Originally written by Tomcat101147 on 9/11/2008 12:00 AM
It amuses me that Ural owners have a compulsion to defend their choice of bike. It's a machine. It doesn't care what people say about it. I also often wonder about the mindset that has some Ural owners proudly referring to their Urals as a "Russian Piece of Crap". That's not a badge of honor in my book!
If I find myself referring to a machine as a piece of crap I sell it or junk it, whichever seems appropriate.
To be quite frank, the main reason I didn't buy a Ural was mostly the endless litany of woes related by Ural owners on the Ural boards.
Ha: Thank God my Ural is a machine with no feelings and "doesn't care what people say about it"! If our bikes had feelings they'd all be crying by the side of the road; my Ural surrounded by Harley Davidsons and BMWs. LOL
Badge of Honor? Related to a choice of motorcycle? My Badges of Honor are not for material things; they're all related to family, friends and tasks.
It's interesting to watch the POC statement get thrown around and perpetuated by non-owners. Perpetuating misinformation is creating unworthy resources for future data; it's all a part of the fun for us researchers, sifting through the junk to get to the facts.
No offense please but I think the term UDF (Ural Delay Factor) which is heard so often is way overstated. What i am geting at is that anyone with a sidecar rig can be delayed by the curiosity of onlookers. Maybe SDF (Sidecar Delay Factor) would have alot of merit to it across the board.
No biggie just a thought.
Originally written by Tomcat101147 on 9/11/2008 1:00 AM
It amuses me that Ural owners have a compulsion to defend their choice of bike.
No different than Harley owners or Goldwing owners or scooter owners or sidecar owners. We all decide what fits us best and will defend our choice when confronted. If I was ambiguous about my choice I probably wouldn't be hanging around web forums.
No offence to it by me, but I'd probably disagree a bit with that conclusion. Not enough to spit fire and come at anyone with daggera and guns drawn. 🙂
I get stopped almost daily when really, really trying to get from point A to point B and back. Never seems to work out that way for me though. I ride a Ural. Boingo! UDF! I answer questions and I try to get the heck out of Dodge before my delay makes my boss very. very unhappy with me and my unexpected absence. Can't say the term is overstated for sure, but I'd bet it really isn't. Not that any sidecar equally reflects the difference, but the Ural rigs tend to be more retro looking than most other rigs. I suspect they would edge out the other makes if a scientific poll was ever conducted between them. With the camo look and all, they also attract more of the sportsmen crowd, which I'd beta also hedges the bet a smidge in many cases.
Maybe UDF is overstated, but then again, my boss doesn't think so when I show up late and continually use that as my excuse. 🙂
"That is a bit ironic, as you would have had to have hung out at a Ural board in order to see any litney of woes, as you mention. I guess it would depend upon what one considers a real woe in the first place,"
Where you been, Pat? Maybe you should talk to JohnBG over at SS or read RI more often. I ticked off a couple of folks at SS when I didn't buy a Ural so eventually JBG locked my account because they whined at him. I did LOTS of homework on all brands before I purchased my rig. My rig was the best buy for the money. The V Star boards don't have anywhere near the number of complaints that I read daily on SS and RI. I checked back recently on SS. Same old same old.
People give Harley riders a ration who, in turn, sometimes sneer at Japanese bikes and so it goes on down the line. Most riders shrug it off but as previously mentioned, Ural owners are absolutely devoted to their bikes. Hey, if that's their bag then good for them. If my bike got to be a POC I'd strip the car and remount it on something else. I don't get devoted to machinery or brands.
Well, I've been tempted to jump in on this thread nearly from the beginning. But now I have to jump in and agree with Claude when it comes to UDF. Having ridden a Ural for a couple years (very enjoyable years) then selling it in order to afford the Liberty for the Harley, I have to say the "delay factor" is pretty much equal with either rig. But it increases a bunch when Archie is with me. On the few occassions I ride without him, it still exists but not quite to the same degree.
I've had other thoughts through out the thread but it's doing fine as it is. All my input concerning the Ural would be positive. Would I like to have both rigs? Sure. Would I ride the Ural as much as before the Harley had the sidecar? Probably not...
I have no idea as to anyone being booted at any other site, SS or RI, as I have no control of that and certainly don't have any ownership in either site. I don't chat with John often, so I can't really say anything about what he may think as to anything you posted at his site. What is whining to some is not necessarily whining to others, so I can't comment on that, either. However, what you read into those sites as to their being tons of daily complaints is not the same as I get when I read them. Both sites include Dnerprs as well as Urals, too. Maybe I am missing something, but even at this site there really isn't a ton of folks who are complaing over Urals from what I have read in the past. No brand makes everyone happy, but Urals are not for everyone and neither is any other make. Mine fits me well though, so I do have some very positive thoughts on it and would promote it mainly in the positive for others.
The number of "complaints" you mention may well be less on a V-
Star board. Heck, Urals may also rate well below mopeds as far as I know, but the sites I have visited were all pretty equal when it came to discussions of service and problems. I prefer Kawasaki and the Drifters for sure, but even at those particular sites maintenance and problems are not non-existant in the least. Complaints is actually an odd choice of words, as discussions of maintenance are not always complaints in the least.
You didn't choose a Ural. No problem in the least. Glad you made a good choice for yourself. Me, I did purchase a Ural. I am happy with it so far and I share that same feeling with many others. Good choice for me as well. I don't know about total devotion to Urals though, but so far I have no reason to feel I made any poor choice or such. Although I can think of some things that I'd love to see changed at the factory, as previously listed, that list is just my thoughts and not reflective of any other Uralist's view. What ever is right for you is right for you. Any brand can have pros as well as cons.
You happen to feel differently about machines than I do, but we just hold different takes on that issue, I suppose. Neither is likely more nor less wrong than the other. A Russian POC or POS appears to mean somthing different to you than to many Uralists. No problem. Life is still good for those who view it differently, I suspect. 🙂
Originally written by welnet on 9/10/2008 6:04 PM
1. How much "tinkering" is required to keep them in good running order?
2. Is it true you have to run supreme gas in them?
3. How long of a wait time for parts?
4. Are they reliable enough to be primary transportation?
5. If properly maintained, how long do they last?
6. How do they hold up in city stop&go traffic (overheating, etc...)?
****************************
I know I am late getting into this but that doesn't mean I'm gonna keep my fat mouth shut:
1. I am very "wrench challenged" and my five year old Retro is still running fine without ever being inside a dealership except for a recall on Retro (only) brakes.
2. If that was true, how long do you think a Ural would last in the Third World? I'll bet that, if you played with it, you could get a Ural from Point A to Point B on kerosene!
3. My average wait for parts from Wagners or Crawford Motors has been 7-10 days.
4. Reliable? Except for the aforementioned recall on the hydraulic Retro brakes, every problem my bike has had can be DIRECTLY attributed to operator error.
5. For me, it is five summers and over 20,000 miles (not kilometers). Jay Gray up in Chicago has WELL over 100,000 miles on his rig. Ask me again in 20 years!
6. City stop and go traffic? Can't say. Where I live, the main problem is dodging road apples from all the Amish buggies!
Some comments on the remainder of this thread. When CSMI first brought Urals into this country, they thought they could sell us the same junk they sold their own people. They learned quickly that doesn't work if you are going to survive in a global market. These people are not stupid! Each year the rigs have become better and better. In spite of that, the old impressions and prejudices spawned by those early bikes live on.
I saw an interesting post on the Ural factory discussion group a while ago. One of the gang brought up the point that problems and complaints about the rigs by their owners basically involved "little stuff". Gone were the days of catastrophic failures. He asked, "When was the last time we read of a crankshaft busting? A transmission stripping out? Or a major alternator failure?" The gang had to agree. They hadn't realized it till he brought it up but their beloved Urals were starting to show some reliability, if not respectability! And, of course, there is always the realization that you can read about a few people and the problems they are having with their rigs while "the silent majority" have nothing to say because they have no problems.
I could go on but it is time for bed.
Sarge
Thanks all for the answers - damnit - now I'm REALLY considering getting one and turning the Burgman/Kenna rig over to the wife. As for the “Delay Factor”, the “Scooter” rig really can slow you down, the motorcycle crowd can’t believe the scooter has the power to tug it (41 HP at the rear wheel by independent dyno tests) and have all sorts of questions, and the non-rider crowd always wants to know about the no-shifting required factor…..
Bill,
A URAL outfit will be a great rig for Vashon Island, first on the ferry to the Mainland and fun to run around in Seattle. I would suggest staying off I-5 or I-90 though (except for rush hour traffic times when they are long narrow parking lots and your only worry would be burnt valves from overheating or running out of gas). lol
BTDT
Lonnie
Just a note on Ural value. People will probably say comparing a Ural to a Toyota Yaris is apples and oranges which may be true, but it is also transportation vs transportation in value.
I drive a 05 Ural Tourist , paid $8k new, and for the most part am happy with it. But, I just bought a new Toyota Yaris with air, cd, heat, wipers, etc. etc. that gets me about 42-45mpg on regular gas for just about the price of the new Urals. That in my book makes the new Ural prices way too high or the Yaris the best deal in town. U pick.
Apples and oranges indeed. Vehicle gas mileage is another topic all together. If your yaris had two wheels, a sidcar, and could drive through hub-deep snow, it would be pertinent to this thread.
But your right, we don't all drive our sidcar rigs with fuel mileage at the tops of out lists.
Motorcycles and cars are a poor comparison.
The first time HD filed for bankruptcy was because they couldn't compete with Henry Ford. A Model T sold for less money than a new Harley. A new Goldwing today sells for more than many midsized cars. One is produced by the hundreds of thousands, the other isn't.
Lonnie,
Yep, I'm thinking a Ural would be the perfect Island rig and for poking around in Seattle, Tacoma and the Kitsap peninsula. I hate going on the interstate even in my RAM 3500, after 21 years in the Navy, I’m enjoying life at a much slower pace, most likely the first thing that attracted me to sidecars. One other thing about Urals I’ve noticed (seen 8 different rigs in my area since I’ve been paying attention) is that the people riding them always look like fun people. I hate stereotyping riders, but I’ve never seen a Ural rider decked out in leather with that stern/macho look on their face that you see on many riders. Seems like if they don’t have a grin on their face it’s because they are busy telling a story….
Bill
"I hate stereotyping riders, but I’ve never seen a Ural rider decked out in leather with that stern/macho look on their face that you see on many riders."
We leathered up for years on solo bikes. Skin wears out much sooner if you hit the pavement so it was and still is a wise choice for body protection.
Ballistic materials and armor inserts weren't prevalent until the Supercross crowd came into play.
One can also achieve that stern look on the road from the coast to Sturgis on a naked bike with no windshield from battling wind, bugs, sun, dust and sand.
And then we have the Posers, Squids, or Wannabees. TT racers (tavern to tavern) with the temporary Tats, caps with built in ponytails, and attitude, attitude, attitude.
Some day they may be old geezers like me, with three for the road.
I guess the common ground is that we are all out in the wind doing our stuff.
Lonnie (Still grinnin')
