Ok. Sidecars are more common than first came to mind. I realized that I did know of some others. Krysta in Milwaukee came to mind, for example. Allen Madding reminded me of a couple of more. Actually, there was an identical comment from Simple Sagacity just previously. This is someone I'm not familiar with, I'm sorry to say. Thank you for reading and commenting!
I had some business about an hour South of home today. On the way back I took a detour through Brownsville. This is the small town where the movie "Stand By Me" was filmed. I was thinking of a sidecar rig I'd seen in this town over several summers. By a really strange coincidence, it was parked in its customary spot today.
More on that in a minute, but first I want to clear up a small point.
One of the reasons given for riding ( driving? ) a sidecar is to deal with snowy conditions. I am a Road Warrior. I don't ride in the wagons. I'm the one out front scouting for bogies. I need a steed that is fast, light, and agile. Out here this is what we use.
This was taken with the cell phone camera of a fellow instructor. Sitting on the showroom floor looking for a dashing rider!
Now that we have that settled, back to the sidecar.
First off, I introduced Elvira to the stranger.
While they had a meeting of different continents I took some other photos.
The ice chest is new to the usual look. Maybe it holds steaks for supper!
Of course, the photos wouldn't be complete without the hammer and sickle.
I was tempted to wander inside the saloon and converse with the rider for a bit. I'd met him a couple of years ago in an Arby's restaurant in Albany. He had his granddaughter with him. I resisted the trip into the saloon today. I was chilled to the core. Best to keep moving while I was acclimated to the cold.
There's not really a point to this post except for sharing. The coincidence between yesterday's post and seeing this rig today was too great to be mere chance. Bad things would have happened to my Karma if I failed to report it!
Miles and smiles,
Dan
9 comments:
That, my friend, is a 1995 Ural Tourist with Mikuni carbs. It was the only year they used that particular lack-of a binding around the tank seam, as fa as I can tell. My boyfriend and I have the same year and model and it has the same "problem". Urals are great bikes if you don't mind doing all the wrenching yourself. Parts are cheap - we just got new carbs for ours and the pair, plus all the necessary cables, only cost us $90 brand new.
Irondad,
For a larger view of a hammer and sickle go to the Ural website. Their fall promotional model is caled "RED OCTOBER".
Ford
Dan
Is that a hint to Elvira as to what can happen to her if she doesn’t behave?
Dave aka Old F
Nice Ural rig....good to see them out and about....kind of rare here in Denver area. I've seen my doppelganger a second time now during my commutes to work....one day I'll turn around and catch up to him.....
Kelsey,
Thank you so much for gracing my blog! I followed the links to yours. I'm envious. An established photojournalist? I'm convinced that is something I'd like to pursue.
Amazing you know the Ural so well. Since I don't, I'll take you on your authority.
Take care,
Dan
Ford,
Thanks for the tip. Although to me Red October will always be a submarine with Sean Connery aboard!
Dave,
Think of it more as a wheelchair for an aging FJR. Not a pretty picture, is it?
Charlie6,
Sometimes mysteries are best left alone. Imagination can be better than the reality!
Take care,
Dan
Thank you for writing! I've had you on my RSS feed for many months, actually. I used a 150cc Daelim Honda Supercub ripoff for daily commuting in rural South Korea for a year, and I've been hooked on bikes ever since. My boyfriend and I now own a 1995 Ural Tourist. I love our Ural, but due to the huge amount of down time it has, I'd love to also have something like a 1970s Honda. What can I say? I like the older-style bikes.
I'm not actually an established photojournalist, but I'm working on it. I have a degree in photojournalism, and I did some work for various English-language papers while I was in Korea as a teacher, but I have not had much luck here in the US. I've been told by countless folks that I have the skills (indeed, I've even been gassed while shooting a Korean protest), but getting a job in the industry in the US has a lot to do with who you know, and I unfortunately don't seem to know the right people. I'll get there eventually though.
Well, I recognized that Ural so quickly because it's the same model and year that we have. Urals tend to break often, and we've been basically restoring her after she sat in a barn for 10 years, rotting away, so we have spent countless hours on the owner forums chatting with folks. We really would love a brand new one, but it's out of our price range right now and Smutyanka has given us a chance to learn the ins and outs of Ural maintenance.
You probably saw my personal blog (www.driftingfocus.com/blogs), but I also have a motorcycling blog over at Travels with Smutyanka (www.driftingfocus.com/ural/). My "landing page", so to speak, is plain old www.driftingfocus.com
Irondad:
the link left by Anonymous is spam
Thanks, Dom. I killed 'em!
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