So it appears that if you operate within the designed specs and perform maintenance as suggested by mfg, then you will have a much more reliable rig. That is kind of what I had surmised. Funny how someone will operate a vehicle outside the designed limits and then blame the mfg for substandard equipment.
Yessir that sums it up. Ride and enjoy it within its limitations and live happily ever after.
This thread is just what I've been looking for! I'm also a Honda rider looking into getting a sidecar. (I'm taking the 3-wheel training course in November)
I've heard that Urals have an advantage over other bikes because they've been designed from the ground up specifically to support a side car. As opposed to other bikes that need extensive modification to support one safely.
I'd appreciate your thoughts an opinions on this.
Thanks!
I rode a Ural and a Triumph with a side car. The Triumph has the smaller Cozy car but handled much better overall and for about the same money as the Ural. The same Ural has been waiting over a month for brake shoes for the sidecar. The dealer says at least another month. Don't know about your riding season but 2 months for parts is over a third of our season.
I've never had to replace the brake shoes. How many miles do you have on your rig ?
Sherbs, really? A month for brake shoes? Last time I ordered a set I got them in 3 days from the warehouse. Try Crawford Sales, Holowpaw Ural, Heindl Ural, or send your info to me at al@scooterandautosource.com and I can ship a set to you. Brake shoes seldom wear out--in fact the older ones would often wear out the drum first-but the dealers I mentioned normally carry them in stock.
Al Bond
Scooter and Auto
Ural Dealer
Prescott AZ
Call DMC Sidecars in Enumclaw, WA 1-866-638-1793. They give great advice and also make sidecars.
All I can go by is a good friend of mine has one. He has been driving rigs for years. His is set up to cruse all day at 65. He has about 10K on it. He had to have the rocker arms replaced and now the motor is sent back to be rebuilt. I personally would not buy one for long distance.
Yep. 65 mph all day will kill it.
What mine looked like from the brochure.
The dealer James bought his from said it had some changes to go 70 all day but he keeps it at 65 most of the time. Has yours have any changes or is it all stock?
abond35 - 9/5/2012 11:23 AM
Sherbs, really? A month for brake shoes? Last time I ordered a set I got them in 3 days from the warehouse. Try Crawford Sales, Holowpaw Ural, Heindl Ural, or send your info to me at al@scooterandautosource.com and I can ship a set to you. Brake shoes seldom wear out--in fact the older ones would often wear out the drum first-but the dealers I mentioned normally carry them in stock.
Al Bond
Scooter and Auto
Ural Dealer
Prescott AZ
I have egg on my face, called the dealer with your info, it is not the brake shoes he is waiting for it is the the signal light switch that is backordered! Same deal though, if the bike has signals they have to work to be inspected.
46u - 9/5/2012 1:57 PM
The dealer James bought his from said it had some changes to go 70 all day but he keeps it at 65 most of the time. Has yours have any changes or is it all stock?
I had the heads done & cylinders bored on the Italia model. Cleaned up the intake, rejetted the carbs & opened up the exhaust. I had the fastest most powerfull one around at the time. I got myself banned from their website because of a heated discussion about performance hop-ups. Yeah, they told me it couldn't be done. I could run it up to 70+ mph with no problem, but it would not have lasted long at 65 even with the taller wheels and highway gearing. Riding the Italia @ 70+ was an accident in the making. It wasn't if, it was when. The Solo is stock.
I would be EXTREMELY leary of a Ural dealer that told me that the Ural can run 65 mph all day long. I don't belive it's possible. I have to admit, I DON"T HAVE ANY EXPERIENCE WITH THE NEW MODELS, so I could be wrong.
Mine is a 2010, and yeah, it'll do 65.... on flat ground at 95% throttle. And that's with a de-restricted exhaust and bigger main jets (stock intake though). 60 mph isn't hard, but it kinda' plateaus there. Anything beyond takes a lot of extra gas and a time to wind it out. If it's hot out, I can't even reach 70. Runs a little better in cooler weather. I've GPS confirmed 71 mph during the Fall.
BUT: that's wide frikkin' open! Hop in your car and hold the pedal to the floor. How long would you expect your modern car engine to last without a failure of some kind? Now how about a car with 50 year old engineering? That's what WOT is like on a Ural. You'd have to be crazy or retarded to do that and expect it to hold up.
Not to mention, brakes on Urals basically suck. When your doing 65 mph, there's no such thing as "an emergency stop". Even if the engine could handle it, the rest of the rig isn't designed to cope with that kind of speed.
The fact that we're debating top speed for (basically) an antique military vehicle is kind of funny, don't you think?
~SM
Isn't 70 about flat out for a Ural?
All depends on who you talk to. All I know about Ural is from the to guys that I know well that drive them. One of them as soon as the warranty is out he is going to put a BMW motor in his.
