Monday, September 26, 2016

Home Canning and New Tires

How's that for an odd mix of topics...

Hopefully this batch will turn out better than last years. The general recipe I used is from the Penn State Extension office. I used to have a book called Back to Basics: How to Learn and Enjoy Traditional American Skills which had all sorts of old timey recipes. I can't find the book but the Penn State recipe sounded pretty close. I had the brined cabbage sitting in the crock for only three weeks which is near the lower end of the recommended time. Hopefully it was long enough. All of the jars sealed up nicely. For some reason I get a real feeling of satisfaction when that happens. For future reference, ten pounds (4.5 kg) of cabbage makes seven pint jars of sauerkraut.

This morning (Monday) was clear, sunny and a chilly 25°F (-4°C). It'll be a bit until I'm used to the cooler temperatures and enjoyed the warmth from the heated grips. Since I only rode to coffee and no other errands, I didn't bother with any of the heated gear. Today turned out to be a good time to install the new tires. On Saturday's ride to the Monderosa, I thought that I could feel this tire sliding but DaveR, who was following me near the end of the ride out, said that he could see the sidewalls deflect on right turns. The Duro has much thinner sidewalls compared to the Heidenau.

The used pusher was the first to be replaced and it is showing it's wear. I'm not really sure how many miles are on it as it. It used to be the spare which I had to swap on back near the beginning of May when I had a flat on a very worn K37.  The nice thing about Ural wheels and tires is that they are fairly easy to work on. This lifetime supply of tire lube was gifted by JedR after we had installed four K37 tires on his rig last Fall. He is very generous.

 
The No-Pinch tire tool along with the No-Mar tire lube made very quick work installing these stiff Heidenau tires. I think the total time from the wheel and old tire being put on the bench to getting ready to air up the new tire was on the order of ten minutes. So much easier and faster than the Snowflake wheels on the BMW.

JedR had also gifted me with some Tyrebead balancing beads. We had installed them on his bike last Fall and he is very happy with their performance. I had been thinking of using these but hadn't been able to find anyone local that carried them. And shipping was always ridiculously expensive. Two tasks that were on the 50k km task list were checking the bearing adjustment using the two special tools provided in the Ural tool kit and applying some grease to the final drive spline. After installing the wheel, I also adjusted the brakes. Tire pressure in the pusher was set at 40 psi and the sidecar at 34 psi.

Then repeat everything with the sidecar tire. It used to be the pusher when I started my trip last Summer before I switched to a street tire half way down the Cassiar Highway. It has been installed on the sidecar since I returned 13 months ago. It was studded for the winter and the studs removed last May. It was also pretty worn. I definitely got my moneys worth out of these tires.

Two down, one to go. I need to get some other stuff done today so I'll do the front tire later. Plus, it still has quite bit of tread left especially when compared to the rear tires.

Just for grins, I compared the readings on all of my tire pressure gauges. The three dial gauges, one of which is around 40 years old, all matched within a needle width. Two (freebie) pencil gauges were 1 psi higher. And a Slime digital gauge was 6 psi low. I discarded the digital gauge. I had picked it up during my trip last summer as the EZAir dial gauge was somewhat cumbersome to use. But I never really believed the readings. It turns out that my hunch was correct. 

12 comments:

  1. Always good to get new shoes on the bike and those look great on the pusher and tug.

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    1. I like the K37 tires. They are made for sidecar use, last a long time, and have enough tread to add studs.

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  2. ah yes, new tires are a good feeling, especially if you did the work....+1 on the no pinch tire tool for installing new tires, so easy now. Hardest part is removing the tire with mojo lever and even that isn't really that bad once you have the right leverage. K37s are definitely harder to work with since their sidewalls are stiffer but doable. Other riders will still see some flex on your pusher no matter the brand of tire, lot of pressure on the pusher on these rigs.

    I've got a brand new K37 waiting for its turn to be the pusher but am working my way to it using used K37s that still have meat on them. I'm such a cheap bastiche at times. :)

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    1. I got the removal part down pretty well with the addition of a clamp to push the bead on one side of the tire into the low part of the rim. Then even the Heidenau tires come off pretty easily. I wouldn't have expected any sidewall deflection.

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  3. Hmmm, Sauerkraut. Nice snack food (for me that is...).

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    1. I was tempted to open a jar already. But I decided to wait until we have a cooler weather. Some dishes are just better when it's cold outside...

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  4. That is quite the mix of topics. The sauerkraut sounds tasty. My boss used to make homemade but hasn't in years.

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    1. Sauerkraut is almost always tasty. I say almost because the stuff I made last year wasn't very tasty. Too peppery and not very tart...

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  5. Mmmm sauerkraut love that stuff. I am not much of a home canner or a wrencher so it all sounds good to me!

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    1. Thanks. I like the home canning thing. I used to do a salmon, clams, pickles, etc. but not much lately.

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  6. Not that odd a mix: After all, new tires and fresh kraut reek about the same (or am I thinking of good kimchi?).

    I'm kidding, of course, and I love new tires and fresh kraut and good kimchi for that matter...

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    1. I'm not sure of the smell of fresh tires being like either kim chi or sauerkraut...

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