12 Oct 08:  TWD and I headed out after brekkie this morning to explore the back roads. I finally found the spot I'd mentioned earlier, the one I'd seen while out riding with my son awhile ago. It was better than I'd expected - a lovely little picnic area by the side of a river out in the country and off the beaten path... http://www.curd-riders.ca/misc/forumblog/12oct08.jpg   Hector was only too happy to sploosh about in the water... http://www.curd-riders.ca/misc/forumblog/12oct08b.jpg   And he got to play "fetch the bigass stick", something we haven't done in a long time. He was one happy puppy... http://www.curd-riders.ca/misc/forumblog/12oct08c.jpg   After a couple hours of wandering about on the roads, we headed for home. I dropped TWD off and headed up to my fave store in Owen Sound, taking a slightly different back roads route this time. Saw this interesting bit of lawn art and figured it would make a good photo. Didn't notice the horse at first... http://www.curd-riders.ca/misc/forumblog/12oct08d.jpg   After taking the shot, I heard a polite whinny from down in the ditch right in front of me and  - hey! - there's a horse standing there! Quite a friendly looking one, too, although I didn't get close enough to find out, despite all his head bobbing and gentle snuffling... http://www.curd-riders.ca/misc/forumblog/12oct08e.jpg   On the way into Owen Sound, I went by the Subaru dealer and something flashy caught my eye. Angie and I had taken an '09 Impreza Sport 5-door out for a test ride a week ago and she was so impressed with it that she had decided to buy one as soon as she gets the first paycheque from her new job. The one she drove was red and the only other one on the lot was white, so she asked the salesman if he was going to order any in blue. Obviously, he did... http://www.curd-riders.ca/misc/forumblog/12oct08f.jpg   I just showed Her Majesty this picture and she made the same delighted cooing noises as she does after a snootful of wine and some expensive chocolates, so I'm pretty sure this car will be gracing our driveway in a couple of weeks.

16 Oct 08: The K&N air filter arrived at Canadian Tire yesterday... $38 is a lot cheaper than the $75 any other Canadian retailer is forced to sell them at. I suggest you order one soon before CT catches on that they're selling these way below regular cost. It's been very chilly this past week on my work commutes. I'm on a 6pm-3:30am shift (don't get me started on this) and the forecast for overnight tonight is a frosty -1C. I've pulled my cold weather riding coat and insulated combat riding pants out of storage... these, along with the full face helmet, electric vest and neoprene face mask, should make for a comfy ride today.

1 Nov 08: TWD had been favouring his left ear lately, scratching away and digging at it with his paw, while wandering about doing lots of headshakes. A few ear cleansings over the last week didn’t seem to help any, so I had booked an appointment with the Veterinarian at the Markdale clinic for this morning to see what was wrong. I took him in the Ural, of course, and wasn’t he just the hit of the clinic what with all the ladies oohing and aahing and cooing all over him. After an unpleasant session in the treatment room (he’s never liked going to see the Doctor) it was determined that he has an inner ear infection and so we came home with some antibiotics and ear drops to help cure it. And some special dietary dog food, because he is 10lb overweight.  :roll:  When I let him out of the chair back in our garage, he was quite disoriented and had a hard time hearing me trying to guide him around obstacles on his way into the house. He had done this same thing the last couple times we went for a ride and it finally dawned on me that he might have had this infection longer than I realised. Also, I had recently installed a set of deer whistles on the nose of the sidecar and now I’m thinking that their ultra-sonic screeching at speed might have the same effect on TWD as sitting in the front row of a Metallica concert would have on me – temporary loss of hearing. So, no more rides for Hector until the ear infection has cleared AND some covers are placed over the whistles before he hops in again. After dropping him off I waited for Angie to suit up and get her Harley started, as today was the day she had booked to drop it off at the Harley dealer in Owen Sound for winter storage. She’s doing this for two reasons; one is to allow me more space in the garage for the winter and also so that she can get some modifications done to her bike in the off season. When we arrived at Fox Harley-Davidson, there was a huge crowd milling about outside as a rock band was busy blaring away “Born To Be Wild”. Turns out today was the day that some lucky bastard would win an “Ultimate Garage” contest, sponsored by Fox, the local rock radio station and several local businesses. And sure enough, while we wandered around someone had the winning key that unlocked the gate to a compound containing an ’09 Harley Fat Boy, Arctic Cat ATV, full chest of Snap-On tools, a HUGE stainless steel gas BBQ, 42" Samsung HDTV with complete home theatre system, 12' Smoker Craft boat with Suzuki outboard motor and a trailer, a beer fridge, "beer for a year" from a local brewer and more.  Like I said, one lucky bastard. After Angie’s bike was safely tucked away, she hopped in the chair and we took the back roads home. Less than a kilometre from the dealer was a house with a rather unusual birthday announcement on the front lawn... http://www.curd-riders.ca/misc/forumblog/1nov08.jpg   Ok, so... his wife is a dog? Anyway, It was a brisk but sunny day and we enjoyed the new route, despite a few inaccuracies on the map that resulted in some head-scratching moments by the roadside. Somewhere deep in the country we approached a steep uphill grade and as we neared the top I spotted a doe standing on the shoulder, ears up and looking our way. She seemed very confused and unsure of what to do as we (slowly) approached, nervously hopping back and forth before finally tearing off into the bush as we got to within 20ft of her. Not an unusual occurrence for me, but it was something that Angie rarely gets to see and she was quite delighted. A little while later we spooked a big jeezus Blue Heron, who had been minding his own business while surveying his pond from a perch on the road shoulder. He took off into the trees and I swear that bird was as long as the Ural, from the tip of his outstretched beak to his long, spindly legs trailing behind him. Awesome sight. After that, it was the usual chipmunks and birds scurrying away as we roared by, with the exception of a large and thoroughly annoyed Blue Jay that we flushed out of a grove of cedar trees. We made a pit stop at the Williamsford Pie Company for a slice of freshly baked Bumbleberry Pie and a hot mug of coffee. While we were in there, some guy approached and asked what year of BMW we had. Angie told him it was a Russian copy of a Beemer, at which point he wandered off with a rather disappointed look on his face. Angie got a knot in her face about this and yelled after him that the Ural was its own brand and one hell of a good bike. I love my Warrior Princess. After finishing our pie and coffee we headed out on the final leg of the trip home, with Angie securely holding a Blueberry Cheesecake in her lap for tonight’s dessert.

8 Nov 08: The long range weather forecast isn't looking very good and as I usually put the Harley into winter storage the weekend after Remembrance Day anyway, I booked this morning to drop off my beloved Road Glide at the dealer up in Owen Sound. This is always an emotional time for me, so the Official Consort & Snugglebunny To The Head Cheese has offered to lessen the pain by cooking me a bigass steak with all the trimmings for supper. She's an angel, my Angie is. The Harley will be getting the full spa treatment over the winter, including a wash/wax and a 40k service. It will also get a Veteran graphic (similar to the one on the Ontario licence plate on my Jimmy) painted on the rear fender by Vince Goodeve, whose studio just happens to be in the same building as the Harley dealer. He does great work - if anyone is interested, here's the link to his website: http://www.goodevestudio.com/frame.htm .   Douk is now my primary ride and I'll be spending most of tomorrow working on him in the garage, getting ready for the upcoming winter season. A new Duro pusher tire is going on, with the 3/4 worn current pusher being transferred to the hack side, and I'll probably slap a new Uralshina on the front while I'm at it. A full service will be done next and maybe I'll even give him a wash. The front brake rotor is looking pretty worn, but Ken Beach has set one aside for me and I'll put it on next time we go down to Hillsburgh to visit. I'll miss the Harley, but the Ural will keep me sane and riding through winter.

9 Nov 08: Phase One of the winter prep on Douk is now complete. I spent most of the day in the garage (after raking up the last of the leaves in the front yard first) working away on the pusher end of the rig and got a lot accomplished. The rear wheel and final drive were removed so the driveshaft splines could be greased, all the rear brake linkage pivot points were cleaned and lubed, the wheel bearings were cleaned and regreased, the brake shoes cleaned and scuffed, the brake drum cleaned and scuffed, the brake shoe pivot points cleaned and lubed and a new Duro and inner tube installed on the wheel. With the exception of the tire change, all went well and no problems were found. The 3/4 worn Duro was a bastard to remove - it did NOT want to come off the rim and it took a lot of work with the tire irons to lever it off. Had to cut the valve stem off the inner tube because the locknut had seized in place and would not budge. Just as well, because the 12V air compressor I use to inflate the tires with never really gripped onto the stem properly, which made it a pain in the arse when adjusting tire pressure on the pusher. I had a new inner tube and Duro ready to go, but the installation was just as difficult as the removal. The Duro has very stiff sidewalls and seems to have a slightly smaller bead diameter than the old Uralshinas, which makes it hard to work the last part of the bead over the rim. I eventually managed to get it installed, though, without pinching the inner tube in the process. But it took three spoke weights and three 1/4oz rim weights to balance - the second worst tire I've owned (the worst was an Uralshina that took a total of seven spoke weights). I could not believe it needed that much and spent over an hour trying to figure out what was wrong; the old Duro only needed a single 1/4oz weight to balance so it didn't make sense that the new one needed so many. I checked the rim for dirt clumps and the tire treads for small stones but everything was clean, so either the tire is out of balance or the Chinese made inner tube... or maybe both. I'll put a thousand or so km's on it and then rebalance it to see if anything has changed. I took a close look at the Uralshina on the front rim and have decided to leave it be for the time being, as there is still lots of tread left. The hack tire is due for a change, but I'm not sure if I want to wrestle the old Duro onto it or just rotate the spare into that spot. Dammit, I just remembered that the sidecar wheel has a stripped hub and is useless as a spare, because the splines on the final drive won't engage the hub. Guess I'll be slapping the old Duro on that corner. Phase Two will be a complete fluid and filter change, including the final drive, and will probably take place after work on Tuesday.

29 Nov 08: Bless me, oh Goddess Of Russian Motorcycles, for I have sinned. It has been three weeks since I last rode my Ural and I fear even more days will pass before I saddle up again. The weather has been mild enough, but the constant barrage of heavy, wet snow has interfered with my plans of commuting to work on three wheels. The copious amounts of salt they pound into the pavement in this region has turned all my routes into a soupy, slushy mess that is impossible to ride through without getting fully soaked along the way. My weekends are taken up with home renovation projects and a rather large "honey-do" list, so whatever free time I have is taken up with swinging a hammer or making yet another run to the garbage dump. I fear for my sanity, so PLEASE send me a good riding day tomorrow so that I can forgo the home repairs and spend an afternoon marauding about the back country. I offer a worn pusher tire and two old spark plugs as tithing and hope you will smile favourably upon Hector and I on the morrow. Amen and WWID.

07 Dec 08: Woke up this morning to another 15cm of fresh snow. We now have accumulated just under 3' of it and we're not even through December yet. Got to use the neighbour's snowblower and I'll tell ya, we're going to get one of those toys real soon. It was -10C with strong winds when I suited up, but I was well dressed for the occasion... http://www.curd-riders.ca/misc/forumblog/7dec08.jpg   I still can't believe how much snow we have and it's not even the end of December yet... http://www.curd-riders.ca/misc/forumblog/7dec08b.jpg   I headed through the side streets in town to avoid riding through salt laden slush and then took the back roads to one of my favourite roads, McCormick's Side road. Unfortunately, it seems the east side of the road is not cleared in winter and I got stuck turning around in the entrance way, so I headed down the west part of the road towards the HWY 6. My intent was to go to Hanover and the Canadian Tire to get some 15W40 oil, as Douk had a bit of trouble churning over the thick, cold 20W50 in his belly on startup this morning. The road, although freshly plowed and sanded, was hard packed and slippery so I took extra caution around corners and going up/down hills. The Duro has good grip, but I think I'll be putting knobbies on for the remainder of the winter for that added benfit of traction in the deep stuff. It was a beautiful day and I stopped for a scenic photo along the way...
http://www.curd-riders.ca/misc/forumblog/7dec08c.jpg   At the HWY 6 crossing, I discovered that my intended route on the other side was another road that is not plowed in the winter. So I had to zip down to the next intersection, very mindful of the semi trailer that appeared on my tail shortly after getting up to speed (85kmh) on the icy surface. Some people just don't understand that you need to slow down a bit in extreme conditions. I was going faster than the oncoming traffic, but the trucker behind me seemed to be in quite a hurry, so it was a relief when I turned off onto the next sideroad and let him rumble on. I stopped at the next intersection to check my map and was interrupted by the sound of a farm tractor as I checked the route. I looked up and saw a grinning, grizzled old farmer hop down from the cab of his huge New Holland and amble over to me. He asked, with a very thick Dutch accent, if I needed any help. I explained that I was just remapping my route to Hanover because of the unexpected road closures. He assured me I was on the right road and then very pointedly looked over my shoulder at the Ural. Then, with a twinkle in his eye, he asked "Is it still summertime?" I laughed and he gave me a playful thump on the chest before wishing me well and hopping back into his tractor. I waved as I rode off and got a huge wave and smile in return. I made it into Hanover without incident and pulled into the Canadian Tire parking lot... and parked right next to Angie's Jeep. She told me she was going shopping while i would be out riding, so I hoped I would see her inside. And I did. She was in the lineup at the cashier and totally unaware of my presence as I snuck up behind and soundly goosed her, to the amusement of the cashier and the other customers. I like to live life on the edge. We chatted for a bit (once the colour returned to her face) and then I wandered off in search of the automotive oil. When I got back to the bike, a very flustered looking woman pulled up and parked next to me. I'm pretty sure she was having a tough time driving through all the snow with her low profile all-season tires, but that's just a guess... http://www.curd-riders.ca/misc/forumblog/7dec08d.jpg   Had a great, but WINDY ride back home. I'm on the midnight shift again this week, maybe I'll take Douk to work this Friday.

21 Dec 08: It was -18C at 6pm last night when I bundled Angie into the sidecar for our annual Xmas Lights Ride. This was our first tour here to look at all the Xmas displays and we were curious to see if people here put on more of a show than back in the "old country" of Gananoque. I pulled in front of the house for a Christmas Card photo before leaving... http://www.curd-riders.ca/misc/forumblog/20dec08.jpg   We motored off through the town, taking as many sidestreets as I could think of in search of the ultimate Durham Xmas Lights Display. Angie was mucking about with the camera as we rode along, so I told her not to take any pics while the rig was in motion as they wouldn't turn out very good. But, Angie being Angie... http://www.curd-riders.ca/misc/forumblog/20dec08b.jpg   The town had done a nice job of decorating the bridge over the river... http://www.curd-riders.ca/misc/forumblog/20dec08c.jpg   McGowan Falls was nicely lit up, too...
http://www.curd-riders.ca/misc/forumblog/20dec08d.jpg   The local CASCAR stock car team had a unique display... http://www.curd-riders.ca/misc/forumblog/20dec08e.jpg   There were a few nice setups along the way, but Angie's camera had begun to freeze up and, unknown to us at the time, was overexposing all the pictures and a lot of them didn't turn out... http://www.curd-riders.ca/misc/forumblog/20dec08f.jpg   She tucked the camera inside her jacket as we left the town and went into the surrounding countryside to see if any of the farms had displays. The camera warmed up (I would too, if she had stuck me in the same spot as she had put the camera) and it began to work properly once again. She took an action shot of yours truly... http://www.curd-riders.ca/misc/forumblog/20dec08g.jpg   ... and we headed back into town for a hot chocolate and doughnut at the local Tim Horton's. And weren't we just the talk of the town there! Traffic in the drive-thru came to a standstill and there was a backup of cars in the parking lot as everyone stopped to gawp at the two loonies on the murdersicle. We met and chatted with a nice local couple who also rode - but not in the winter - and Angie got their pic as we were about to head for home... http://www.curd-riders.ca/misc/forumblog/20dec08h.jpg There weren't as many displays as we were used to from the old country, but there were enough to make the trip enjoyable. I think next year we'll throw on an extra layer of clothing and see if we can make it into the next town, Hanover, for more Xmas lights.

31 Dec 08/01 Jan 09: Finally got around to changing the oil on Tuesday, in preparation for today's CURD Polar Bear Ride. Douk now has 15W40 in his belly and 20W50 (instead of 80W90) in his transmission to help cope with the demands of cold weather operation. And it made a difference yesterday morning, he started MUCH easier for the 6am commute to work. The ride itself went well, despite the -14C windchill and strong crosswinds. I did have one slight glitch in the form of a sticky rear brake pedal, it had to be manually retracted after each application because the spring return wouldn't do it. I've noticed this on a few previous rides but keep forgetting to investigate the cause. I'll have to take a look today before heading out on the second half of the Polar Bear Ride. Had to endure the usual "crazy bastard" comments at work and there was a throng of spectators crowded in the parking area at the end of the day who watched my departure with interest. I'm sure there'll be more comments tomorrow. Had one of my co-workers take a photo with my camera as proof of my ride, it will be posted on the official CURD Polar Bear Ride page when the event is completed. The ride home was nice and the roads were freshly plowed and sanded, not salted, which is why I prefer the back roads to the main highways. The salt the living bejeezus out of the main routes. Halfway down Concession 6, I crested a hill and saw six deer standing in the field to my right. They all watched me go by without flinching, so I decided to go back and take a photo. But as soon as I came out of the u-turn and started back towards them they all flicked their tails up into the alarm position and buggered off across the open area back into the woods. One of these days I'll get some good Bambi photos. Happy New Year!

01 Jan 09: And once again I have "last ride, first ride" bragging rights for the year! It was another windy day with temps in the -14C range, but as usual I was warmly dressed and hardly felt the chill as I wandered about the back roads this afternoon. The wind had, for the most part, swept the roads clear along my route with only the occasional drift to manouever around. I took a southeast route towards Flesherton on roads I'd traveled only once or twice before and was blessed with no traffic or inattentive wildlife the whole time. I did pass the odd car or pedestrian and most of them smiled and waved at the lunatic on his sidecar. I stopped in the middle of a small iron bridge, where I propped the camera on the railing and took my official Polar Bear Ride photo... which took longer than expected because the weak batteries and cold winds kept freezing up the camera and shutting it off before the timer could count down to snap the pic. But eventually I managed to get a good shot and will place it with the other CURD Polar Bears on the website soon. On the return leg of the journey I passed through a low lying section that had seen flooding in the recent unseasonable melting spell. There were warning signs before each problem spot along the way, but I was almost caught off guard in one area when I didn't see the ice until it was almost too late. I hauled the bike down to a 1st gear walking pace and headed across the stretch of jagged, frozen, bumpy road surface. About 20' into it I heard a loud cracking and then a "SPLOOSH" as the rig broke through and keeled over to the port side into the water. Oh, shit! I stood on the pegs and feathered the clutch and the mighty Douk rumbled, bounced, slipped and clawed his way through the remaining 50' to the other side. I'm not sure exactly how deep it was, but the left muffler was submerged for most of it and the bottom of my boots had been washed clean. The rest of the trip was uneventful and I returned home to sit in front of the fireplace and reflect over the past year's adventures on two and three wheels.

10 Jan 09: It's a short weekend for me, as I have to go to work tomorrow (Sunday) and I wasn't going to waste my one day off by sitting around the house. It was -7C with light winds under an overcast sky when I rumbled off towards Owen Sound and the intended destination of Fox Harley Davidson, where my beloved Bluebird is slumbering the winter away. The roads were clear, but the winds had polished the surface to an icy, hard packed skating rink so I kept the speed down to a steady 70kmh. A few km's out of town I came across a pickup truck in the opposite lane that seemed to be stalled or parked. As I got closer, though, I realised he had merely stopped to allow a few wild turkeys safely cross the road in front of him. However, because their plumage was a perfect match for the winter road I didn't spot them all until the last minute; I couldn't brake in time and had to pull to the right as I passed to avoid hitting them. I turned around and headed back, cautiously passing by them this time and then swinging around to face them. I kept my movements as slow as possible while fishing out the camera, but by the time it was ready to take a photo they had wandered off into the bushes...
http://www.curd-riders.ca/misc/forumblog/10jan09.jpg   I tried to get closer, but they kept heading further into the safety of the brush, warbling to each other all the while..http://www.curd-riders.ca/misc/forumblog/10jan09b.jpg   Seriously, these peckerheads were like a feathered version of an Arctic Gear-Up, nicely camouflaged and very difficult to make out against the background. They were bigass birds, too. I continued on and had a pleasant ride to the Harley dealer, where I was the only bike in the parking lot. Go figure.. http://www.curd-riders.ca/misc/forumblog/10jan09c.jpg   I spent some time wandering about looking at all the 09 models and noticed that Ural isn't the only one that has upped their prices. In the back by the Service reception area was this little gem, a new '09 factory trike (which is actually built for Harley by the Canadian owned company Lehman Trikes)... http://www.curd-riders.ca/misc/forumblog/10jan09d.jpg   It was one sweet looking rig, but the $40k price tag was a bit much. I'm quite happy with my Road Glide (which I didn't get to see because it is buried in the back with the other winter storage bikes) and should I ever decide to tack on a third wheel it will be in the form of a sidecar, not a trike conversion. As I was on the outskirts of Owen Sound, I decided to head into the city and pay my local music store, the one where Angie bought my drumset, a visit. After a friendly 15 minute chat about all things drums, I left the store $40 lighter with a new cowbell and mounting bracket in my hand. I took a different route home, finding a new way out of the city in the process, and eventually hooked up with some familiar back roads. It was somewhere along Concession 6 that I saw something I had never witnessed before - as I approached a small herd of about 15 cattle huddled by the fence in a field to my right, they became alarmed and started milling about. The closer I got the more agitated they became until they all suddenly opened their eyes wide and actually stampeded away across the field! In all my life I have never seen a stampede, other than on a movie screen, and I was amazed at how fast these huge bovines could move. They literally plowed their way through the snow, throwing huge clumps of snow and turf behind them as they thundered off into the distance. I've never had cattle react that way to me on a motorcycle before and it puzzled me as to why they would do that. The only thing I could think of was that the local butcher must also ride an Ural and maybe the cattle figured their number was up when they heard the unique sound of the Russian flat twin approaching and figured he was coming to take them away to the abbattoir. The rest of the ride home was without incident and Douk arrived home with another 110km on the clock.

18 Jan 09: -11C and 5cm of fresh, powdery snow greeted me at 6am this morning when I opened the garage door. Seeing as how I didn't get any riding in yesterday because of the "honey-do" list, I was determined to take Douk on my work commute today. The back roads were pretty much untouched by the snowplows and I had to keep the speed down due to blowing snow and the occasional snowdrift across the road. The stock Duro on the pusher did well, but I noticed that above 70kmh the rig would begin to hydroplane (or is it snowplane?) above the snow and lose steering and traction. On one stretch of Concession 6, I was trying to follow the faint tracks left by a farm truck when I hit a large snowdrift that I didn't see until it was too late. Douk rose up in a cloud of snow and I felt the tires lose grip, when I reduced the throttle he sank back down, but didn't quite land back in the ruts. He went into a frenzied tail-whipping fit and it was all I could do to muscle him back under control. He did four or five full opposite lock swings and somehow I managed to keep out of the ditch while countersteering and gently reducing speed. The tires finally bit back into the road again and we carried on, albeit a little slower this time. I really should invest in knobby tires for all three corners. Made it to work without further incident and spent the day getting the ice cream sandwich production line ready to launch back into service for tomorrow morning. By 3:30pm the snow had settled down somewhat and Douk was patiently waiting under his winter camo in the parking lot... http://www.curd-riders.ca/misc/forumblog/18jan09.jpg   Had a nice ride home and stopped to fill up at the local Ultramar, where a bystander made the observation that it wasn't very common to see a motorcycle at this time of year. I told him it wasn`t unusual for me. Pulled into the garage and gave Douk a good brushing off before coming inside for a well deserved beer. The odometer is now at 41,500km.

24 Jan 09: It was maintenance day today, as there were a couple of minor annoyances that needed to be dealt with and I didn't much feel like riding at -24C with strong winds, anyway. First up were the brake lights, as they were stuck on and would not extinguish no matter how much I prodded and fiddled with both levers. I could hear the switch clicking on the front brake lever, so I figured the rear brake switch was the culprit. Because the rear brake pedal had been gradually getting harder to operate and not retracting on its own anymore, I decided to tackle that task first instead. I put the rig on the centerstand and removed the pusher wheel, then checked all the brake linkage pivot points. After much flushing with WD-40 and scrubbing them with a wire brush, it was still very stiff and the pedal still would not retract on its own. The problem seemed to be with the brake pedal pivot itself, so I removed the nut and lockwasher from the shaft and tapped the pedal out of its splined linkage anchor plate and through the mounting boss on the frame. Aha... it was caked in rust, so after a good cleaning and a lube with light machine oil it was replaced and the nut and lockwasher tightened down. Works nice and smooth now, springing back with no hesitation. Should be good for another 4 years now. The rear brake switch was indeed the fault with the brakelights. After I removed it from the mount hole I discovered that the little plastic actuator was sheared off flush with the switch body, making it stay closed regardless of the pedal position. So the two brake wires have been taped up for now and I'll take the switch with me tomorrow to Canadian Tire to see if they have something similar in stock. If not, I'll have to wait until Monday to check the local NAPA Auto Parts store.

25 Jan 09: Sonofa....!!!   Got all the way to Neustadt and the brewery this morning, only to find out that a) they don't open until noon and b) my expensive new digital camera doesn't work at -20C. Had to snap a pic with my cell phone, but a few km's later on down the road it gave a low battery warning and shut down when I tried to take the next pic. So I headed back home to grab my trusty old Kodak Easyshare CX6200 digital camera, take a piss and head back out onto the country roads. Rather than clog up this thread with the writeup and photos from today's journey, I have placed it on the "Rides" page of my personal website. You can access "Quest for Beer - 25 Jan 09" by following the "Rides" link from the main page: http://www.gummiente.ca . Hope you enjoy it!

15 Feb 09: Finally got around to replacing the rear brake switch, front brake rotor and front brake pads today. The rear brake switch was an easy install and I adjusted it to come on when the pedal is depressed 1/2". The front brake rotor replacement went easy as well, but there were a couple of shocking moments as I worked at it. Removal of the rotor was easy once the front wheel was taken off the rig. Five bolts were unscrewed and then the rotor and mount were tapped free with a mallet. As I'd suspected, the wear on the rotor was very pronounced and clearly shows the swept area from the pads... http://www.curd-riders.ca/misc/forumblog/15feb09.jpg   The rotor surface has been carved into quite a bit, I'll have to get the vernier caliper out once I find the minimum thickness specs to see if it can be skimmed down or if it has to be trashed... http://www.curd-riders.ca/misc/forumblog/15feb09b.jpg   One of the caliper pistons had seized, as evidenced by the wear on the pads... http://www.curd-riders.ca/misc/forumblog/15feb09c.jpg   One pad was damned near down to the metal at one end, so it was a good thing they were replaced...                                                 http://www.curd-riders.ca/misc/forumblog/15feb09d.jpg   A few minutes of gentle persuading with a piece of wood and a few light strokes on the brake lever and the piston popped free. The new pads were installed without any problems and the front wheel was replaced just in time for supper (venison stew). Road test and photos to follow tomorrow.

16 Feb 09: -11C under sunny skies this morning, a great day for a ride. I took one of my commute routes into Markdale, as I plan to take the Ural to work tonight and wanted to make sure the roads were suitable for travel. The new front brake, after a few cautious stops, began to bite and after a few km's was working quite well and I was able to relax and enjoy the scenery. We had experienced some unseasonably warm weather and copious amounts of rain a few days ago and the after effects could still be seen in the low lying fields... http://www.curd-riders.ca/misc/forumblog/16feb09.jpg   The rivers were still swift and overflowing with the runoff... http://www.curd-riders.ca/misc/forumblog/16feb09b.jpg   I made it into Markdale with no problems and decided to carry on and loop around the east side of HWY 10 before returning home. This meant passing through the town of Cheeseville which, unfortunately, is improperly named as I did not see any cheese on display or for sale... http://www.curd-riders.ca/misc/forumblog/16feb09c.jpg   Some of the county roads were iced over and very slippery in spots and I actually had to feather the throttle over a few sections to keep the back end of the rig in line. But it was still a very enjoyable trip and if I didn't need a nap before heading out to work on the midnight shift tonight I would have ridden a lot further than 70km. Apparently I am becoming a familiar sight in my town, because as I neared the Durham town limits I was waved to by several people in vehicles, farm tractors and on foot as I passed. I guess that's a good thing.

14 Mar 09: FINALLY got out for a ride today, it's been way too long. The weather and my work schedule haven't been favourable towards frequent work commutes, but it looks like that will change soon. The weather forecast is getting better and the roads will soon be free of salt and mud. Took the back way into Hanover, then came back to Durham on HWY4 and then took my normal Ural work commute route into Markdale. I wanted to make sure it was still passable for the Ural, as i intend to ride it to work on Sunday night. From Markdale, I took HWY10 down to Flesherton and then back home to Durham on HWY4, a total trip of just over 80km. I stopped at the Chapman's Ice Cream Distribution Center along the way and took a photo to give people a rough idea of how much ice cream we make. Keep in mind that this pic is only the DC, the actual factory where I work is a few km north and in the town of Markdale itself...                http://www.curd-riders.ca/misc/forumblog/14mar09.jpg

15 Mar 09: Another great ride today! Temps were a balmy 8C, the sun was shining and Spring was definitely in the air. Took a mostly back roads route up to Owen Sound to visit my fave store - Deals Surplus. Came out of there with two olive drab t-shirts with a flat black Canadian flag on the front of them, a mini Army style angle flashlight for the Ural and a couple other goodies. Saw three bikes out on the road and it was nice to finally have some company out there. Stopped near Inglis Falls on the way home for this photo, the entire length of the rock cut halfway up a steep hill was full of these little waterfalls and it reminded me of an Ontario version of a particular section of the Cabot Trail on Cape Breton Island...       http://www.curd-riders.ca/misc/forumblog/15mar09.jpg

20 Mar 09: WOOT!!! Didn't want to say anything in case I jinxed it, but this week was the first Ural commute week of the year. I rode Douk to work every day! The weather has finally been cooperative enough to allow this to happen... although it got chilly the last two mornings, there was no slush or excess road salt or freezing rain. There was some mud on the back roads, due to the warm daytime temps, and Douk is now in need of a good wash to remove the thick film of dirt, road salt and rust that has accumulated over the winter. Might be able to do so this weekend, as it will be warm enough to hook up the garden hose again. Spring is on its way! Odometer is at 42,220km.                                                        http://www.curd-riders.ca/misc/forumblog/20mar09.jpg   http://www.curd-riders.ca/misc/forumblog/20mar09b.jpg   http://www.curd-riders.ca/misc/forumblog/20mar09c.jpg

22 Mar 09: The weather has finally warmed up enough to take my aging Hector The Wonder Dog for rides again. At 2pm under sunny skies and 4C temps we headed out, pausing briefly for a pic in front of the house...
http://www.curd-riders.ca/misc/forumblog/22mar09.jpg   First stop was at McGowan Falls on the east end of town, but it was too muddy and the waters too swift to allow Hector out for a romp...
http://www.curd-riders.ca/misc/forumblog/22mar09b.jpg   I decided to check out McCormick's Road, my adventure work commute and location where we had gone snowshoeing back in December, to see if the snow had melted enough to allow Ural access. The trail was soft in the exposed parts and glare ice in the shaded areas (especially going up the first hill) and Douk had quite a workout... http://www.curd-riders.ca/misc/forumblog/22mar09c.jpg   About 800m in we encountered the second hill and it took much finessing of the throttle and body English to get most of the way up, so I stopped near the top to check out the way ahead... http://www.curd-riders.ca/misc/forumblog/22mar09d.jpg   Around the corner was a third steep hill that I decided would not be passable by a 1WD Tourist with regular tires, so I reluctantly decided to turn around... http://www.curd-riders.ca/misc/forumblog/22mar09e.jpg   Hector, of course, was still having too much fun romping about and didn't want to go just yet... http://www.curd-riders.ca/misc/forumblog/22mar09f.jpg   We made it back over the mush and ice and I headed towards Markdale just for shits 'n giggles. Along the way, I spotted this massive flock of wild turkeys milling about in a field... http://www.curd-riders.ca/misc/forumblog/22mar09g.jpg   Did a quick tour of Markdale and headed back on an unfamiliar route, managing to get lost at one point until I pulled over and checked the map. Once I got my bearings again we continued on for home. Odometer is now at  42,300km. Looks like rain in the forecast for most of next week and it's too early in the season to be riding in that shit, so Douk will get a rest while I take the Jeep to work.

26 Mar 09: The latest in wardrobe accessories for Douk and myself... http://www.curd-riders.ca/misc/forumblog/26mar09.jpg   Highway of Heroes magnetic decal - $14.95, camo Canada ball cap - $14.95. Available at: http://www.redfridays.ca  PayPal accepted.

28 Mar 09: 8C under partially cloudy skies and slight winds, another perfect day for an adventure ride. Took the back roads towards the Allan Park conservation area, with the intent on doing some trail riding. Spotted some geese about 5km from home and stopped for a photo, with Hector all ears as he listened to their cautious honkings. By the time I had the camera ready for a shot they had wandered almost out of range...http://www.curd-riders.ca/misc/forumblog/28mar09.jpg   The back roads were still a mixture of dry and muddy surfaces and I could hear the tires hissing and feel the mud splashing up on my legs as we rode over the slick parts, but it was still a very enjoyable ride...                         http://www.curd-riders.ca/misc/forumblog/28mar09b.jpg   We paused briefly at the entrance to the trail, ignoring the "no winter maintenance" sign seen at the right of the photo. The surface was more hard packed than the trail we had taken the other day, thanks to all the snowmobile and ATV traffic over the winter, so I decided to risk it and see how far we could go... http://www.curd-riders.ca/misc/forumblog/28mar09c.jpg   It was pretty muddy in the spots that were exposed to the sun but the surface was, for the most part, passable with a little bit of concentration and proper positioning of the rig to keep on the firmer ground... http://www.curd-riders.ca/misc/forumblog/28mar09d.jpg   Saw an interesting looking trail off to the right and decided to follow it for a bit... http://www.curd-riders.ca/misc/forumblog/28mar09e.jpg   It turned out to be a cross country ski trail that was barely wide enough for the Ural, so I stopped a little ways in where it intersected with another ATV trail and let Hector out for a romp... http://www.curd-riders.ca/misc/forumblog/28mar09f.jpg   After he had a good run, we saddled up and went further down the main trail. We started down a long hill into a valley and I was careful to keep the Ural away from the soft edge on the right, as it was a long way down... http://www.curd-riders.ca/misc/forumblog/28mar09g.jpg   When I saw the bottom of the hill ahead I had some concerns, not because of the mud bog lying in wait but rather the steep, snow covered trip up the other side... http://www.curd-riders.ca/misc/forumblog/28mar09h.jpg   My concerns were well founded, because 3/4 of the way up the Ural slid off the center and into the soft, muddy runoff path on the left side. I stood on the pegs and feathered all the controls in an attempt to keep going but the inevitable happened and we bogged down. I managed to back the rig out of the soft stuff but there was no traction available to make another attempt at going forward, the pusher wheel just spun in vain as gravity pulled us backwards. I fought it for about 10m and lost the battle when it slid off to the right and bogged down again. At least it was angled across the trail now, so with a bit of muscle (and the eventual shedding of a layer of clothes) I got it turned around... http://www.curd-riders.ca/misc/forumblog/28mar09i.jpg   We tore back down the hill and blasted through the mud bog again, stopping on the other side to take another look at the hill. I reluctantly decided not to try it again, as the stock Duros and 1WD can only do so much. So we rode back to the entrance and got onto the gravel roads once again, heading in the direction of Hanover. Stopped to put on the layer of clothing I'd taken off earlier and used the opportunity to take a self-portrait... http://www.curd-riders.ca/misc/forumblog/28mar09j.jpg   We entered Hanover from the west end and burbled down the main street towards Durham, stopping at the Tim Horton's to talk to a group of riders parked there. One of the bikes was a Harley Electra-Glide with a factory sidecar and I asked the rider a few questions about his rig. But he was more interested in the Ural, although he did give me a couple of leads on where to find used harley sidecars, and after a few minutes of chatting I wished them well and fired Douk up again. It wasn't until we started to roll away that I noticed why this particular biker was riding a hacked bike - his right leg had been amputated. Kudos to him for not giving up! Back in Durham, I stopped at the Ultramar gas station to top up and had to host another HDF session when the locals in the pickup at the next pump wanted to know more about the rig and the dog riding in it. They even came over to get a pic of Hector as I fueled up. I no sooner finished talking with them when another car pulled up, a woman got out, took one look at Hector and melted all over him. So I had to go through "The Story Of Hector" once more before finally managing to escape into the store to pay for the gas. By the time I came out there was another woman melting all over Hector, so I had to tell the story again before we could leave.

12 Apr 09: +3C, sunny skies and brisk, cool winds this morning. TWD and I headed south of town to the village of Varney to see if there were any trails through a conservation area that was shown on my handy Grey County tourism map. Circled the indicated area, but it was surrounded by farmland and I could not find an entrance or any signs leading towards it, so we carried on. We crossed HWY 6 and headed east, looking for any interesting spots to dismount and roam around on foot. Found one on Baseline Road, about 4km south of HWY 4, that did not have any "No Trespassing" signs at the entrance. It was a nice section of land that had been cleared away some years ago and was apparently being used as a gravel pit, judging from the amount of dirt that had been removed from one area. TWD had a nice romp through the field, reluctantly stopping along the top of the embankment for the obligatory "Doggy and the Ural" pic...                http://www.curd-riders.ca/misc/forumblog/12apr09.jpg  The winds were a bit more chilly than I'd anticipated, so I decided to head for home to change into a warmer jacket. As we headed back up the road I had to brake suddenly to avoid running over a partridge that was sitting motionless in our path. She did not want to move and defiantly stood her ground as we slowly approached. I finally yelled "Get off the road, dumbass!" at which point she fluffed up the feathers on her head and neck, ruffled her wings and indignantly stalked off into the brush. Other than the occasional groundhog and chipmunk, this was pretty much the only wildlife encounter we had today.Got back home and decided to let Hector stay in the warmth of the house while I continued on. Went all the way to Beaver Valley, taking another "No Winter Maintenance" road to get to the bottom, then came back through Markdale and headed for home once again down my usual commute route. Stopped to gas up at the Shell station just east of town on HWY 4 and was asked by the attendant where my sidecar companion was today. Everybody loves that dog. Tomorrow after work I'll be hopefully going to Owen Sound to bring back my Harley from winter storage. Spring has finally arrived and the long range forecast is showing some warm days ahead, so Douk will be pulled off the road soon for a wash and paint touch-up, as well as a change to summer oil and a detailed inspection.Odometer is now at 42,600km.

19 Apr 09: Yesterday was the big day for Angie - her Harley was finally coming out of winter storage! Because it was at the dealer in Owen Sound, she wanted a lift in the Ural to retrieve it, after which we would spend the rest of the day motoring about on our first ride of the year together. She figured some time in the chair would put her in the right mood to start her riding season and was wearing her new helmet for the occasion, the one she took her Ural Wedding Ride in last year. It was sporting the new butterfly artwork that Vince Goodeve had painted on it over the winter... http://www.curd-riders.ca/misc/forumblog/18apr09.jpg   She insisted on taking back roads all the way and I was only too happy to oblige. It was a little chilly, but the roads were well screened by forests along the way and we puttered along as we admired at all the scenery. Just before we made it to the Harley dealer, we stopped for a photo op at the Storybook Park. We haven't gone in there, but from the outside it looks to be a well set up mini theme park for children with all kinds of rides and activities... http://www.curd-riders.ca/misc/forumblog/18apr09b.jpg   Once we arrived at Fox Harley-Davidson, it didn't take long to get the paperwork done, the bill paid and her bike rolled outside. Her Majesty was, understandably, very happy when she finally got to swing a leg over the seat once again.. http://www.curd-riders.ca/misc/forumblog/18apr09c.jpg   The rusty, mud and salt caked Ural received quite a bit of attention in the parking lot and I had a few UDF sessions while waiting for my beloved... http://www.curd-riders.ca/misc/forumblog/18apr09f.jpg   Finally, we were good to go and we rumbled away towards home, taking some quiet paved county roads to get there. It was starting to warm up by now and Angie was keen on spending the day in the saddle, so Douk was dropped off and Bluebird was fired up for a day of touring. We did a nice, relaxed and mostly traffic free loop of about 180km, stopping at the Pine River Cheese factory outlet for some curd and specialty cheese for the evening's meal. Ontario is falling in love with wind turbines and we were surprised to see a wind farm across the road from the cheese store. Last year there was only one or two that could be seen off in the distance but now there were 20+ of the units spinning in the field across the road...
http://www.curd-riders.ca/misc/forumblog/18apr09d.jpg   We ended our day with a visit to West Grey Meats just south of town, where Angie selected a couple of bigass steaks for supper. And as the sun set in Grey County, we sat in the comfort of our home feasting on BBQ'd steaks and fresh cheese curds as our bikes sat in the garage, catching up on all the news since they last saw each other last year... http://www.curd-riders.ca/misc/forumblog/18apr09e.jpg

28 Apr 09: I washed Douk on Saturday, first time since last October... you should have seen the mud on the driveway afterwards! As expected, it uncovered wide areas of rust rash and pinpointed various fluid leaks around the motor, transmission and final drive. The one leak that concerned me was underneath the left cylinder head at the head gasket junction, it looked like there might be another loose/stripped cylinder head stud at fault. Because there was no way of knowing how recent the leak was I decided to leave things as is and keep an eye on it. Yesterday morning (I'm on the afternoon shift this week), I did a full fluid change on the motor, trans and final drive. The motor now has its summer elixir of Castrol 20W50 and Lucas additive, the trans is full of 80W90 EP gear oil and the final drive was treated to a fresh 80W90 EP/Lucas combo. Rode the bike to work afterwards and it ran great. The transmission shifts noticeably better with the 80W90, as always. There was a bit of valve clatter coming from the left cylinder on startup, something I'd been hearing for awhile now, but other than that there were no issues. My left boot wasn't wet with oil when I arrived at work, which was a positive sign. This morning I decided to investigate the leak; a swipe with a rag under the left jug left only a slight amount of oil/dirt residue. But I still wanted to check the cylinder head stud torque settings just in case they were loose, so I popped off the rocker cover. The studs held torque at 25lb/ft and again at 30lb/ft, so I was relieved that no further teardown was needed. However, I did notice the intake valve was at .008", so a few moments with the wrenches and feeler gauge had it set back to the proper .004". The exhaust setting was okay, so once I had cleaned and checked the spark plug gaps - I always remove them when setting the valves, as it makes the task much easier - everything was buttoned up and the tools put away. Fired Douk up and he settled down to his usual steady idle with no issues... and no more valve clatter. Only 11C forecasted for a high today with light rain tapering off by late afternoon, so Douk gets the nod for work commute duty once again. Odometer is now at 42,863km.

2 May 09: Here's our latest ride story, Quest For Wine

NOTE: My Ural Blog has now been moved to the CURD Message Forum. To keep up with the latest adventures of Hector the Wonder Dog and myself, click here.