Rpoc

[TominMO]

Hey cheesy, great news to hear about how much the Russkis want you to help out with their new Ural plant! Sounds like a great opportunity now that you are (apparently) leaving your old job. I'll bet that Mrs. c would like a trip to such an exotic place as well! I hear the weather there is great in the spring and summer. I'm sure they would kick in for an extra plane ticket for your "assistant".

As it turns out, I am planning a short trip up that way from St. Louis, which is about 250 miles/400 km away. We could get together and discuss this exciting new career direction etc.

[cheesy]

Ass busting maintenance on the Ural this morning. I changed all the fluids, filters, adjusted the valves, and rotated the pusher, spare, and tub tires. Which also means readjusting the drum brakes. Did something right because Arpok stops straight as an arrow. It always does stop that way but I usually need to tweek it a time or two.

[Sport Rider]

come work on my goldwing. :(

[Emerikol]

I have to swap the tires around on my Ural. I think I may have waited too long on the pusher tire, though. It's looking mighty square and smooth. I may just swap the tire out once it hits the skids and put a brand new one on. Then just stay on top of the rotation so I don't keep burning the rear tire up.

[Emerikol]

Originally Posted by Sport Rider

come work on my goldwing. :(

If your Goldwing doesn't stop straight, I think there are bigger issues!

[cheesy]

I gotta say the I was pretty impressed with how everything looked, except the air filter. My fault, it's a K&N and I think it's been over three years since I did anything with it. The trans was the only place with any swarf on the drain plug but if you can't find 'em, grind 'em.
I do the FD every oil change cuz it's only 135cc of 80-90w. What came out looked new. The engine oil was pretty decent looking, too.

I did have an unexpected fix to do. The Domini clutch lever was feeling sloppy, so I had a looksee. The pivot hole was wallowed out. Badly. I cut a bushing out of some 8mm hydraulic tube and JB'd it into the pivot hole. It's all better now.

Em-I've found that moving the pusher to spare, spare to sidecar, and sidecar to pusher means I only need to get one new tire every 18-24 months. I've just ticked over 33K miles, which is old in Ural years.

[Emerikol]

Originally Posted by cheesy

Em-I've found that moving the pusher to spare, spare to sidecar, and sidecar to pusher means I only need to get one new tire every 18-24 months. I've just ticked over 33K miles, which is old in Ural years.

I've got less than 4,000Km's on the bike, and the pusher tire is looking way past it's expiration date. I'll grab a couple pictures when I'm out at the shop next. I need to get the battery size anyways, the stock one is toast and won't provide enough juice to run all the electronics and start the bike. The problem with the rotation schedule you suggest is that I would have to de-mount the tires from the rims, since I have two different sized hubs. My front, spare and hack rims are all the smaller sized hub, and the pusher rim is the larger hub size. That's an awful lot of work to extend the purchase interval of a new tire, in my humble opinion.

[cheesy]

Originally Posted by Emerikol

The problem with the rotation schedule you suggest is that I would have to de-mount the tires from the rims, since I have two different sized hubs. My front, spare and hack rims are all the smaller sized hub, and the pusher rim is the larger hub size. That's an awful lot of work to extend the purchase interval of a new tire, in my humble opinion.

I forgot, you have an older fuelie. My bad. That would not be cost efficient. In mechanic speak, it would suck.

Be glad the battery is only once every 5-6 years. Now that job is a PITA. Kind of like reverse Tetris. A lot of swearing involved when you learn that you will need to remove the top bolt of the starter and loosen the lower bolt to swing the starter out of the way to gain the clearance you need get the battery out. And your available Allen wrench is too short for the job.

[TominMO]

Originally Posted by cheesy

I forgot, you have an older fuelie. My bad. That would not be cost efficient. In mechanic speak, it would suck.

Be glad the battery is only once every 5-6 years. Now that job is a PITA. Kind of like reverse Tetris. A lot of swearing involved when you learn that you will need to remove the top bolt of the starter and loosen the lower bolt to swing the starter out of the way to gain the clearance you need get the battery out. And your available Allen wrench is too short for the job.

Back in the 1980s/90s when I had a military-green Changjiang 750, I bought a smaller car battery and stuck it in the trunk. Not a solution for everyone, but still. No lack of cranking amps! You could put it in a battery box to isolate it from other stuff in the trunk.

[Emerikol]

Originally Posted by cheesy

And your available Allen wrench is too short for the job.

IT'S NOT THE SIZE THAT MATTERS, IT'S HOW YOU USE IT!!

Actually, the battery is pretty easy to get in and out. I had it out a few weeks ago to charge it. I just use one of my big zip-ties to hold the kick starter down, and then slide the battery right out of the mounting location. I also need to change the final drive juice, and an oil change probably wouldn't hurt, either. I don't think I've run a full tank of fuel through that thing since I'm back from Arizona, so there may still be Phoenix fuel in the tank. I definitely need to get the bikes out and exercised, though. I blew the rear shock in the DR, and the cheapest (worthwhile) replacement I could find was something like $600... That's a pretty good chunk of change, so I've been putting off as long as possible.

[cheesy]

Originally Posted by Emerikol

Actually, the battery is pretty easy to get in and out.

Your rig must like you better.
I did the zip tie thing with the kicker plus pull the seat and lower the starter. Then do the square peg, round hole thing to get the battery out and back into its prison.

Tom-You had a CJ?

[TominMO]

Originally Posted by cheesy

Your rig must like you better.
I did the zip tie thing with the kicker plus pull the seat and lower the starter. Then do the square peg, round hole thing to get the battery out and back into its prison.

Tom-You had a CJ?

Yep. Spent three years in Beijing and bought two, actually. Sold one there and brought one back to the States, then sold it a couple of years later. Geared super-low and no effective front brake for street riding. Lotsa fun though!

[cheesy]

I think the CJ and Nimbus with a sidecar that were being displayed at the very first antique bike show I participated in are what got me hooked on asymmetric three wheeling.




A Nimbus is my grail bike.

[cheesy]

I took both boys to Soccer Camp in the sidecar yesterday.


It's a tight squeeze for both of them now so Eli will be riding pillion soon.

[TominMO]

Major coolness points for them when they arrive at camp.