Wednesday, March 25, 2015

Just Like New

This is almost like getting a new bike, right? I finally installed the replacement speedometer courtesy of Ural (under warranty). It was an easy swap, remove a couple of nuts, remove the speedometer cable, remove the trip reset knob and the wires for the lights. Then reverse the process. Total time, maybe ten minutes. This post is to document the mileage on the old speedometer so the mileage could be added to the new one when needed. The speedometer cable was lubricated before being reinstalled.

The needle has broken free from the spring and the speed displayed is somewhat random though it was sitting at 90 mph for a long time. It's kind of handy to be able to look down and see approximately what my speed is. I had gotten pretty used to knowing my speed by what gear I was in and the rpm but it's still nice to have some validation. Especially since I only use the GPS when I'm on longer trips.

Thank you to JedR, another airhead and future Ural owner, for bringing the new speedometer up from Mickey, the Ural dealer in Anchorage. I believe JedR's new rig is getting here sometime next month.

And here is a short video from last nights speedometer test and this mornings commute. Nothing very exciting.


16 comments:

  1. It is a shame they can't calibrate the new one. I would be tempted to hook up a drill and fix it. I want all of the miles I have ridden to show!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Didn't seem worth the trouble to me. Plus it's in km. Isn't that like pretend miles? I'll just remember to add.

      Delete
  2. Write that number down in a safe place Richard - it would be sad to lose 24,116 km of one's life.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That was the primary motivation for this post, a reminder of the old speedo reading. Plus it's on fuelly.com.

      Delete
  3. Did you get to keep the old one?
    Might be worth opening up and checking out. If repairable, it would be a good spare.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. See below.

      I suspect that the spring is wound around the shaft due to the way the needle was spinning around once -28°F was reached. Above that, it just bounced around a lot.

      Delete
  4. Replies
    1. Don't know. Waiting to hear back from Mickey.

      Delete
  5. Even with the ice the commute looks better than our dense fog this morning.

    When do you typically see the last of the ice on the road for spring/summer.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sometime the ice hangs around into May. It sort of depends when DOT clears the snow on the side of the road. For most of the major roads, they've done that. Yesterday, it was into the mid-40s so it's melting pretty quickly. Though it is only March. We could get snow all the way through the end of May though that would be unusual.

      Delete
  6. Exchange the speedometer, and you practically ride a brand new bike? Interesting aspect. Does it work?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Isn't that how it works? If it says 0 miles it must be new! ;-)

      Delete
  7. You know, I could maybe get used to the snow if it includes lots of blue skies and sunshine.

    ....and a fatbike

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's blue sky and sunshine all the time, especially when there's snow. But then again, I've been told that I'm afflicted with selective memory… (All bicycle rides are tailwind and downhill, right!)

      Delete
  8. It is nice to have a speed reading for verification, even when you've a good idea and are close. The optimistic ones can be compensated for but when it reads "down or over there" it could be almost anything.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I haven't checked the new speedometer against the GPS yet but generally displays something that "meets expectations" or not too far off. And the needle is more stable than the old one.

      Delete