First Snow Ride of the Season

The weathers guessers had predicted snow this weekend which forced me to change my plans for one last long four day weekend ride. Instead, I spent time working on the bikes with the main goal of getting the last bits done on the Ural.

The last thing I needed to do was to install the new snow tires I had purchased: Kenda K335s. I bought three because I found an amazing deal on a Ural forum.

The first step was to get the bike on the center stand and remove the rear wheel.

I had a flat tire last year because the rim strip moved and allowed the spoke nipples to puncture the tube. Since then, I have been using duct tape to hold it in place.

Here is the new rear tire mounted and back on the bike:

 

I used a floor jack and a piece of wood to get the front wheel off the ground.

and then put a jack stand on the frame to hold it:

The front tire came off nicely once I realized the axle was opposite threaded (lefty tighty, righty loosey) (Thanks Kevin!).

 

With the wheel off, I found this o-ring was damaged.

I found a replacement at the hardware store for $0.85 that seems to work. I was so excited to find it, I forgot to write the size down.

Front wheel finished:

Sidecar wheel was last on my list. Again, I used the floor jack and a piece of wood to get the wheel up.

 

Here is the new K335 (left) vs the stock Uralshina (right)

 

New sidecar tire back on:

Cotter pins are cheap. Make sure to use new ones each time, especially if they look like this:

I’ve found the 1/8 x 1 1/4 pins work the best on the Ural.

 

There was lots of snow outside and it snowed all day. It was a thick wet snow and the temps were hovering in the high 30sF.

The new tires worked great! I had a blast riding around in the snow. The K335s are significantly better in the snow than the stock tires. The K335s are actually made for winter, so I think that helps! I had to practice some winter maneuvers in the parking lot to get reacquainted with riding in the snow. ;)

I was riding through snow deep enough that the engine jugs were plowing a path in front and the exhaust melting it as I went. It was neat to feel the snow flying up on my shins!

Then it was off to enjoy the scenery. This is a short video of some roads I rode today from last winter since I forgot my camera at home.

When I got home, the front wheel’s spokes were caked in snow.

While riding, I saw the clumps of snow coming off the wheel and flying up at the fairing through the headlight beam. Very cool looking.

I sat with the Ural in the garage with a massive grin listening to the engine hiss and spit as clumps of snow fell off the bike and melted. A very cool noise.

The Kendas are a bit louder than the stockers, but that is expected as knobby tires are just loud. The grip in the snow was impressive; it will be interesting to see what they are like once all the roads are plowed.

What a fun ride!!

 

Related Posts:

• Preparing for Winter Riding – Part 1
• Preparing for Winter Riding – Part 2