance all of the tires. There was some vibration.

This was taken on the way back at my usual photo spot, the Parks Highway Monument. The temperature on this trip was a very comfortable 60°F for most of the trip. The first and last photo were taken using the HDR app on my iPhone otherwise the colors looked really muted. I was originally planning on riding the Beemer on this trip but I haven't had time to remove the sub-frame. Saturday was spent driving up to the Arctic Circle looking for geocaches and I need to process the Go-Pro video so, next post…

10 comments:

  1. Good pics RichardM. As to the vibration, check to make sure the last time the FD was removed for service that the drive shaft's yokes are "in phase".

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    1. I will do that. The vibration seems to be an imbalance with the sidecar wheel and maybe the front wheel. I haven't pulled either of them off yet.

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  2. I think everyone has a favorite (or convenient) spot they ride to. At least your have great photo opps along the way.

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    1. Plus they have phenomenal burgers (and other stuff) and it looks very Alaska-ish. The first photo towards the west is a new favorite.

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  3. I don't mind you riding the Ural. It makes for a very handsome motive.

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    1. The Beemer is still faster, quieter and has more wind protection the the Ural is much easier to drive. By easier, I mean less physical effort.

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  4. I like that you added the new photo to your header too ... I also have a favorite ride (but there's gas where I go ... not spare cans required.)

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    1. I think it looks okay for the header. There's plenty of gas stations it's just that a lot of bikes have a pretty limited range. This is about as close as I'll get to a "group ride".

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  5. Great pics, and it sounds like a fun day out!

    What do you figure your range is with that spare gas can filled?

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    1. With both gas cans plus a full tank it would only be about 250-280 miles.

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