Newbie

Beth,
Lots of questions you have there. Sorry you got no replies but maybe it was due to so many questions at once? See below for a brief stabs at a response. You can also call th eshop if you desire ..see link for numbers.
ANYHOO....
1. Any recommendations on whether to buy a new Ural or find a sidecar to attach to my Bonneville. Even though my husband can fix anything, I am hesitant about the Ural in terms of its reliability. (P.S. The sidecar rig would not be a daily driver as I also ride a BMW GS 650)

>>>The Bonnie is a decent choice. If you want to run all kinds of roads on a basically gas and go machine even better. The GS650 could also be hacked with the right sidecar<< .

2. Any recommendations/feedback on the Cozy...
>> Neat little sidecar<<

3. Any recommendations/feedback on Motorvation's Spyder T1 or their products in general...
>>Excellent sidecars,,great folks to work with you<<

4. Any recommendations/feedback on a replica Steib LS 200. (I know they are costly).
>> Very nice..moounted one last year. <<

5. Any feedback on whether I should have the sidecar attached by a professional mechanic if I get a sidecar for my Bonneville...
>> You choose<<

6. Can anyone recommend anyone in CT or Mass who can attach a sidecar to my Bonneville if this is the way I go?
Stacy Goff up your way mounts sidecars. HOSERSBG@aol.com <<

7. I am 5'4'' and weigh about 120 lbs. I am athletic but not a big huge guy with lots of muscle. Some of the sidecar people I've talked to on the phone have questions whether I'd be able to handle a sidecar. Any thoughts?
>> No problem...you shoudl be fine.<<

Thanks for all the answers. You mention in your first par. that I could call you at your shop. All I need to do to get your number is click on the link. Where is the link? (I am new to this).

http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/FreedomSidecarsandTrailers/
or
http://freedomsidecars.com/

Hello Beth,
Sidecaring is something for everybody who loves nature. In Herzberg (Harz-mountains) pushed a tiny 1,60m small, 45kg light lady a 850 Guzzi with a 2 seater of 1,95m width like a competitor...
All it needs is heart and patience to learn from new, like you never had driven a bike before.

The Steib 200 might be a little small and light for the Bonnie.
Only sad thing is the new Bonnie is a short stroke engine. As Claude (a very knowlegble man) indicates perhaps the beemer would be the more apropiate choice and it wouldn't be such a loss in the worst case. (as Turtle just had)
GS650 sounds to me like a model arround 1986 based on the R80 block with smaller cylinders and a flimsy upper front stearing bridge => That would give you by the way the oportunity to put on the bigger cylinders, get rid of the bridge and mount a nice Earles fork.
I'd put on an oil cooler at the same time.
Just a thought,
I recomend you to read the translation of the german handbook in the download section. There is the comment of the writer about how his wife put him to the choise to by a new sidecar or bring the kids himself to school...
Best luck and head up.
Sven Peter

Hello Beth:
I'll answer question #7. You can handle a sidecar! :-)...
Take the Class, you'll see ~
I'm 5'2"..
gail

I did quite a bit of homework on the Ural before purchasing my rig used. The Ural has a high center of gravity and a narrow track which makes it tend to be a little tippy. Also, notwithstanding that many improvements have been made the Ural still requires more maintenance than bikes from other brands (gas and go). The price of a new Ural is around 14 grand which will buy a pretty nice used rig already set up and is way more than bolting a cozy to your Bonnie.

The Cozy Rocket is a nice weight and possibly has a wider track which adds stability.

It has very few available accessories available, such as brakes, but it is nicely priced. If you visit the Cozy factory website the bike on the home page is a Bonneville mounted with a Rocket. It's a less expensive way to get into hacking.

The Ural car is no longer being imported and universal mounts would have to be fabricated to mount it to your bike. Parts are catch as catch can although generally available if you look around. Dealerships are sparse.

Motorvation offers a nice car but the Spyder is the low end of their line. Instead, take a look at the Formula II Ltd. which can mount several very desirable options such as the brake, top and Electric Lean for camber control. These options are not available on the Spyder or either of the Cozy cars.

Texas Sidecars offers the Ranger model which is also a basic model albeit with windshield.

The Steib is very nice but pricey compared to some of these others for the amenities it provides.

Another affordable option available in your area.

Lonnie
Northwest Sidecars

This is personal opinion only. I have never heard anyone state the center of gravity is high on a Ural before, so that is a new phrase for me. I never noticed any such problem in my own ride, so I can't say much as to center of gravity issue, other than I am sort of unsure about it. Best I recall, 4.9" was the clearance from ground, but not every Ural is the exact same. Seat height varies on some models, as does the front forks used. Center of gravity is just not an issue I have ever heard expressed as a concern at any dedicated Ural site before. That does not make it incorrect, but just something I had never heard discussed before.

Dependability and durability are different matters though. Anyone hesitant about a Ural purchase, due to dependability has not dealt with many since 2000, I suspect. These days, they have many more chats on their IMZ web site over grits, the price of gas and oil threads than they do about actual breakdowns and people being stranded by major problems on the rigs. Not just at the IMZ site, but also at Russian Iron and Soviet Steeds sites as well.

Routine maintenance is not any more than a Jap bike, in most instances. At least it has not been for me. By what I see at the Kaw sites I visit regularly, I don't see any higher maintenance requirements on a Ural at all. I own a 2005 Troyka and do my own maintenance (I am no mechanic for sure). The vast majority of problems in Urals happens when the new owner begins tinkering with the carbs and rejetting. Modifications from the standard Ural always seem to bring on problems, but even then, most are not all that difficult to diagnose and repair. I have seen this same thing happen with other makes when the fellows seem obligated towards removal of the cats, rejetting and mucking about with what came from the factory. Owner related/induced problems and not factory problems are more common. I think this is probably true of every make out there, myself. One more thing that frequently bites Ural owners is trying to make something simple into something complex. These bikes are simplistic in their technology and trying to over think things is a usual culprit in making a quick fix more complex than it needs to be. The old Model A Fords were similar and only required a piece of bailing wire for most fixes. My how we have advanced in today's Ural technology. We now have to have duct tape instead of bailing wire. 🙂

My best recommendation is for you to study some more on all makes.

Would I personally recommend a new Ural? No. Not based at all on the dependability and durability issues mentioned at all, but based on current price and a lack of a good dealership network in the USA. Parts take too long to get, unless they are simplistic and standard parts that a good dealership should have on hand, anyway. Cost is a major factor as well for my saying no. The current cost is out of waaay line for what you get, in my opinion. In addition, there are only a (handful) of good Ural dealerships in the USA. Not two handfuls! Now, a good, used Ural is something to consider though if price is indeed a factor in your decision making process. I bought mine as a used rig and have done well with what I expected and what I actually got. That is a consideration for you, but unless you just have oodles of money and live close to a good Ural dealership, then I'd steer clear of any new Ural; at least as a first rig choice.

Others can agree or disagree as they choose, but this is my take on it. A Ural is a very good machine, but best suited to someone who understands its limitations and knows them in advance of plopping their money down to purchase one. With a sweet spot of 55-65 MPH as the norm, it is not a superslab rocket in the least and will have a difficult time in staying with the big dogs for the most part. If you leave the highway and hit the off-road trails, then the big dogs can't keep up with a Ural as the norm, though. Since 2000 the old issues that were so very true about Urals being the equal to a lawn mower, have long since been put to rest. Electr

Beth, having spoken with several Ural rig owners recently this is the impression they have left with me . . .25 to 35 mpg . . .55 to 65 mph cruising speed is a very optimistic projection. Rugged as all get out, but reliability can be iffy. Dealer suport . . . few and far between, to non-existant. I have no personal experience with the brand, and these are simply things that have been said to me by owners in the past year.

Go to any Ural site available and you will quickly find that even the manual itself rates the 750cc bikes at 55-65 MPH as the norn. You will find virtually no one who can dispute that on a Ural rig, and as a solo the speed increases dramatically. This is with the 750's of 2000 and later. Remove the windshield on any Ural hack, cut down on ballast and you can see a dramatic climb in speed. However, I don't know who was saying the opposite for speed on a Ural of today. They were likely addressing the older 650 models, as they certainly don't speak for the majority, let alone the company with the new bikes and their speed capability. Hit the hills, the inclines, the mountains and then the speed is at a steady 55 MPH for the most part, but as to normal, daily driving, if they were not getting 55-65MPH on their rigs, then they sure didn't know how to maintain their machine well.

Gas mileage is one of those things where you have to take everything boasting great mileage results with a huge grain of salt. 28-34 MPG is probably the range for me, but some claim much higher. I run with the hack windshield, my dog, my junk in the trunk, my heafty weight and so forth as the norm. I probably get about 30-32 MPG for the most part. Again, remove the hack and see the mileage per gallon increase. If gas mileage is the main reason to purchase a Ural, then I'd say go for something else. If miles per smiles is your ticket, then there isn't a lot out there to compare. 🙂

As I said, these remarks were made to me, and I was just relating them. The last folks I talked to had just ridden their Ural rig from Pennsylvania to Laconia, and were, quite frankly, disappointed in the performance. I have no dog in this fight and no desire to get into an exchange that doesn't, as it turns out, pertain to Newbies original question.

Each person has his own tale to tell about this machine (brand) or others, but I'd simply say their views are not the "norm" for most Urals 750cc rigs these days. I am not saying it was not accurate for them at all.

Reviewing or discussing such is something to seriously consider in making any choice in a possible rig. Good, bad, or ugly the reliability, cruise speed, performance, dealership network, cost, average mileage and so forth are all items to check out and are related to the original questions. So, you posting what someone told you isn't wrong in the least. It is actually good to hear other views and you may be more correct than I. If you feel their info is accurate and applies to the entire make, then fine. I just don't agree with it and feel virtually any Ural in production today can easily hit and maintain a cruise speed of 55-65 MPH as the norm.

Load the Ural rig up fully with gear, passengers, self and a windshield and such, then it is a different story. However, it would be similar with any rig under similar circumstances.

Gail I am signed up for a sidecar class Aug. 24 in Mass. (the only sidecar class in the Northeast I could find). I agree with what several people said that this is the way to go before plunking down big bucks without ever having tried it.

Thanks for all the great info everyone. Please keep it coming. I am learning A LOT.

Beth

I have to say, I have seen pictures of what Claude can do with a Cozy and it's spectacular. I'm supposed to have called him by now, but there's a part of me that doesn't want to know how much...
For all-round reasons like good weight AND vaguely period-correct looks, I vote for the Ranger or the Spyder.

Aside from the price, I think the Ural would be too bulky and heavy and the LS200 would be too light. The S500 would be rather dandy, but the prices Blue Moon quotes are all ala cart and the final price is rather shocking.

Having a pro set it up would probably be a good idea initially- as long as they really do know what they're doing. I've heard the occasional scary story about "professional".