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| Bridget's Photo |
As expected, the roads were pretty messy today but the other drivers were behaving well. This is our driveway after clearing the snow several times yesterday. The first clearing was about 6" and the second and third were about 2". We really did get a lot of snow yesterday. The ride in to town was pretty uneventful but I was glad that I swapped out the rear tire and added some of the leftover carbide studs. I didn't really have enough so I used the ice screws on the Duro front tire.
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| Bridget's Photo |
While Bridget was out walking the dogs, she came across an abandoned tire chain embedded in the ice. I suspect that it came off of someone's vehicle and they may have not noticed the loss. If they aren't installed properly they could come off easily but you'd think someone would notice the change in the sound. The picture does show what our road is like these days.
This afternoon, I swapped out the Duro for the Heidenau K37 that I had used last year on the front as well as the first 1000 km or so of my summer road trip. It looks like it still has plenty of tread and you can see the ice screws that I'm using for now. The screws wear out pretty quickly especially if used on the pusher. The rear tire is also a K37 that was used on the sidecar last winter so it still has plenty of tread left. The sidecar has last years pusher so it's kind of worn but for the sidecar, it has plenty of life left.
The only other change for the winter (so far) is the addition of the Koplin bar end mitts that I had picked up last February. After installing them, I noticed that I couldn't reach the heated grip control so I relocated it to be right next to the CHT gauge. The only thing left is an engine oil change but still somewhat undecided as to what weight oil to use.
Winter.....not even ready for that. 90*+ here in MT. today. We'll be heading South to AZ. at the first hint of 20* weather.
ReplyDeleteI'll take the freezing weather over 90°F just about any day. I really don't like HOT.
DeleteNope, also not ready for winter. Slowly progressing towards fall, though. That's all I can take for now.
ReplyDeleteIt's only what the third day of fall? Winter has arrived early this year. I'm the past (pre sidecar) I've ridden well into October.
DeleteI heard the permanent fund payout this year is larger than ever. You have earned it. 10 inches of snow in September?
ReplyDeleteI think that it will be one of the largest dividends. I think it's $2072 this year. It's based on revenue from the past five years not on current oil prices. Really low cost per barrel now means low dividends in a few years.
DeleteBrrrr. Cool (no pun intended) picture of you that Bridget took on your way out the driveway.
ReplyDeleteThat picture made me realize that I'm not very visible from the back. The estimate from Aerostitch is a month for repairs...
DeleteDamn, Richard, you Alaskans don't mess around when it comes to changes of season, at least those changes from cool, to cold, to frozen solid: It seems like warmup is slow, but cooldown is a "Look, Ma, no hands!" ride down a steep grade.
ReplyDeleteFall really started back in August so not too rapid of a change. Plus, the snow is a bit early this year. In the past, I've been able to ride on two wheels well into October.
DeleteMan you guys get a lot more icy conditions than here in Winter.....or I'd have to use studs as well. Then again, you guys get real snow fall, ours doesn't hang around long in the front range area. I have to start looking for new K37s....must be ready for snow riding come next month. The manual says to use 5w40 for conditions consistently below 32F.
ReplyDeleteThe current icy conditions are a bit abnormal. We are getting much more rain than normal for this time of year. We are getting dumped on again maybe this will stick around longer.
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