Ural Gear up ownership.

[Idaho Living]

I own a 2013 Ural Gear up Side car rig, the last year of carburetors, I purchased it new at a dealer in Wisconsin, however it was already two years old in 2015. I lived in Western Washington at the time and could not get any local dealer to budge on price for two year old units. This Wisconsin dealership couldn’t give Urals away locally so they blew out all their inventory deeply discounted. I flew to it on Southwest Airlines and rode it home to Washington with no mechanical surprises at all.

 

[Idaho Living]

This is on the way home from Wisconsin to Washington State. The bike is brand new, Devils Tower in the background.

 

[Idaho Living]

The day I arrived at Devils Tower it was 70 degrees, the next day it snowed. Welcome to Wyoming.

 

[Idaho Living]

This purchase and road trip was with an unknown brand of motorcycle that has a fair amount of bad press on the internet. I read most of the criticism I could find and I wasn't convinced any of the commentary was from anyone who had actually owned a Ural. I like the bike very much and as an older guy I love the reverse gear. They are very stable machines and you can bring a lot of stuff with you in the tub. I have purchased 2x4s several times and strapped them to the side car. I also grocery shop often with it.

 

[Idaho Living]

This is at Paisley Oregon with my dog Trapper. These bike are the perfect dirt road machine because you are not going to drop the bike, it has a training wheel. They are very capable in the dirt, so much so that you don't use the 2WD by engaging the sidecar wheel. I trailered the bike to the Oregon desert to ride with a group of Ural owners rather than ride at slow speeds all the way from Washington.

 

[redsqwrl]

very cool.

I live in wisconsin and ride buell, and have an eye out for ural's

did not know we have a dealer

 

[Idaho Living]

They have become pretty spendy new. You can find if there is a dealer on Urals web site. I bought this at Fuel Power sports in West Bend.

 

[Idaho Living]

I googled Ural dealers in Wisconsin and you have like a dozen of them. The newest Ural are disc brake all around and all hydraulics where mine is only on the front. Also they are all fuel injected now. Ural components are made all over, the alternator is Japanese on mine, so are the carbs. The fuel injection was a U.S. company. The corporate head quarters is in Washington State, surprisingly. There still made in Urbitz Siberia.

 

[Idaho Living]

This is a picture of a friend of mine Dave Hooker and some guys in Death Valley.

 

[Melensdad]

A buddy of mine had an older Ural, maybe from the mid-1990's. He said it was slow but otherwise was a great bike. He used to bring it to the fencing club, rain or shine. Seemed the bike would go though anything, tough as nails and simple to upkeep.

He sold it last year after crashing another motorcycle he owned and spending a month in the hospital.

 

[tommu56]

I'd love to have an Ural! my KLR650 is getting hard on my body

 

[Idaho Living]

I had a KLR myself, I could only get on it while it was on the kickstand. It was nearly perfect in every way. The most dependable thing I’ve ever owned. I owned the year that was army green. I’m 5’10 inches and I now own a BMW R1150 GS. I guess that I needed something more difficult to climb on than the KLR. Of course you can lower either bike and I’m planning on it with the BMW. I’ve owned several motorcycles and the GS is my favorite for Highway and light forest service road stuff. However I will never have to wait for help to come along with the Ural it will never fall over.

 

[Idaho Living]

A buddy of mine had an older Ural, maybe from the mid-1990's. He said it was slow but otherwise was a great bike. He used to bring it to the fencing club, rain or shine. Seemed the bike would go though anything, tough as nails and simple to upkeep.

He sold it last year after crashing another motorcycle he owned and spending a month in the hospital.

Urals are slow by todays standards. They will do 60 something sustained speed but they are wound up pretty good rpm wise. They really shine in the 50s even on gravel. 50 on a Ural seem much faster. A friend who owns three of them says nothing else ever comes out of the garage anymore but the Ural. They are surprisingly fun to ride and they are useful to take to the lumber yard, hardware store etc. when your older, a slower bike seems like a good fit.

 

[Idaho Living]

I'd love to have an Ural! my KLR650 is getting hard on my body

Look around for a side car for your KLR. Sometimes they come up on Craigslist cheap. The 2WD on the Ural isn’t useful enough to justify having it. Although I have ridden in the snow with tire chains with it. I’ve seen KLRs with a side car, what a great combination.

 

[Idaho Living]

Have you ever heard the saying “you never see a motorcycle parked in front of a psychiatrist’s office”.

 

[Idaho Living]

I'd love to have an Ural! my KLR650 is getting hard on my body

Think of the possibilities with your KLR. I think this bike should be lowered a bit with the side car. As you know it’s very easy to do. The reason I sold my KLR was the seat started hurting after about an hour, I mean standing on the pegs hurting. Maybe I should have tried a Corbin seat?

 

[Idaho Living]

It may not be universally true but, not every motorcycle is a good fit for a side car addition, I would say however the Urals are very dialed in for good all around handling with one. Part of it is, Urals are heavy and they are low to the ground. This does make for caution off road guarding against oil pan strikes. You can really throw a Ural around on a dirt road drifting in the corners with comfort. My friends GS with a side car would put you in the hospital if you tried that. Climbing on a Ural is like getting on a knuckle head Harley, a very low seat position, it’s part of the appeal of the brand. Plus how many motorcycles have a tractor seat. I like the seat a lot.

 

[tommu56]

View attachment 161968Think of the possibilities with your KLR. I think this bike should be lowered a bit with the side car. As you know it’s very easy to do. The reason I sold my KLR was the seat started hurting after about an hour, I mean standing on the pegs hurting. Maybe I should have tried a Corbin seat?

I'd cconsiter it but my bike has too many hard miles on it to be a canidate.
There is a place near me (Central Pa.) that makes the side cars resets your rake on your forks and gives you a day of lessions because he feels most have to relearn to ride.

 

[Idaho Living]

I'd cconsiter it but my bike has too many hard miles on it to be a canidate.
There is a place near me (Central Pa.) that makes the side cars resets your rake on your forks and gives you a day of lessions because he feels most have to relearn to ride.

There is a Ural solo with no side car With different forks. As you say mine has proprietary side car forks and side car tires. Heidenau tires Are the best for these machines.

 

[tommu56]

There is a Ural solo with no side car With different forks. As you say mine has proprietary side car forks and side car tires. Heidenau tires Are the best for these machines.

I need the side car at my age
I need all the help I can get I'm almost like Artie Johnson on Laugh In on his trycycle

 

[Melensdad]

Urals are slow by todays standards. . . when your older, a slower bike seems like a good fit.

I am older . . . and my Honda NC750x is known as a slow boring bike. I'm totally fine with that.

 

[redsqwrl]

View attachment 161968Think of the possibilities with your KLR. I think this bike should be lowered a bit with the side car. As you know it’s very easy to do. The reason I sold my KLR was the seat started hurting after about an hour, I mean standing on the pegs hurting. Maybe I should have tried a Corbin seat?

I would bet the weight of the rider brought that down in line. I need bar risers to stand comfortably, then when I sit I grumble about how high my hands are.