The new Ural!

I left Texarkana, Texas this morning but forgot to go take my picture straddling 2 states. Oh well…

I was really feeling tired for some reason and stayed in the bunk until 0900. Then it took me a couple of hours to eat, shower and get on the road. I was really moving slow.
I took the Interstate to Arkadelphia, Arkansas then a couple of back roads to a town with the California-sounding name of Glendale.

Arkansas is really very pretty. Matter of fact, it’s a total knockout. There are lots of trees and green grass, neat small towns and friendly people. Everyone waves as they pass in their cars and everyone greets you on the street.
I’ve also noticed everyone calls each other sir or ma’am. Last night some kids came into the Laundromat where I was working on my computer and started making a lot of noise. The teen-aged girl in charge rounded them up and took them outside making it a point to say, “Sir, I’m sorry about the noise.”

Once I was watching a TV show showing some jailbirds getting interviewed for parole and they were very brusque in the way they talked to the parole board members. To me, when I talk to the locals I sound like those jailbirds.

As I drove along Highway 8, I came across a bunch of logging operations and logging trucks. It reminded me a lot of Oregon, but the trees are kind of puny here in comparison.

I stopped in Amity and had a burger and piece of homemade coconut pie at Trudy’s Café.Excellent pie.
I’ve discovered sweet ice tea down here in the South. When you order ice tea they ask if you want regular or sweet. Naturally, I go for the sweet. Also, it always comes in a huge glass which they keep refilling, so it keeps the kidneys cleaned out for sure.

When I got to Glendale, I followed Flicka’s suggestion and checked in at the Lux Corner Motel (The Ritz it ain’t) then headed down the road to Bonnerdale to see my new bike.
Bonnerdale is just a gas station and a post office, but I spotted my Ural parked out in front of their place. Actually, I almost missed it since it was camouflaged. That’s good!

I met Mike and Flicka and got a look at their operation. As far as I’m concerned, they have the best reputation in the USA in the Ural world. Notice I drove all the way from Oregon to buy from them.
I then spent the rest of the day with Mike learning how to check fluids, adjust valves, synch carbs, etc. Then we got into war stories and talked about relationships with women as he mounted a cool gas can on the sidecar. He’s a Vietnam vet, an old-time mechanic and a funny guy with some great stories.

After some discussion, I decided I’d like to make some changes to the bike. The biggest thing I want to do is remove the front disk brake (a Brembo which belongs on a Ducati racer) and replace it with a drum. That way all my wheels will be interchangeable and I can use the spare on all wheels. Most importantly, the bike will look like a proper retro military model.
The bike also comes with a fluid can which is usually mounted on the front of the sidecar, but I’ll leave it off since it adds weight in the wrong place. I may also go with an ammo can pannier on the back of the bike.
I might as well get it just the way I want since I came all this way.

I’m going back in the morning to do a little touch up spray painting with Mike and discuss the changes.

Man it is one cool bike!!!

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