The arrival of the new sidecar for the V-Strom had taken all my time as you can imagine.
I got her, riding pretty well I would say, to a nearby county road and posed her as follows with a hazy view of the Front Range mountains.
Looking West to the Rocky Mountains
Looking East towards the prairies
Got her on the centerstand, and removed the drain plug on the final drive, this is what I found:
The golden colored metal flakes you see were non-magnetic, figure they were the brass spacer ring that was part of the replaced items when I rebuilt the final drive back in February. So I continued flushing out the unit with new oil, and was gaining some hope as the oil drained went from immediately turning from light brown to black to remaining light brown.
I would put the new oil in, drain plug reinstalled of course, spin the pusher and sidecar wheels several times to work the new oil around within the final drive's casing. Two flushes, came and went. On the third flush, I actually turned on the engine and spun the wheels since they were up in the air. I then went to drain it again and I heard a "clink" noise of something metallic dropping into the catch container.
Yep, that's a ball bearing stuck to the magnetic tip of the drain plug. That means at least one ball bearing assembly has come apart within the final drive!
As I've a new sidecar rig to break in, and I've not the time or inclination to once again dismount the final drive on the Ural, take it apart and assess the damage, I have placed her on craiglist for sale:
Here's a link to the AD on craigslist if you're curious: LINK
So far, a couple of nibbles but shipping costs and the older Urals' sterling reputation are not helping things in terms of making a sale as you can imagine.
14 comments:
Ill give you $50 American Dollars ... Sorry to hear about the Demise of the tractor. On the plus side more time to ride the UJM machine
I was curious whether you would be keeping the Ural for it's 2WD capabilities. After all of the issues you've had with the rig, I guess that it just isn't worth the hassle...
BlackYJ, UJM?
RichardM: yeah, it's just not worth my time anymore I think. Besides, when I go from riding the V-Strom to the Ural, the difference is remarkable....hard to be content now on the Ural.
UJM = Universal Japanese Motorcycle
Rough luck Dom. I'm sure you're a whole lot better off with the V-Strom, the quality is much better. Still, the Ural has a thing or two going for it. Hope the sale goes well.
Brady
Behind Bars - Motorcycles and Life
Good luck selling it, it's not worth the hassle. The V-Strom is a great bike.
I guess that's a good move, although there might be times when you will be missing Natasha. Good luck with the sale!
Throw in a case of that Russian cognac?
Throw in a case of that Russian cognac?
Brady....it was my karma with this particular Ural I guess.
GeorgeF, I must agree on the V-Strom being better, it is after all newer technology....still, the ural had its good points. Can't really think of any right at this moment though. : )
Thanks Sonja, yes, I am sure I'll miss Natasha everytime having a reverse gear would come in handy....
Ken, I would throw the booze in but it looks like someone's agreed to buy the rig....we'll see if the deal closes.
Good luck with the sale! I completely understand why you'd sell. The thought has crossed my mind a few times. My fd failed because of the ring too. Still dont have it back yet.
Chris, thanks for the visit and comments...only a fellow Ural rider knows the love/hate relationship we have with these machines.
All,
Natasha has been sold, Michael A. of Michigan is now the owner and will be arranging for her shipment to her new home in Traverse City, Michigan.
Congrats on the sale! That didn't take long at all.
love/hate is a very polite description of a ural owners relationship with the beast. ;)
Post a Comment