At another site I have a discussion going regarding the placement of my spare tire on my Ural. I was changing a flat tire recently and stood back away from the rig to look her over. I hadn't really thought about it before, but the styling of the Ural Troyka hack is actually sort of nice when the spare and the spare carrier are removed. It got me to thinking about possibly moving the spare to the rear, inboard side of the hack and not having it mounted flat on the trunk lid, as is traditional. Some simple bracing and the thing actually works well and is functional.
The more I thought about it though, the more I began to wonder why it is that I even carry a spare tire in the first place? I mean, the sort of driving that I do as the norm does not take me off-road or far from home. I am not in an area that is prone to torrential downpours or even below zero winter weather. Unless I just haven't kept up with the weather reports before I ride, I am not out enjoying winter rides in the first place. Cold adventure riding is just not my cup of tea for the most part.
Now, mind you, I am asking why I carry a spare tire and not why I carry a spare inner tube. Most flats are easily fixed at the road side for me, or at least I have had a good history of such, so far. I drive more near-home than away-from-home as the tyopical mileage for my Troyka. I have not gone on any long journeys and don't have any such planned, so I thought I'd take on the personal challenge and simply leave the spare tire at home for a bit. My dog, Murph, is my usual riding partner and he can see better with the spare tire and luggage carrier gone from the rear trunk lid. All in all, I am not so sure I want to mount the spare tire away from the trunk lid and onto the side, but it is a mod to ponder over and perhaps take on.
Any rate, in trying to download the pics at the album site here (many don't load at all), I saw several hacks that don't seem to have any place like a Ural to hang a spare tire in the first place. Am I missing something obvious? I am thinking that the average Uralist only knows what the "cookie cutter" norm is, so they expect the spare to be in a traditional location. Sometimes they confuse accessories with necessities as well, so let me ask you fellows, just where is your spare tire located in all these adapted hacks I see in the pics?
Me, I'm going to run without a spare tire for a bit and see how I fare (only two flats in two years, so not a bad score so far). Not counting a ripped tire that is shredded and not a simple nail hole or mesquite needle hole, I thihk most flats can be fixed pretty quickly as a roadside issue (Granted, no fun in the rain or snow though).
Where do you fellows keep your spare tire or do you run wihout them?
I have a spare on my V Strom-Ural rig, but mostly for looks (I like the look of the big knobby tire). I dont have a spare on the Goldwing, which is the rig I use for long distance traveling. If you like the look better without, I would leave it off. I have only had 3 flat tires in the last 200,000 miles. If you are close to home......
They look better with the spare and it's mount removed or on the trunk mount if you feel you must carry one.
Lonnie
Most rigs don't carry spare tires. Mine has three different sized tires! A tube for each of the bike tires and patch kit for the sidecar along with a cycle pump compressor is about all I could use anyway. I also have good towing coverage. It's a simple matter of choice really. If you're not out wailing around the boonies then leave the spare home.
Hello Pat.
As Greg says: I too had only some 3-5 flats on the road (about 160.000m)with a bike/rig and 2 with a Vespa (10.000m). The nasty air leaks (typical for tcheck or east german natural rubber tubes) are not to be called a flat. You know you have to fill them up once a week.
For general I too don't see a spare necesarry, its just a good help when you go out into the wild and your 3 wheels are the same. Otherwise (now with the Jawa all three wheels are different) I take spare tubes, patches (for the tires inside to seal where the nail passed through) and levers with me.
(Tubeless tire are a whole different talk and with them you may get even home or to the next gas station)(only once that one blew completely at an instant (24 dec 1985?))
On the MZ rig I had the block tire (summer) and the spikes knobby (winter) mounted below the trunk with a simple bolt and a sealed plate, so the drum would stay clean. The nut was welded on a plate inside the trunk that I fixed like a sandwich with 2 rubber mats, a second plate below the trunk and 4 tiny screws.
That back wheel was more my ballast then a need. At first I had it on top of the trunk and each time you wanted to get something out of the trunk you got dirty hands, beside that it damaged the lid and hinges, that was perhaps the main reason why I sent the wheel below the trunk.
Best luck
Sven Peter
- The nasty air leaks (typical for tcheck or east german natural rubber tubes) are not to be called a flat. You know you have to fill them up once a week. (Same with a Ural, as the tubes do indeed need routine checks to ensure they are properly inflated). No such thing as original Russian air in them anymore. 🙂
- For general I too don't see a spare necesarry, its just a good help when you go out into the wild and your 3 wheels are the same. Otherwise (now with the Jawa all three wheels are different. (Yup, this is what I do as well these days. The Troyka spare only fits the pusher and the hack and will not swap out with the front tire. I believe most Uralists cringe at the idea of running wihout a spare, but they have become used to driving with one and never realizede the vast majority of sidecarists don't do so as the norm. For guy who claim to be so overly rugged, they are often locked into never thinking outside the box at times. 🙂 Still, their riding habits are likely different than my own, as most probably do hit the off-road boonies much more than I do.)
On the MZ rig I had the block tire (summer) and the spikes knobby (winter) mounted below the trunk with a simple bolt and a sealed plate, so the drum would stay clean. The nut was welded on a plate inside the trunk that I fixed like a sandwich with 2 rubber mats, a second plate below the trunk and 4 tiny screws. That back wheel was more my ballast then a need. At first I had it on top of the trunk and each time you wanted to get something out of the trunk you got dirty hands, beside that it damaged the lid and hinges, that was perhaps the main reason why I sent the wheel below the trunk. (My PT Cruiser has the spare beneath the trunk. It is a super pain to get out in good weather and more of a pain in bad weather. Although I'll look at the idea of making an undercarriage type of mod as well, I am more prone to simply eliminating the spare and not worrying over it at all. Thanks for the tips on how you did the mount in the underside of your rig. It may be an option, but I sort of like the idea of just running without a spare in the first place, at the moment. You know, it gives the rig less weight, gives me less to fool with and gives the rig a different look, other than the cookie-cutter look of most Urals. My dog can see and can be seen out the back of the hack now.) (Additionally, with the spare and luggage carrier on the back of the hack lid, I was alwasy worried over the weight when I opened up the trunk and it was on a very windy day. I had the trunk support strap come loose once and I thought the hinges would get bent with the wind whipping it all backwards so rapidly. Lucky I just happened to catch it before such happened at the time.)
Best luck
Sven Peter
(Thanks)
This forum is set up so you can delete your own posts. I'm not sure why it doen't work for you. You will get a warning but if you follow the link it should work. Deleting an entire thread is another challenge.
