As it stands, my Ural G/U has been used to by the previous owner for whatever riding he did. He racked up 10250k of his own. He was an older gent and the bike was well sorted as the air pressure hasnt dropped 2lb since January, it has a gel battery, and it runs well (except for the pops and sputters when cold)
As for my ride time since I got it- a couple of local rides, coffee delivery (I run a wee coffee roasting biz) and grocery getter.. Well wine procurement is heavy on that list of "things needed".
Today was a test.
A bike shake down so to speak.
You see, all of the bikes that I have owned had to accomplish one thing. A standard that has to be met and one that is universal to all brands that I have owned. The ride to the cottage.
It's not that easy.
The roads are shit... No let me explain that in very specific terms "THE ROADS SUCK". I figure the massive tax loads we are burdened with would equal something in the end. Shorter wait times in the ER-ha. Universal day care- 2X ha- ha... Nice roads to ride- fall down Denis Leary style laughing..... The roads up on the East side of the Ottawa river heading towards * back roads* Tremblant are almost Russian-frontesque without the heavy bombardment. It is an ashphalt nightmare minus the ashpahlt.
So I took the dirt backroads just to be on the safe side.
All the bikes I have owned had to measure up against these roads. If they failed, they were let go. The Hinckley Bonnie was a casualty. The KLR soaked those roads up but my Airhead ambition made that bike disappear. My R100S went up late last year and man did that ride suck. I was always having to looking down to what seemend a pristine R fairing being torn away from it's mounts on some of the potholes. There was some damage, my kidney's to be exact, and some loose shit on that bike but I think it held up well. (it was my last big ride) but it wont be subjected to that again.
How did the G/U do.
Well read the following but know that before this ride I had to mentally prepare myself. I was heading up "north" to ready the place for my folks who will be going up there to live followng a 4 month reprive from the cold down south. So no back-up up there. That said Ive read too many "engine blowing up" scenarios online to think that I would arrive un-scathed. I know of RPOC and had a little dittie to the same going on in my helmeted world on the ride. So I figured catastrophic failure was around every turn (thanks internet!)
Well, I can say this. 2 things went wrong and one was my own doing. First off I stopped to adjust the rear latch to the trunk. I figured it was loose (I got the bike set up with the trunck latch always going loose- seems the spring was in the wrong position). I looked at it and it was OK. I started the bike and she wouldnt find gear. I jostled the lever, cajoled it and no forward motion. A local came out of his home to look at the "WWII" bike and an offer a ride if need be. I gave him my usual speech- it's a very updated copy of a WWII bike, made in Russian and solid.. As I was piddling away and leaned over the right side, I noticed the reverse lever. It hit me! I nudged that lever with my big dumb ass boots. 1st prob solved.
2nd problem was at arrival at cottage. Not really problems but funny to say the least. both left turning indicators were facing upside down. The had worked loose. No prob. I had my R100 tool kit (my Ural tool kit will arrive next week
)to save the day... Thats it. No blown tranny, no valves gone awry.. Just plain dumb fun riding.
Now those of you who have many miles under your Ural and may smile at my naivete know this, I was weaned on Jap bikes. On the ones Ive owned, I havent had a real problem that wasnt my own doing. So looking into Ural bikes years ago was a small step out of that cocoon. That said, I cant say that it is a bike. It isnt as you all well know. But I am wholly satsified by the shit eating grin that this is one damn fine machine.
It was a small ride. But a ride that bolstered my confidence in my rig. The roads were crap and she laughed at them and got me home safe!
As for my ride time since I got it- a couple of local rides, coffee delivery (I run a wee coffee roasting biz) and grocery getter.. Well wine procurement is heavy on that list of "things needed".
Today was a test.
A bike shake down so to speak.
You see, all of the bikes that I have owned had to accomplish one thing. A standard that has to be met and one that is universal to all brands that I have owned. The ride to the cottage.
It's not that easy.
The roads are shit... No let me explain that in very specific terms "THE ROADS SUCK". I figure the massive tax loads we are burdened with would equal something in the end. Shorter wait times in the ER-ha. Universal day care- 2X ha- ha... Nice roads to ride- fall down Denis Leary style laughing..... The roads up on the East side of the Ottawa river heading towards * back roads* Tremblant are almost Russian-frontesque without the heavy bombardment. It is an ashphalt nightmare minus the ashpahlt.
So I took the dirt backroads just to be on the safe side.
All the bikes I have owned had to measure up against these roads. If they failed, they were let go. The Hinckley Bonnie was a casualty. The KLR soaked those roads up but my Airhead ambition made that bike disappear. My R100S went up late last year and man did that ride suck. I was always having to looking down to what seemend a pristine R fairing being torn away from it's mounts on some of the potholes. There was some damage, my kidney's to be exact, and some loose shit on that bike but I think it held up well. (it was my last big ride) but it wont be subjected to that again.
How did the G/U do.
Well read the following but know that before this ride I had to mentally prepare myself. I was heading up "north" to ready the place for my folks who will be going up there to live followng a 4 month reprive from the cold down south. So no back-up up there. That said Ive read too many "engine blowing up" scenarios online to think that I would arrive un-scathed. I know of RPOC and had a little dittie to the same going on in my helmeted world on the ride. So I figured catastrophic failure was around every turn (thanks internet!)
Well, I can say this. 2 things went wrong and one was my own doing. First off I stopped to adjust the rear latch to the trunk. I figured it was loose (I got the bike set up with the trunck latch always going loose- seems the spring was in the wrong position). I looked at it and it was OK. I started the bike and she wouldnt find gear. I jostled the lever, cajoled it and no forward motion. A local came out of his home to look at the "WWII" bike and an offer a ride if need be. I gave him my usual speech- it's a very updated copy of a WWII bike, made in Russian and solid.. As I was piddling away and leaned over the right side, I noticed the reverse lever. It hit me! I nudged that lever with my big dumb ass boots. 1st prob solved.
2nd problem was at arrival at cottage. Not really problems but funny to say the least. both left turning indicators were facing upside down. The had worked loose. No prob. I had my R100 tool kit (my Ural tool kit will arrive next week
)to save the day... Thats it. No blown tranny, no valves gone awry.. Just plain dumb fun riding.Now those of you who have many miles under your Ural and may smile at my naivete know this, I was weaned on Jap bikes. On the ones Ive owned, I havent had a real problem that wasnt my own doing. So looking into Ural bikes years ago was a small step out of that cocoon. That said, I cant say that it is a bike. It isnt as you all well know. But I am wholly satsified by the shit eating grin that this is one damn fine machine.
It was a small ride. But a ride that bolstered my confidence in my rig. The roads were crap and she laughed at them and got me home safe!
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