Saturday, April 18, 2015

No Longer Winter and Summer Plans

I returned from Barrow this afternoon to 50°F temperatures. Quite a change from -9°F this morning. It seemed like time to remove the studs from the tires. I was originally thinking of just keeping these tires for winter use, I changed my mind when I saw the condition of the studs. They were pretty worn out. So would need to be replaced anyway. I had expected that the studs in the pusher would be the most worn but it turned out that the sidecar studs were the most worn.

The same tool used to install the studs is used to remove them though in some cases, the notches were almost completely worn away making it difficult to seat the tool. This is a picture of the pusher. i.e. the rear tire, showing the fairly minimal wear. These tires have about 4200km on them or 2600 miles. Not a lot of miles for having ridden through most of the winter. The front and the sidecar tire have even less wear. I'm thinking of just leaving these tires on for the summer. Heidenau has released the K28 sidecar specific tire but availability is kind of limited at this time.

I have a couple of trips to Anchorage in May and planning on going to the non-rally in Dawson City known as D2D (Dust 2 Dawson) on the Top of the World Hwy just before the Summer Solstice. I am thinking about just continuing to make my way slowly down towards Montana. We have a family reunion in Oregon in the middle of July and a wedding in northern California near the beginning of August. Other than that, no plans.

I had asked Chris from Everyday Riding and Dom from Redleg's Rides about my sanity in taking the Ural on a road trip. Chris' answer was
"I think it may be asking for trouble
and Dom's was
"do you want the rig to break down in the wilds of BC where there's not much for miles?"
Both are excellent (confidence inspiring) statements and provoked a lot of thought over the last few months.

My original plan was to take the Beemer sans sidecar down and leave it in Oregon to be used on future road trips. But after the Ural lifter failure last January, I like the idea of having a spare sidecar rig in Fairbanks. Plus, there is only about four months left on the extended warranty and I'm thinking that I may want to put on as many miles as possible during that time. Plus, I don't have many time constraints on this trip.

I'll see how it goes on the trips in May. The second trip is down to Talkeetna over Memorial Day weekend for the United Sidecar Association campout.

13 comments:

  1. Richard, I guess you'd do fine taking the Ural for traveling, and there is so much space in the side car in for necessary spares, plus you are a good mechanic if needed and the road gods will protect moto travellers, like yourself. Go for it! It will be a great adventure.

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    1. That's kind of what I've been thinking. It's made it this far without falling apart and has already made the lower-48 to Alaska trip once before. Most of the bugs should be worked out...

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  2. Like SonjaM said, not a lot you can't fix on the URAL given the required parts....just travel with a means to communicate for help when cellphone coverage is out. Besides, if you can get the engine to blow up within the warranty period, you get a "new" engine.

    You say you'll have no time constraints so you can ride it at Ural speed or lower....

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    1. That's kind of what I'm thinking. Just have some spare for things that do wear out like the rubber coupler on the drive shaft, compliance fitting, maybe a hall sensor, plugs, fuses, some bulbs and filters.

      50mph is a comfortable speed and I'll be traveling light.

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  3. Hmmm if you want to keep the BMW in Fairbanks, you might just have to buy a local Oregon bike to keep when in town. Or just borrow one of ours, they are at your disposal.

    I think touring on a Ural is doable for you, like others have said, you are mechanically inclined and could probably fix what went wrong. You might just want to map our the Ural dealers along your route and have their numbers programmed in your phone for overnighting parts to your motel if necessary. Raceway is always a phone call away. (provided you have cell service)

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    1. Motel? This is a bargain basement trip all the way. I plan on camping out and eating in. (Is that the right phrase?)

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  4. Hmmm, any theories as to why the sidecar studs were the most worn?

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    1. I think that when I apply the rear brake, the sidecar wheel may occasionally lock up and slide. There really isn't much weight on it and the brake is the same as the rear wheel on the bike.

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  5. I think the odds are in your favor if you really travel light, and so few people do, which is the best way to avoid problems combined with relatively low speeds. Plus you have run the bike in well.
    I think the real trick is to unjinx the bike by being able to keep a serene frame of mind and not be bothered by breakdowns. I have found remote break downs to be not a very big deal as in remote places people help out. Its in suburbia that you can feel most isolated (and the help will cost $$$).

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    1. I think you are right on about traveling light and slow. Stick to the little black lines on the map. In Alaska, the Yukon Territory and northern BC, it's easy as the speed limit is mostly 50 mph. I find it very relaxing though others are annoyed that they can't get in 1000 mile days...

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  6. Richard;
    Don't let the naysayers get to you. I tried touring on a schedule specific places to stay. And found that I didn't really like doing that. It's all about enjoying the ride anyway.

    Looking forward to seeing you in Talkeetna, is Bridgett coming with you?

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    1. That's the plan. No real schedule. Plus there are all these places that I've wanted to stop and see but never had the time...

      And yes, Bridget is planning on coming down to Talkeetna.

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