New front tire on Ural

At 9,500 km the front tire is finally worn out. The new knobby tire is just in time for a big snow storm. I plan to post more pictures if I can get out and play in the snow.

Very muddy finish line

Four days, five hundred miles and almost every kind of weather you could expect. Having a heated garage with hot water to clean the bike up made a big difference (thanks Zip).
I ended up using a wire brush and a small wooden dowel to get the cooked on salt off the engine. It was worth it, just didn't like the idea of the Ural sitting for two weeks with salt and dirt everywhere.
Getting very close to 10,000 km on the Ural's odometer iv gotten a good idea of how everything wears and acts in various weather. I started to get a few small leaks out of the oil filter access. This is my fault, I have been re-using the o-ring and bushing. I will replace them and add extra ones to the must have spars list.
The next time I have the final drive apart I will try and add a boot to each of the u-joints. They are exposed and I think a boot from a small call filled with heavy grease will be worth the effort.
The trip overall was great! I can't wait to get home in two days and hop on the bikes. Check back soon for more pictures and ride reports.

Stop in Falmouth

Met up with my good friend Sam in Falmouth, he followed me down to Portsmouth. What a pal, not only did he drive a convertible, he had the top down. I'm sure the two of us turned a few heads southbound.

Ride from Castine south

A very interesting day of riding. Getting underway around 0830 I gassed up and headed down the Castine road. Light snow around 2-3" made for a learning experience, the Ural did well and breaking was easy with the duel rear drums. When I reached Belfast I decided to take a break, top off the fuel and plan the rest of the journey.
I was having a fogging issue, unless the visor was opened an inch the inside would fog, this was noisy and cold. I knew there was a motorcycle shop in China off Rt 3.
I surprised the Harley shop rolling in, the folks at North Country Harley-Davidson were great. I was welcomed with a hot cup of coffee and questions about the Ural. After warming up, and buying some anti fog spray I was off.
I headed to my friends shop in Augusta to talk politics and get more coffee. Not finding Skip at the shop I headed to Bowdoinham. The freezing rain made it a very difficult leg. I was stoping every 15 min to clear my face shield. By the time I reached the town line, I have the visor up just to see the road. Getting to the Mackenzie manor I was greeted by Skip and Jack (dog). After a cup of coffee and a PB&J we were well into politics and business.
Two hours later the skies had cleared, my gear was dry and I was off. The road to Portland was cold but clear. I stopped in Falmouth to meet up with Reed and visit for a bit. I couldn't believe it, at the York tolls the temperature went to 50 and sunny.
All and all it was a fun ride, I learned a lot about riding in foul weather. The biggest lesson, take your time plan for lots of stops and breaks. I avoided sparsely populated areas when traveling at night.

BRGDS

Noah Blanchard

PB&J, coffee and politics

Visit to Maine Maritime Academy

Monday afternoon after a great breakfast in Bar Harbor I headed towards Castine, Me. With temperatures in the 30s it felt like a tropical heat wave. Turns out I was wearing a bit to many layers.
The ride stayed on the main roads and took around an hour for the 55 mile trip. The fresh pavement on the Castine road made for a present change from the typical off-roading experience.
After lunch with my good friend Debbie she asked if I could show the Ural to her son Nicholas, apparently Uraling into Castine turned a few heads.

35 degrees and freezing rain!

Heading home to NH