Question

I think you need to qualify this question: Ural Motorcycle and sidecar, or sidecar only? Think you mean motorcycle, yes?

Dr. Raoul Duke

Originally written by Dr. Raoul Duke on 4/12/2005 5:57 AM

I think you need to qualify this question: Ural Motorcycle and sidecar, or sidecar only? Think you mean motorcycle, yes?

Dr. Raoul Duke

my question was -
What is the longest trip you have made with your Ural?
*********************************
since i said "Ural" in my question & since this is a sidecar forum - "United Sidecar" i think it was a pretty simple question - i would think it would be a little difficult to make a trip in a side car only Doctor - at least for me if i wanted to take a trip in a sidecar i would attach a motorcycle and as my question stated a Ural -

I don't get it, so do you mean a ural motorcycle or just the sidecar?
because alot of people hook ural sidecars to bmw's, which i think doc
was trying to say, so could you clearify your question?

fender

if you own a Ural motorcycle - any year any CC with anykind of oil in it and anysize tires "with" - that's "With" a Ural sidecar "attached" to the "Ural Motorcycle with Ural Sidecar attached" - what is the longest trip you have taken - this would be a round trip - you know there & back -

ok i got it you mean a ural motorcycle
with a ural sidecar and how far of a round trip
have they made, that makes sence
to bad i don't have a ural 🙂

fender
sorry just messing around you can yell at me at the
2nd annual northern califorina sidecar meet and greet
http://casidecar.tripod.com/

Originally written by FENDER2YOU on 4/13/2005 3:04 PM

ok i got it you mean a ural motorcycle
with a ural sidecar and how far of a round trip
have they made, that makes sence
to bad i don't have a ural 🙂

could you perhaps buy a Ural motorsicle with a Ural sidecar and make a trip and then report back to me how long the dem trip was and if you road a Ural motorcycle with a factory Ural sidecar attached to the Ural motorcycle on that trip that you are reporting on - hope i am making myself clear about the Ural Motorcycle with the attached Ural sidecar from russia - are you also a doctor? - then again you could work for the IRS? or you could even be an lawyer? -

Let me be first with a legitimate answer.
Zero (0) miles with a URAL sidecar mounted to a URAL motorcycle.
I've gone lots of miles with URAL sidecars mounted to lots of other makes of motorcycles though. M72s, Great sidecars those Germans designed.

thanks hack - but i take it your not a big fan of the Ural motorcycle.

since i am considering buying a new Ural W/side car i have been trying to talk with people who own them - it's like trying to brush my dogs teeth - everybody just shuts the hell up - pretty weird - you also have to go to 30 different links because 99% of the links are dead - dealer's come & go like maggots in a bowl of crap

i have been riding well over 40 years & lost count many years ago how many bikes i have owned - but i'm starting to get nervis about this Ural thing -

then you see these damn kit deals for a new 2004 for 4 grand - again everybody is tight lipped - what the hell is the Russiam Mofia the parent company behind Ural -

hey tommy on a serious note, chuck with central valley ural in modesto is doing a run this weekend there you can see ural bikes and rigs in action

fender

Hi Hackin',
Is that a Jawa (Velorex 560) sidecar I see in your picture? I have the same but hooked up with a BMW R69S. I've been looking for an interior and windshield mounts since forever. You know where these could be had? Would an interior form a newer Velo (say 562) fit in the 560?
They are cool looking hacks though.
Regds,
Jim

Jim,
Yeah, It's a '71 JAWA Velorex 560 sub-framed to a 1977 Beemer R100R I put together that was ultimately shipped to Souel, Korea.
Very few new parts are still available for the 560s. The largest is a windshield (only).
The dimensions of the 562 seats are:
seat base: 17 1/2" x 18 1/2" wide x 6" deep.
seat back: 17 1/2" high x 18 1/2" wide x 4" thick.

Lonnie

Hey Tommy...join this yayhoo site listed below. It is a Ural site and there are many there who have taken trips on urals with a ural sidecar. In fact there are over 350 members there...it is a great bunch headed up by Felicia Landes or Wagner Cycle. Many of them are also members at SCT.
Honest..If I had a Ural on a ural I would tell you how long a tripS I had done on a ural with Ural but we don't have a ural/ural although would like to have a Ural/Ural someday. If we do get a Ural/ Ural someday...If we ever do so I will be happy to
Ural right Tommy hang in there 🙂
http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/wagnerscycle/

If you have been riding for 40 years, it would seem that you have probably seen about as many Urals as your going to see. In other words, not too many, but a few. At the Ural website http://www.imz-ural.com, they recently posted the USA sales total for this past year. Hope this isn't fuzzy math, but divided equally by state in the USA, you would only see a max of about 6 bikes per state. Granted, not all sales would be equal in every state for any make, but just using this as a sort of way to tell you that the Ural brand is not large by any means when it comes to seeing them on daily rides. You may see larger numbers of them at a sidecar rally, but otherwise, unless you live close to the main factory or in a northern state, you won't likely see them in droves across the nation. This translates on down in many other measures as well. Most Ural owners do not live close to the dealerships. Dealerships are seldom Ural specific; most sell Urals as a secondary item and it is fairly common to see ATVs, lawn tractors or weedeaters being sold at the Ural dealership. Check out their posted dealership network and this is an easy fact to distinguish. This actually hurts their credibility as a mainstay make, in my opinion. It does not mean the bike is poorly built, but it is a factor that anyone trying to decide on a bike needs to consider carefully before jumping on a Ural and riding off into the sunset. Urals have a good reputation for honoring their warranty, so that can play a part in decision-making as well.

* As an interesting note, I will say that the IMZ website is very upfront in discussing problems and in being honest with the participants there. Not may makes would be so honest and I have been impressed with how they deal with problems and such at their website. Got to give them high ratings on that for sure, as they take it on the chin at times and at least try to do a decent job of discussing problem areas with a bit of honesty not seen at other make's websites. Sort of reminds me of the little train that could story; they are trying hard to get better and better in all areas.

Unless you have some good mechanical skills and abilities and want to have a vehicle that may or may not take a certain amount of wrenching maintenance to keep it in top shape, then the Ural does have some limitations. The dealer network is very poor in areas where it should instead be a good choice of an economical bike. Personally, I don't think that area will change for the better anytime soon, but I speculate.

Check our the IMZ website for the best answer to your question as to how far one can go on a Ural. Many have traveled the world over in a Ural and the worst "typical" problems are pretty well discussed at the website. The company has worked hard to do away with most and most Ural owners will agree that the company has come a long way in doing just that. Most are just little frustrating glitches that are easily remedied and few, if any, common problems are really major.

It is a good machine to consider, but consider it carefully. Urals are not for everyone and most Ural owners would agree with that statement. If you want a real powerplant bike or a bike that is going to hit the superslabs and keep up with the big dogs for hours on end, then steer onto another make. If you want a machine that can be fun in traveling the back roads and fun to just operate and enjoy, then maybe the Ural is a good consideration. They are priced fair for what you get and it is sort of your choice to decide it it meets your needs or not. Personally, I'd do some real sole searching before I jumped in and got caught up in sidecar fever. I'd want to look at many aspects of any make first and then decide. I'd also steer waaaaay clear of the Ebay deals on kit units, but that is just a personal opinion.

To answer your original question, I have zero miles in a Ural of any sort. I like the Urals very much, but not as a first bike or only ride, as I can't deal effectively with the lack of a good dealership network. I don't want to have future down time as

Right on,
Good solid commentary, Huey.
Was it really 3:33AM or is the site clock in error?

Lonnie