Noob wants honest opinions on Ural T rig

If you ever need the freeway you don't need a URAL rig. You'd be much better off with a URAL sidecar on the Beemer.

Lonnie

I don't know exactly what your idea or opinion of a starter rig actually is, as the T will eventually cost you to add things to it, and the newer models are not in the cheap range in my opinion. I have a used, '05 Troyka that cost me maybe $7,000 bucks when it was only a year old and had just 360KM and warranty on it. No way to get that price these days on a stock Ural. The rig is not made for the super slab. It will be interesting for Ural rigs when Texas approves and puts into place those highways in West Texas that will have cruizing speeds of 85 MPH. No way a standard Ural will keep up on those roads.

I really love my Troyka for what it is, but a super slab bike it never was and never will be. I can run it at 70MPH pretty much everywhere, except on long grades, where it will pucker down to a roaring 55-60 MPH, as the norm. I can drop the sidecar and run 75-80 MPH all day long; hills included. My rig is no longer made as a Ural model, as most folk have a need for the 2WD and such. Mine has the Paoli forks, but is specifically made to run on the streets or off-road. Off-road adventures mean very little to me, personally, so I got it for my dogs to ride in and for me to enjoy neighborhood rides and short trips of my own making. It has never failed me in any manner and I abuse it pretty regularly. It has character marks on it and I no longer worry over a scratch or two here and there. Lots of memories from it, so I really still like it every bit as much as day one when I got it.

My (PERSONAL OPINION) only:

If I were in the market for a brand new sidecar rig these days, I'd certainly study up in just why I needed one and what I really expected from it in return. I'd study on what the Ural T was vs what other models of Urals offered. I'd study what my use was to be; Daily driver/transportation vehicle, off-road vehicle, street machne... Going off-road is nice if that is your main desire, but it is not near nice enough for me to splurge on a rig of any make that is overly costly these days. Specific to Urals, I just feel the price of new ones these days is too high, the dealership network is still lacking and the parts availability is not what it should be. If the manufacturer had always improved performance, along with durability and looks over the years, then maybe that would be a deal breaker for me to splurge on to get a barand new Ural. To simply slap on a new paint job, include some better screws and better internal gears and such on an annual basis may improve the durability, but little else, in my personal opinion. The lack of a great dealer network and parts distributorship is a flaw that can crop up in a heartbeat for any make though. Still, this is just my opinion and it is not likely shared in the least by all Ural owners; especially those who have already plunked down their hard earned money or taken out loans they will owe on for years. I simply do not believe the increase in costs of a Ural sidecar rig have always been justified, and feel they are very overpirced rigs at present. Anyone can argue that point like a dead horse, but I am not in the market for a new Ural, so an argument is moot for me at present. Would I ever purchase a new Ural in the future? No. Simple as that, for the following reasons:

Me, I'd say to purchase a good, used Ural if it met your needs. Buy the newest you can reasonably afford. Make sure that speed is not your main desire and always remember that in a bad economy, you can't eat a sidecar rig. Keep within what you can pay. There are deals out there on good used rigs, but you may have to wait and keep on the look out for such. I have no need at all to own a new rig, as the day you pilot it off the parking lot of the dealer, the newness is gone forever. A good, used sidecar rig of a different make can be had if you shop around. Often the other makes can actually be cheaper than a new Ural. Many other makes can't go off-road like a Ural, but if that is not your main need, then no problem to begin with. If the T you are thinking of is a really great buy, then go for it, as you only have yourself to please.

Urals have improved over the years. Performance is exactly what it is and no more. Durability has steadily improved, but the older reputation was deserved and is very difficult to overcome. Reliability has steadily improved, and that is indeed a good thing for the company. Cost has not improved in the least. Just know what it is you want or expect and go from there in your decision making. To be totally honest about my opinion of the Ural T, I'd say to skip the deal if you are looking for a super slab hauler or if the cost is out of your price range. Cute comes at a price, but it won't move you down the highway. My dogs love my old Troyka, but they would love it just as good as a new Ural T that costs me a ton more in monthly payments. My wallet would love it even more than the dogs. 🙂

Just some info on the older Troyka. It has not cost me any great amount to keep it operational. It has been far more dependable and durable than the Urals of the 90's were. The little sewing machine sounding engine and rig is easy enough for the average Joe to work on and to understand. Leading problem is still electrical gremlins after all these years. It does exactly what I expect of it and has met my individual needs wonderfully well in the years I have owned it. I have no need for speed and have little to no reason to change most of the stock items on it, such as carb jets and such. It performs darn well on most all mornings. It runs on the streets and on the off-roads. I sometimes forget how nice it does do on the off-roads and always overly enjoy an adventure when I remember to hit the pastures and trailes. My wife totally hates any type of sidecar riding, so my Troyka has become a dogmobile over the years. Now, I'd be hard pressed to want human passnegers riding with me, as I love the dogs being there and they love to ride. A warranty is only as good as one can use it, so I'd not worry that much over having one to begin with. I believe I have had one mirror replaced an nothing else ever done on warranty. The company is indeed good in honoring their warranty. Yup, a good, used Ural is what I'd recommend over a brand spanking new Ural T. I'd buy another one in the future, but I really want to eventually get a rig that can indeed hit the super slabs. Just paid off my Troyka, and not anxious to get more into debt right now, but eventually, I'd like to try out a different make than a Ural.

Good luck on your decision. Go to the Soviet Steeds site and you can get some Ural specific thoughts. Go to the IMZWA message board and you can also get some good info specific to Urals. Go to the Russian Iron site and they too have some great info specific to Urals.

Thanks for the in depth reply, Pat. I have been lurking at both the sites you mentioned as well as the ADV Hack section.

I pretty much want a rig to haul my dogs around just like you. I'm not interested in highway riding either, but I would like the capability to jump on and off 695 here and there. Sometimes there's no other way and there are parts of the city I don't like riding through. From what I've read I shouldn't have any problems with that type of thing if I keep it in the right lane 'til I get off again. Really I want something to drive out in horse country north of Baltimore and maybe take the back roads down to Annapolis and even the Eastern Shore.
I'm not anticipating a lot of off-road stuff either besides camp ground and park trails. Mostly I want a commuter and weekend driver. I don't need 2WD or a shovel.

My deal sounds pretty much like your Troyka, adjusted for inflation. The thing is, I usually hang on to something until it's done. If I bought a Ural I would expect to ride it until it fell apart. I probably could put a rig together with a couple friends I know who are veteran hack guys, but like I said, I don't have much cash on hand plus I don't want to use my solo R80 as a tug. That's my old stand-by. My credit union won't finance anything that's not from a dealer- it's a conspiracy!

So anyway, if I'm looking for used, what's the cut-off point? With Urals, do I want to stick with 2007 and above, like I've read elsewhere?

Thanks for the input!

MotoJ,
I worked at a Ural dealer from 2004-2008 and owned a 2002 and a 2004 Tourist, both 1wd. That 2010 T has a lot of upgrades and improvements pver the older rigs for reliability. Specifically fasteners, seals, bearings, gears and valvetrain bits that are now sourced or designed in Europe. Wheel bearings are now sealed. This is all the stuff you do not see but can cause reliability issues if the parts are substandard.

A Ural will always have a lower speed range. The occasional freeway jaunt at 65 mph will not hurt it. Try to ride much faster or for a long time--the bike is not made to do that.

You must stay up with maint. Change the oils frequently. Keep the valves adjusted. Buy your parts from one of the experienced, established dealers and ask their advice. I recommend Terry Crawford Crawford Sales in Michigan, Gene at Holopaw Ural in Florida, and Ski Jablonski at TriQuest in California.

I suggest you not pay close attention to the internet commandos as far as modifications. I saw far too many bikes damaged by well meaning owners trying to fix something from internet advice.

The Ural running gear is heavy and solid and can be repaired with simple tools.

Buy the newest Ural you can afford, I like the 2006 and up and the 08 and up have all the best upgrades.

Congrats for wanting to join the loonie fringe of motorcycling!

Al Bond
05 V-Star 1100 with Texas hack and Ural tub
08 KLR650
09 FLHTP

For some odd reason, the '07's seem to have had some abnormal issues with final drives and electric gremlins doing more than their share of creating problems. Seems particular to the '07 models, as best I can tell. Internet commandos can be a problem if you don't really know just who to trust, but the Ural brand has also had dealers who have been equally as bad of late. Gene, Terry and Ski are at the top of the list for good vendors, but there have been some dealers who have done poor setup work and poor maintenance, as well. Also, one should never believe that the more time in the saddle of a Ural, the better the foil member is in knowing how to maintain his/her ride. Just like good vendors, there is a finite amount of good foilists to trust in information regarding maintenance and such.

Good luck in your final decision and purchase.

What about the guys out in Bellingham, WA? Is that a good dealership? Their prices are pretty low as far I can tell.

Washingtons' high sales taxes offset most bargain pricing. They're pushing 10% in some areas.
(Another reason we left besides the rain.)

Lonnie

They and Wagner's were the only two Ural vendors who bothered to even speak to me when I first wanted to learn about Urals or to purchase one. I had done a few posts at the IMZWA web board back then, and they both seized the opportunity to e-mail me and discuss what they could each offer. Both were very helpful, but Wagner's has since sold out, I believe, and is not an actuve Ural dealership these days. I believe it was Steve, from Ural North West, who offered to fly me to their dealership and let me see just what they had at the time. Although I have never seen anything at all specifically bad against spoken about them, I have never seen a ton of great acknowledgements, either. Odd, as they were certainly helpful at the time. I believe they may have angered other vendors when they started offering things on Ebay. I have no idea as to what dealers can or can not do, but it seemed to be a sore spot for a bit with some. They have a good website to pull down parts diagrams from. After all the years in business in the states, there is still only a single handful of Ural vendors who are consdiered top knotch or superior for customer service and such. Unfortunately, that handful is counted on one hand only, as the vendor network is still somewhat lacking. Be nice to see more added as time goes by, and there are some new vendors who are getting better known across the states for good service. Ural Northwest seems to be a good dealership. At least I can't recall any negatives about them. They are just too far away for me to use on a routine basis for much.

I have a local Ural dealership in my part of Texas. I had my rig serviced there once and I found out that I can actually order parts from Gene at Holopaw and receive them in a timely manner, get great over the phone info as I need it, and get the parts at about the same price as I can locally. Once I got hooked on his great serivce and customer satisfaction, I just never had to use anyone else, regardless of how great they were, too. I think that even if a part were cheaper here locally, I'd still take my business to Gene, as the quality of service just can't be beat. Like say, he and a few others are that special handful or really great dealers to deal with. I just happened to start out in using him from the get go. Over time, I actually do most of my own servicing though, so it is, thankfully, something that I don't often have to do in getting much for my Ural.

I spoke to gene at Holopaw and he offered to drive a rig up to me personally (towed on a trailer). It's getting harder to see the chinks in this cunning plan. Maybe I'll take the plunge....

Gene is a genuinely great guy who knows Urals probably better than the factory. I've met him and dealt with him in the Ural trade. He's been in this business since the old 650 days. He stocks parts, knows how to tweak and fix the bikes but most of all he is a gentleman.

You will do well with him.

I purchase all my parts from Gene, even though there is a local Ural dealer very, very near me. Part of the reason is that when I order something, Gene does not forget about me and my order. When I ask about something I don't understand, Gene answeres correctly. He does not just try to shove parts on me, simply to sell stock. When I need something, Gene generally has it in stock and gets it to me immediately. He trusts me to pay for anything I order, so he sends me a bill enclosed with the part and allows me to continue an honor system that has served him well over the years. You don't have to catch him just when he is having a good day in order to get good service. Quality service is a constant and Gene rates as high as anyone in the IMZ organization in providing such. Wish my local dealer was on par with that, too. There are a few vendors who rate like that for Ural service and such, but you can count them on one hand at present, and still have a finger or two left over.

Thanks for all the advice and information, guys. I was thiiiiisss close to buying a sidecar rig from Gene, but this past Friday at the last minute my bank balked and wouldn't sign off on a rig purchased out of state. I was actually sitting at what was supposed to be the closing while the loan officer emailed and faxed Gene's bill of sale to various supervisors. It didn't help that none of them had ever heard of a Ural. Nobody would put their ass on the line.

So, I took that as a sign- no new vehicles for me. I found a very beat Dnepr car on CL and I'm going to hack my '78 R80/7. I have a friend who has built a few rigs and we're going to put it together in his shop. This weekend we start by media blasting the tub and frame in my backyard, then patch welding the tub back at his shop. Hopefully next weekend we can prime and paint (flat black).

My friend is going to make cross pieces and brackets to bolt the frame. He has a couple I-bolts too. It came with the struts, so we're OK there. I still need a sidecar wheel and shock. Anybody have those lying around?

Then sort the front end. I have progressive springs already and Koni shocks in the rear. I'm going to drop some spacers in the front, put on a CC Products brace I found, and switch bars for wider and see how I like it before i start with modded triple trees, LLs, etc.

Sound like a plan?

Sound like a good plan if you need something that will get you between a few exits on the Baltimore beltway occasionally.

Why not put a Beemer wheel on it?