Lusting for a Ural

I've actually gotten to the point financially I can afford a new toy without trading in my loyal K.

Rigs have always intrigued me. Had a Flexit on the K75 years ago but I wanted a solo bike also.

i love the simplicity of the Urals, not to mention I'm closer to a Ural dealer than a BMW.

The engineering reminds me of my '72 TR Spitfire which I bought new at the tender age of 19, it was about 20 years obsolete then but damn, was it fun. And I learned alot about wrenching (out of necessity)

I have a 12 and 6 year old that are not interested on riding the K, but the sidecar would be "totally cool"

Always been attracted to offbeat cars and bikes (Citroen ID-19 was my all time fav) and the Russian bike fills that bill.

And I want a new factory rig (I deserve to mess it up all by myself!) But not a HD.

I like the idea of developing a new skill set, and the possibility of playing the the mud and snow with the 2WD I'm leaning towards. Anti-lock, FWD, and slide control take all the fun out of driving in snow nowadays.

Any thoughts from all you hack pundits out there?

What no Trabi in the stable? The Ural's are cool. I can't tell you anything about them now.....but very shortly one of the local club members takes delivery of theirs.
[URL="http://www.yankeebeemers.org/forum/showthread.php?2880-New-Toy!-%28It-s-kinda-like-a-BMW-%29&"]Here is a link to their announcement[/URL] I'm real interested in seeing it. :brad

In SW Ohio just take a ride to Eaton and see the very nice guys at Heindl Engineering. [url]http://www.heindlengineering.com/sidecar/index.htm[/url] Like you I thought about a Ural for a couple of years and finally decided it was time for a new toy 2 years ago. My first phone call was to Heindl, to inquire about delivery time. To my surprise they had what I wanted in stock! The rest is history. Just be aware of the limitations of the Ural. It is not something you run on the interstate for hours at a time. If you can be happy on secondary roads you will love it. Here in the land of ice and snow (Well not this year.) it extends the riding season to 12 months.

Years ago I had a Citroen ID19 break. I hadn't thought about it but yes a Ural is just as weird. Since I am a long way from a dealer I do all my own wrenching, it is an easy bike to work on.

[QUOTE=35634;767931]I've actually gotten to the point financially I can afford a new toy without trading in my loyal K.

Rigs have always intrigued me. Had a Flexit on the K75 years ago but I wanted a solo bike also.

i love the simplicity of the Urals, not to mention I'm closer to a Ural dealer than a BMW.

The engineering reminds me of my '72 TR Spitfire which I bought new at the tender age of 19, it was about 20 years obsolete then but damn, was it fun. And I learned alot about wrenching (out of necessity)

I have a 12 and 6 year old that are not interested on riding the K, but the sidecar would be "totally cool"

Always been attracted to offbeat cars and bikes (Citroen ID-19 was my all time fav) and the Russian bike fills that bill.

And I want a new factory rig (I deserve to mess it up all by myself!) But not a HD.

I like the idea of developing a new skill set, and the possibility of playing the the mud and snow with the 2WD I'm leaning towards. Anti-lock, FWD, and slide control take all the fun out of driving in snow nowadays.

Any thoughts from all you hack pundits out there?[/QUOTE]

I'm go'n to break the silence that I had to hold back since the MOA Rally in Oregon..I had URAL contact me if it where possible to have them bring demo bikes to the National rally and if I had connections with the 'Powers-to-be' on the MOA board.

To make a long story short(as if there was a long story)..apparently the decision by the board in closed door session denied..maybe the wrong words..'cause it was decided in closed session not to have URAL at the rally..

So folks don't let be denied that there wasn't an attempt by a manufacturer of sidecars to present their product at a National Rally.

FYI..URAL has bought ads in the 'ON' over the years..but denied to present their product at a National Rally. I think .."it's time for a change.":wave

Clay
Kimberton,Pa.

'05 URAL 'Troyka'

[QUOTE=35634;767931]I've actually gotten to the point financially I can afford a new toy without trading in my loyal K.

Rigs have always intrigued me. Had a Flexit on the K75 years ago but I wanted a solo bike also.

i love the simplicity of the Urals, not to mention I'm closer to a Ural dealer than a BMW.

The engineering reminds me of my '72 TR Spitfire which I bought new at the tender age of 19, it was about 20 years obsolete then but damn, was it fun. And I learned alot about wrenching (out of necessity)

I have a 12 and 6 year old that are not interested on riding the K, but the sidecar would be "totally cool"

Always been attracted to offbeat cars and bikes (Citroen ID-19 was my all time fav) and the Russian bike fills that bill.

And I want a new factory rig (I deserve to mess it up all by myself!) But not a HD.

I like the idea of developing a new skill set, and the possibility of playing the the mud and snow with the 2WD I'm leaning towards. Anti-lock, FWD, and slide control take all the fun out of driving in snow nowadays.

Any thoughts from all you hack pundits out there?[/QUOTE]

Did it no regrets. Nice to have a local dealer again that actually has parts and provides service.

If not pounding the freeway or trying to cover many many mile days, it is the ticket. The newer Urals are comfortable and competent and can carry a ton of stuff.

You will have to remember to heel shift up. :)

[QUOTE=Clay;768294]

So folks don't let be denied that there wasn't an attempt by a manufacturer of sidecars to present their product at a National Rally.

FYI..URAL has bought ads in the 'ON' over the years..but denied to present their product at a National Rally. I think .."it's time for a change.":wave

[/QUOTE]

+1 Clay

In the 90s I organized several BMW Club Qu?®bec Rallies. BMW Canada would come to our rallies with demos quite frequently. One year (mid 90s ?) they stopped coming. A member (independently) arranged to bring a Triumph Tiger to the rally (he rode it to rally) for attendees to try out. Needless to say BMW Canada and our local dealers where less than pleased. In this case, most of us got to see that the GS was a better bike, so it worked in BMW's favour.
If BMW NA (or MOA) is worried about URAL, why don't they produce a factory sidecar rig themselves?

I for one would love to see URAL at the National, if for no other reason than to turn people on to sidecars.

I seem to remember Moto-Guzzi wanting to have a presence at a rally back in the 90's and being nixed by BMWMOA. I think they are non-BMW-phobic, for whatever reason. I doubt BMW will ever produce or approve of sidecars again for liability reasons. One of the neat things about Urals is they actually encourage doing your own maintenance.

If you are thinking Ural, then you should go up to Heindl Engineering and take a look. You might also find some of the ride reports by Mr. COB on ADV to be of interest (they are interesting even if you don't plan to get a Ural!). -

[url]http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=454177[/url]

At present the first slide on the homepage at ADV is Mr. COB. After reading some of his ride reports a buddy and I went over to Heindl and took a look. One of these days when I reduce the number of bikes in the garage I'll strongly consider a Ural Patrol.

[url]http://www.heindlengineering.com/[/url]

I've been lusting for a Ural, as well. I'm about ready to pull the trigger on a new one, but the nearest dealer is 1 1/2 hours away. Still, that's no excuse, as there are plenty of BMW riders that are not graced with a local dealer.

I had always been intrigued with sidecar rigs and particularly Ural. A most positive Motorcyclist Magazine article in 2006 led me to three of the main Ural sites (Soviet Steeds, Russian Iron and the Irbit (Ural) sponsored web-site itself). Checking all the advice sections, the specific problems and fix's I was impressed with the near cult-like knowledge shared among the participants. Like a microscopic version of this site. Vast engineering improvements in'06 and again on '07 pushed me into a dealer about 100 miles from my home and I bought an '07 Patrol. Yes, the factory is still pretty primitive but they are not working under a Soviet system of production anymore. Better manufactures of key parts like Denso, Austrian/German Gearing, Moto Guzzi Switchgear, Ducati ignition, etc are all part of the Ural now. Yet it is so, so very simple to work on and maintain by a shade-tree weekend mechanic like me. I'm about to do some maint to my new (to me) '96 r1100rt and as I read the manual I see I've done most of this before on the Ural. It is reverse designed from a pre-war (WW2) BMW ya know. They just never moved on.
Does better on the secondary roads as in smell the roses riding but can do 65-70 if pushed (but not advised for too long). Mine is a 2-wheel drive model so going off-road with GS's and KLR's is no problem. And of course there is REVERSE.
Mine cost me a little more than $10,000.00 in '07 but that was when the American dollar was still king. A new top-of-the-line looks like about $14 or $15,000 now. Still a great buy. Last manufacture of sidecar rigs. And as they say the fastest motorcycle in the world going in reverse. Do your research, it's not for everyone. Love mine (so does my Beagle and kids).
Mike Wex
'96 r100rt

[QUOTE=Weasel;768856]I've been lusting for a Ural, as well. I'm about ready to pull the trigger on a new one, but the nearest dealer is 1 1/2 hours away. Still, that's no excuse, as there are plenty of BMW riders that are not graced with a local dealer.[/QUOTE]

Only 1 1/2 hours? :violin It was about a 5 hour trip to get mine. Some of the best hours I ever spent. :dance I have since spent many enjoyable hours riding and yes working on my Ural Patrol.

The story I heard on Ural's upgrading from a sidevalve BMW design to OHV after the war was that the BMW sidecar factory was in the Russian zone right after the war. So they packed up the factory lock, stock, barrels, and toilets and transported it to Irbit. Things were modified a bit to match USSR thinking, home made steel spokes (i.e. rust on a stick) gearbox gears like a T34 (first 100 hours the gears finish the honing and fitting process themselves).

I really like the Ural for its original airhead design. I checked out the nearest "dealer" in Miami but they only had one 2011 gearup, no one had a clue (someone buys 3 at a time and mostly ships them to South America) and no one works on them. Like you say a bit rough around the edges but steel everywhere.

Seemed a bit cramped seat-to-footpeg wise (I'm 6'4" with long legs and old knees). Looks like the seat could be shifted to the rear 2" and still be on the mounting plate.

Also my butt reminded me I've got a DayLong on my RT, so a bit of a change there I think.

There's a dealer mid-state that gets good reviews, so now to plan a trip to actually ride one :thumb

I second the vote to kind of fold Urals into the 'OA crew on the basis of their engine heritage alone. Plus they are so much a real new old bike.

doug maccoy
parkland, fl

[QUOTE=vetsurginc;769467].......... gearbox gears like a T34 (first 100 hours the gears finish the honing and fitting process themselves)........


doug maccoy
parkland, fl[/QUOTE]
:rofl ...I hope there are others that can appreciate that comment :thumb

Hey vetsurginc,

If you live in Florida contact or go see Holopaw Gene in (of course) Holopaw. He is one of the leading Ural guru's and dealers in the USA. I have called him for advice and parts from up here in NY many times and when I'm in Florida I try to go visit him. He works out of a sort of airplane hanger. Also sells Royal Enfields and I think a couple other off-brands.

There are a few dealers out there that sell Urals but not really service them of know much about them. Gimmicky.

Holopaw Ural, Crawfords in Michigan, Heindl, Raceway to name a few. They are passionate about these rigs. Heindl & Raceway also manufacture after-market Ural accessories and performance parts as they are machine shops as well.

I'm thinking about raising my seat about a 1/2 inch with a piece of square stock. And added handlebar risers already. Remember these were originally set-up for the average German or Russian soldier in 1938. We're bigger and eat more now.
mw

That is definitely who I am going to. Gonna take a couple of days off, ride up one day, back the next. I'll call him first as I really want to do a test ride (do they rent those things I wonder? Hmm, week lease?) and talk about modificaitons. Ahh anticipation :eat