Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Merry Christmas and Another PBC Video

Merry Christmas!

Things around the house are pretty busy. A birthday, an anniversary, relatives are visiting and some decorations are going up. Here, the cat is checking things out. After today I have about a week and a half off. All that I have planned is some Beemer and Ural maintenance so you may hear about some of that in subsequent posts.

My first Polar Bear Challenge post wasn't accepted by the site due to several deficiencies. First, it was too short. The videos themselves need to be longer than 3 minutes. My interpretation of the rules is that the ride needs to be longer than 3 minutes but apparently the video itself needs to be between 3 and 7 minutes long not counting introduction and credits. My time lapse video was only 48 seconds long. Second, I need to speak the temperature and odometer readings in addition to showing them clearly in the video. The thermometer used must be a mercury or alcohol with allowances for digital.

I tried an electronic thermometer but the display started to fizzle out after only a few minutes outside so that wasn't useable. The aircraft OAT gauge mounted on the bike isn't a qualifying thermometer. So today after purchasing a thermometer, I tried again. The initial and final video recordings were made with my iPhone instead of trying to use the GoPro. At least that way I could see that the digits were in focus. The GoPro video was actually pretty long and boring so I cut it down to just under 7 minutes. In fact, I had recorded long enough that I needed to change the GoPro battery halfway through the ride. I left the University shortly before sunset, headed west and north on Sheep Creek Rd, west on Goldstream Rd, south on the Old Steese Hwy, south on McGrath Rd then finally east on Farmers Loop Rd. This used to be my scenic route home when I had first started riding and is 40 km or 24.85 miles.

By the time I came home, my left boot had oil on it that was pushed out of the engine at the valve covers and push rod tubes. I suspect that maybe the breather was frozen shut and pressure was building up in the crankcase. I drained almost 6 oz of liquid from the crankcase vapor recovery canister. I think that it may have been completely full and water and ice were blocking the hose.




12 comments:

  1. I still am amazed at the humidity in your area to cause such a buildup of crankcase vapor water/oil in the canister. I have the same Christmas Tree sidecar decoration!

    Merry Christmas to you and Bridget and family! The video reminded me of the time I spent in Fairbanks under y'all's outstanding hospitality....

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    1. I had forgotten to empty the canister after the last fill up.

      Merry Christmas!

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  2. After watching the video:

    You've got some hardy bicycle riders up there....

    Good music to go with the nice lighting during that time of day.

    The snow/ice on the trees, makes them look like snow sculptures...surely there's some photo opportunities with the rig nestled amongst them somewhere or near them?

    How does your Tach hook up to the rig? Where does it get its input signal from? Source of tach?

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    1. The green wire from the tach goes to the negative side of the coil.

      Lots of bicycle riders up here especially after the fat tired bikes came out.

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  3. Great choice of music for the ride. Good luck with the PBC, and looking forward to more riding vids.

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    1. I need to submit at least three videos. I have one uploading right now that was done this morning at -15F.

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  4. That was fabulous, Richard. It also brought back memories of driving in NE WI, too. Awfully lonely at times. I wanted you to drop me off at the greenhouses! They looked so warm and inviting.

    Really an excellent video and I plan to share it with others.

    Merry Christmas to you and your family! Go, kitty!

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    1. Thank you! The cat is spending a lot of time under the Christmas tree playing with the ornaments and ribbons.

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  5. Wow, they are pretty technical and picky with the video requirements. Sounds like you have a handle on it though.

    Looks like kitty is hoping for catnip for Christmas.....

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    1. Pretty picky but whatever, it's their site and are free to do whatever they wish. I have another video ready from this mornings ride. Music is always the challenge...

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  6. Great video! Jeez, that's cold, though. You must have to triple-check for exposed skin before you start rolling...

    Merry Christmas to you and yours, and a Happy New Year!

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    1. Between the windshield, leg shields and grip covers, they take care of my sloppiness. The Roadcrafter does an excellent job of blocking the wind. I don't think that I felt cold at all on that ride. Today's ride was at -14°F and I could feel the cold coming through my boots.

      Merry Christmas!

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