We had a great response at the rally of people donating tools to take to Cuba. Any manual metric tool is needed down there. Any parts for old 650cc Urals are needed as well.
The rigs that the members of the Sidecar Club of Cuba ride are old Russian military kick-start 650cc Urals that Russia gave to the Cuban Military and when the Cuban Military could not keep them running, they were sold to locals.
Now these guys struggle to rebuild, service and keep them running. Many parts are not available at any price there. Tools there are expensive while many of us have second, third even fourth sets of metric tool. Consider donating any extra metric tools you have to the Cuban sidecarists.
Thanks for helping our fellow sidecarists
Jan Daub
USCA President
Today I received a request from two of the Cuban members needing two pistion brake calipers. Any brand or configuration is okay. They can fabricate any needed mounting, but they cannot fabricate the caliper itself. Check your old parts bins for discarded brake calipers. Ship them to me in one of those flat rate USPS boxes and I will make sure they get to Havana.
Ship to:
Jan Daub
16518 Empire Gold Dr
Cypress, TX 77433
Jan, when you say two piston do you mean one piston on one side and the matching piston on the other side? Because even though there are two pistons I've always called that a single piston caliper.
On the other hand, if you mean these --->
I actually have this matching pair off a R1200GS. Working fine when removed. I replaced them because of cosmetics. In fact, I've got some almost new sintered pads to go with. Is that what they need?
That is exactly what they need. Thank you
How does one go about sending tools to you.
See Post #2 above.How does one go about sending tools to you.
One USCA member generously donated used BMW brake calipers for Cuba.
Does anyone have any used brake discs you can donate? Does not matter what brand or size, the Club in Cuba will adapt them to the Ural drum brake housings. You have to see the photos of how they innovate there. Hope to capture many photos of their innovations in January. So you can see where your donations are going.
Thanks to all who have sent tools, wrenches, etc. Some boxes arrived without your name so I don't know who to thank personally.Thank you
Our Uralista contact in Cuba sent the attached photo. Said he needed to get busy and rebuild some rims...
Now that is working with rust and spit to build something useful once more.
Their ingenuity and resourcefulness is mindboggling.
And I complain when Amazon takes longer than a day to deliver an unneeded farkle.
Si if I took some tools to The Flint Hills Rally in September, would there be anyone there to channel them along so the folks in Cuba could get them?
Wisdom comes from experience. Experience comes from bad decisions.
David, yes, bring any tools you wish to donate to the Cuban Sidecar Club to the Flint Hills Rally. Remember, all of their rigs are metric.
Jon, how big a trailer are you bringing to the Kansas gathering?
I ask because I'm putting some feelers out to my friends (yeah, I do have some) who ride and tinker with older bikes. I'm also inquiring at my local independent shop to see if they want to declutter for the purpose. I can't say how much I will be able to gather, but I'm always hopeful!
Illegitemi non carborundum est!
That is great Thane. I'm riding the WartHog to the rally. Not packing my cold weather gear so will have room inside the camper.
We have lots of wrenches, now asking for tune up, finer adjustment type tools. A carb balancer, torque wrench, old micrometers, bits and pieces to rebuild carbs, 12v relays, LED bulbs, rubber donuts for shaft drive, gaskets and rubber parts that fit the older 650 Urals, etc. The type of things they cannot easily make there and don't weigh a lot.
Jan, what about a Snap On Timing Light...and olde school timing light....perfect for timing a '56 Chevy, or a '63 Ford...but it is a Snap On brand.
Shoot, I have LOTS of room in my sidecar rig, so I will just bring a bunch, and....will search the sides of the road of the 1,900 miles to the Rally, and see if I can find any tools along the roadway.
Oh, and....whilst I know that Urals don't have A/C, like modern Goldwings do (ha ha ha ha ha), could they use a set of A/C gauges, with the hoses, and all fittings ? They might have ONE car in their club that does have A/C in it, and they might like this set of Gauges, or...can trade them for something.
Two Million Mile Rider...All 7 Continents
Exploring the World in Comfort
FM, that is an interesting question. I don't remember seeing AC in any vehicle there, except maybe the occasional government car.
A timing light?? not sure. I never used a timing light when I had a 2011 750cc Ural. Hey Ural owners, is a timing light needed to tune up a 650cc Ural?
In Cuba, many brands of sidecars from Eastern Europe and China are seen, all of which are smaller 175 -250 cc models. There are no large displacement rigs or motorcycles seen.
The Cuban club members all have the old 650cc kick-start Ural rigs. Why? because that was what the Russian government gave to the Cuban military. When the military could no longer keep them running, the non-running bikes were sold to the public. After individuals dragged home the bits and pieces of a beat-up, non-running Russian sidecar, they had to figure out how to rebuild it and get it running. By pooling resources, knowledge, and parts they got the old Ural rigs running again. This was the impetus of the original members to band together as a club. It was built around self-help and economic necessity.
From that, it evolved into using their rigs to help remote communities recover from hurricane damage, hosting rides and parties for Children Without Families, and conducting similar community outreach efforts. They still spend most of their time just helping each other with their rigs.
Necessity is the mother of all inventions. We patch a tire, they patch the rim. None of us would consider welding a patch over a rust hole in an old rim. Yet if there are no rims available, you do what you can with your fellow club members' help. One cannot buy what is not available.
These donated tools will aid them in fabricating some of the parts they need to stay on the road and keep their rigs in tune.
One cannot just ship parts and tools to Cuba and expect them to arrive, especially if they are coming from the USA. So everything will be hand-carried as personal luggage. I have sent photos of donated tools and let the members there decide which ones are most needed. Unfortunately, the airline weight limits are a restriction for some tools and parts. So we are prioritizing which tools would have the most benefit and taking those.
Many thanks to everyone who has donated and is in the process of donating tools for Cuba.
Jan
