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dr_bar
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#261 Unread post by dr_bar »

sad to hear about such a young child getting killed, but glad to hear you and Angie are all right...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Four wheels move the body.
Two wheels move the soul!"

blues2cruise
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#262 Unread post by blues2cruise »

You're right...that photo is very good.
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Gummiente
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#263 Unread post by Gummiente »

Pulled the Ural out of the way in the garage this morning and then did the 48,000km service on the Road Glide. All is well - no metal fragments on the magnetic drain bolts and no problems found anywhere else. Had a bit of a surprise when I removed the air filter and found it to be not only filthy, but not a K&N type like I thought I had asked for the last time the dealer did the service. I had them install a Power Commander at that time and asked for the "Stage One" EFI upgrade, which I thought included the K&N. A phone call to the dealer revealed that a high flow paper element was part of the kit, so maybe the service rep and just I had a misunderstanding. Anyway, they had another paper filter in stock but would have to order the K&N so I told them I'd be there in an hour.

Rode through a horrendous downpour the last 2km to the shop; many cars were pulled over and everyone else (including me) had their 4-ways on as we sailed through the flood at 40kmh. Got to the shop and had a pleasant surprise when Brodie at the parts counter told me he had a slightly used K&N off of his bike that he'd sell to me for $50. As a new one is $85 and a replacement high flow paper element is $55, I whipped out the debit card and got me the K&N.

Rode home, washed the filter and it's now hanging out to dry. Will install it tomorrow morning, then give the bike a good wash and wax afterwards.
:canada: Mike :gummiente:
It isn't WHAT you ride,
It's THAT you ride

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Gummiente
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#264 Unread post by Gummiente »

Mom and Dad have been here for a visit all weekend but are leaving tomorrow, so I decided to treat them both to an Ural ride today to end their visit on a high note. First up was Mom...

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We rode at a leisurely pace down the back roads towards Hanover and stopped at one point when Mom began frantically pointing at something alongside the road. She’s a farm girl from the prairies of Saskatchewan and can spot wild berries anywhere, anytime. This occasion happened to be a grove of wild cranberries...

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I had a Zip-Loc bag with an unneeded map inside stashed in the ammo box, so it was emptied out for Mom to fill. The trees were thick with berries and it didn’t take long to fill the bag...

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In the town of Neustadt, we stopped at the birth place of John Diefenbaker, the 13th Prime Minister of Canada. At one point in his political career he also served as the Premier of Saskatchewan, so he holds a special place in the hearts of stubblejumpers such as me and my family...

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We continued on into Hanover, where we stopped at The 50’s Diner for a treat. I ordered a banana split, unaware of the sheer size of it. The individual scoops were each the size of my fist and I am ashamed to report that I could only finish half of it...

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I waddled out of the diner and we headed for home. We had clocked just over 75km by the time we got back and Mom had really enjoyed the ride. Dad saddled up next and we headed for my fave adventure road, the Alan Park trail...

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We emerged out of the woods close to Neustadt, so we decided to head for Diefenbaker’s home so my dad could see it, too. This time, though, the caretaker happened to be there and we were treated to a tour of the inside. We saw the room where he was born as well as several themed rooms that pertained mostly to the history of the Monarchy and the political process in Canada...

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We opted not to go for a banana split, thankfully, so we took off on a different route than what I had driven Mom down. As we passed through the wee hamlet of Dromore, I remembered to stop to buy some coffee for tomorrow’s brekkie...

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A little further down the road we came across a solitary Llama guarding a herd of goats, so naturally we had to get a photo...

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At the next intersection we turned north and were greeted by this sight in a field on the west side of the road...

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They had no problems when Dad took that photo while standing up in the sidecar, but when I dismounted and got my camera ready for a shot, this is what happened...

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When I lowered the camera they all came back, although they stopped further away from the fence. I think it was because I had chatted with them for a few minutes during which I told them about Burger King and McDonalds just before getting off the bike....

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We carried on down a few roads I hadn’t been on before, with Dad keeping himself amused by taking photos as we rumbled along...

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We spotted a field full of big, glossy horses and stopped to watch them for awhile. Dad was a bit of an accomplished horseman back in the day, so I knew he would enjoy this...

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We sat there quietly for awhile until one of them noticed us; he came wandering over to the fence for a better look and the rest of the herd followed. Truly beautiful creatures, every one of them...

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We finally ended up back on HWY 4 about 10km East of Durham and I was just about to turn onto the pavement when I spotted two signs directly across the road. One read “No Exit” and the other warned “Use At Your Own Risk”. Bonus! Off we went down a narrow, rocky trail and into the deep bush. About one kilometre in, dad saw an apple tree overhanging the road, so he had me stop underneath it so he could stand up and grab one. He munched away while I drove the rig further into the bush, negotiating around big rocks and driving though the many mud puddles that littered the path. Eventually it ended at a fence post with a serious looking “No Trespassing” sign on it, so we backed up and turned around for the trip back to civilisation. Stopped at the apple tree again and I grabbed two choice fruits for us, then idled up the trail with one hand on the handlebars and the other stuffing the apple into my face. It was a perfect moment. The pavement finally re-appeared and we headed for home.

It was a great way to end a holiday weekend.
:canada: Mike :gummiente:
It isn't WHAT you ride,
It's THAT you ride

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Gummiente
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#265 Unread post by Gummiente »

-3C and windy with snow squalls, a perfect day for another Ural Adventure Ride. I decided to retrace my route from a week ago when I had explored a new trail but had failed to check the camera batteries first before heading out. Because there were no photos of the trip, it didn’t happen, right? This time around I made sure the camera was functioning properly before I left the driveway.

The back roads were pretty slick, as the rainfall from the last two days had flash frozen overnight and they were now covered with a layer of fresh snow. It had filled in all the potholes, making it difficult to see them until it was too late – sudden changes in direction on a road like this is NOT a good idea, so it was a pretty rough ride for the first leg of the journey...
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I stopped at the entrance to the Glenelg Heritage Trail for this pic, as well as a quick equipment check before heading down it. It looked like a 4X4 had already been down there earlier in the morning, but other than that it was deserted and all mine to play on...
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About 3km into it I came across the first major water crossing. I had successfully traversed it in my Jeep a few weeks ago and again on the Ural last week, but it looked like the level had risen a bit since then. I knew to stay to the left for most of the way across so the Ural would not be stuck driving in the ruts, but I was still a little surprised when the mufflers went under half way...
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The last time through this, the Ural had the street tire on the back but I had since replaced it with the knobby tire and the added traction made a big difference. I paused after beaching on the opposite side for a photo and another equipment check...
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The rest of the first section was fairly easy, there were no more puddles but the ground was soft underneath the snow and I had to concentrate on keeping it between the drop-offs on either side as I drove over a large hill. I stopped on the other side where the trail intersected with a gravel road, as I thought the entranceway to the second stage of the trail looked pretty dramatic...
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The first puddle wasn’t too bad, but the next one took me by surprise. I knew it was deep from my last trip, but what I didn’t expect was that it had gained another few inches of depth since then (yeah, I know, you’d think I would have remembered the water crossing a few minutes before, but I’m a slow learner) and the rig sank up to the cylinder heads on the way through. Had a hell of a time seeing where I was going because of the resultant steam cloud, but made it to the other side in spite of that...
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I motored on, very cautiously now, stopping to dismount and check out the trail ahead when I came across this scene. A week ago, before the snow, it was the site of an obvious mishap with a 4X4 that had slipped off the trail and became mired in the swamp next to it. I could still see the ruts from where it had been dragged out, but my concern was that the snow cover on the trail masked the tricky route I’d had to take to avoid a couple of large rocks sticking up at oil pan height (barely visible in the center of the trail)...
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I continued to walk up the trail a bit to see what the conditions were and my Spidey Sense started tingling when I saw what lay ahead. I carefully walked around the next series of obstacles and then turned back to take a look at the Ural off in the distance (see yellow arrow), patiently waiting to get moving again...
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I decided that the rest of the trail was better suited to the 2WD version of the Ural, which has the sidecar wheel driven by a shaft from the rear of the bike. But, really, all the 2WD feature does is allow you to go a hundred metres further before you get stuck. So I walked back, turned the rig around and headed back towards the road, disappointed that I couldn’t get as far as I’d been able to the last time. But, I was alone and if I got stuck it would be a long walk back home. I always carry a cell phone, but don’t know anyone well enough to ask for a tow, especially on a work day. Besides, knowing my luck I’d get stuck and then some local yokel in a jacked up 4X4 would suddenly appear from around the corner and tell me that I “got a right purty mouth there, boy” before I could make a call for help, anyway. So with tail between my legs, I motored back towards civilisation. Tried my hand at a self-portrait back at the entrance to the trail by setting the camera on top of the gas tank...
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Had a hell of a time getting mobile after that, as I had parked on the side of the gravel road without realising it was halfway up a steep hill. Despite the knobby rear tire, the Ural could not get a proper grip through the snow, ice and soft gravel and I had to zig-zag all the way up to the top. Almost slid off into the ditch a couple times, too. I decided to head north for a few km’s and head down one of my all time favourite trails, McCormick’s Sideroad. It doesn’t see much use in the summer other than by ATV’s and hikers, but because it doubles as a groomed snowmobile trail in the winter it makes for a scenic and pleasant ride...
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It even has a few water obstacles of its own, although they are nowhere near as dramatic to cross as the ones I’d just been through...
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And then, 50km later, I was back in the driveway and grinning like an idiot as I usually do after a good ride. The Ural was covered in caked on mud and ice, so I spent a few minutes with a brush clearing it off before rolling it inside...
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:canada: Mike :gummiente:
It isn't WHAT you ride,
It's THAT you ride

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Triumphgirl
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#266 Unread post by Triumphgirl »

Have you been acused of being slightly "NUTS" :party: before?

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Gummiente
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#267 Unread post by Gummiente »

Triumphgirl wrote:Have you been acused of being slightly "NUTS" :party: before?
Yes. Yes, I have. :mrgreen:
:canada: Mike :gummiente:
It isn't WHAT you ride,
It's THAT you ride

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dr_bar
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#268 Unread post by dr_bar »

Gummiente wrote:
Triumphgirl wrote:Have you been acused of being slightly "NUTS" :party: before?
Yes. Yes, I have. :mrgreen:

And you're usually the first to admit it as well.... :laughing:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Four wheels move the body.
Two wheels move the soul!"

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Gummiente
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#269 Unread post by Gummiente »

dr_bar wrote:And you're usually the first to admit it as well.... :laughing:
I find it just shortens the argument that way. :wink: :lol:
:canada: Mike :gummiente:
It isn't WHAT you ride,
It's THAT you ride

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#270 Unread post by Triumphgirl »

Gummiente wrote:
dr_bar wrote:And you're usually the first to admit it as well.... :laughing:
I find it just shortens the argument that way. :wink: :lol:
Women dont argue...we debate, analyze, then shoot if necessary :laughing:

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