Winter…

[n3303j]

Always been fascinated by that event. I remember one video of a couple of fellows riding in on Honda 90 Step Throughs. They rode with lap robes that trapped engine heat and kept it on them. They carried a Bernz-O-Matic torch to preheat the engines for cold weather starts.

The whole idea charmed me but can't get there from here. So I ended up at a February Ural rally in New Hampshire. First time I ever shoveled out a tent site prior to setup.





It was fun indeed.

[Dirk_S]

When I was digging the rig out of the snow after it got stuck on the forest road last weekend, it got me thinking about my traction. I had JUST installed a brand new Duro HF307 onto the rear (called the “pusher” in sidecar lingo), and I was surprised the machine wasn’t doing better in the white stuff. My ground clearance is great—just about the same as a Ural. My front and sidecar tires have enough grip. The BMW R80/7 (bored out with 900cc pistons) has enough torque.

Sure, the HF307 is not a technical snow tire, but I still blamed it on the loose powder and the failure of the HF307 to grip THAT kind of snowpack. Then I remembered that I had all 3 tires inflated to peak pressure. There’s a lot of talk over tire volume and how it affects grip on dirt, sand, and mud, and when it’s beneficial to air up a little or down. In the back of my mind, I’ve been wondering if I should be airing down for riding on snow, and then I came across this test video of the host/tester carrying out experiments on a snowy track at 50, 40, 30, 20, and even 10 psi on his car with Pirelli (sponsor) snow tires. Results showed that lower pressure yielded better grip, and it confirmed my thinking. So, next time I get stuck in snow, I’m dropping from my usual 30 down to 20 psi and see how that fares before pulling out the emergency shovel or come-along.

Here’s a link to the video:

https://youtu.be/URU1HdV49S8?si=Fn6tDH0aeUoy_65n

[Dirk_S]

Also, I gotta share this photo a local photographer snapped as I was about to head home two days ago:





Here’s a link to his Instagram account if you want to see more of his photography. He does great work:

https://www.instagram.com/mitch_powers?igsh=MWJ4cGV0emd0anU3aA==

[Moparnut72]

Take a portable air compressor with you so that you can get pressure back up when you hit the highway. Also be careful when riding with low pressure as you can dent a rim or actually break the bead and wind up with a flat tire.
kk