hi,
just curious what everyone's input is on 2wd vs 1wd for winter/snow driving.
i am considering getting a sidecar rig, but one of the main reasons would be so i could ride all year round (in wisconsin). how do sidecars handle in the snow? does one need 2 wheel drive (like some of the urals), or is one wheel drive fine? what sort of tires are recommended for winter driving?
thanks for any info/advise.
Not much snow down here in Miami, but we do have a lot of soft sand, called sugar sand, out in the Everglades where we do our on form of off roading. All of us are single wheel drive, but we have converted to automobile tires. The only one we could find to fit our rims happened to be a mud and snow tire and they should list sand to it. You still have to use some commen sense, but with proper clutch and throttle control you can go just about anywhere you want to. But ride with a buddy. Just in case you need a pull or a push.
Uber
I wish I had the 2 wheel drive option, but I don't want to give up my freeway speed. Too many long high speed stretches. Instead, I run dual sport tires with studs in the winter, and I am very selective about where I take my GL650 Honda/Dneper when there is snow on the ground. I get in trouble when there is more than 6 inches of snow on the road. Fortunately, the road crews do a great job keeping the main roads clear. If I can make it to the main highway, I can get up and down the valley just fine. I don't go down hills I'm not sure I can get back up. I watch for ice at all the intersections, and I carry a shovel and tow strap for when I get stuck. I'd use chains, but I don't have clearance between the swing arm and the tire. I've learned how to use my throttle & brakes to control my turns. Sliding sideways through the turns is fun unless you're in traffic.
I had a 2wd Dnepr rig. I liked the 2wd because when I accelerated or decelerated, there was less yaw of the rig. I had the non-locking version, so the wheel on the slippery stuff would sometimes just spin while the other wheel sat motionless. I quit riding on snowy roads, because the salt they throw down eats Russian chrome so fast you can watch it rust and flake. I think a good aggressive tire on the drive wheel of a single-wheel drive would be pretty good. I also think the Ural with the lockable rear drive would be better...or the rare Dnepr locking rear drive. A well sorted out Dnepr is pretty rugged. A new 2wd Ural has more power, and a good warrantee. If I could have just one rig, I'd go single wheel drive, as most of my driving was on decent roads, with occasional dirt roads or snow. However, I do like the reduction in yaw that the Dnepr differential 2wd gives. If only Ural would put that on their new bikes. Good luck in your choice! Hal
Just remember that the Ural is not really two wheel drive. It is one wheel drive until you get stuck. THEN and ONLY THEN do you engage the two wheel drive. A Ural in two wheel drive, is like driving an old Honda three wheeler with the solid axle, NOT what you want on pavement.
Mike Lydon
