I am thinking about getting one for going out in the desert. First off I don't even know what the different mdole names go to what. I believe it would be nice to know what it call it and which ones to avoid used, not looking to get a new anything! Thank you.
Lonnie you know I respect your wisdom and knowledge, so please tell me what you know and anyone else. I know that there are others with a lot knowledge about them but I just can't remember more names. ! sometimes pushes my limit.
You will find a lot of mixed views on 2wd vs 1 wd. Personally I am not huge on 2WD for various reasons but that is me. Others feel the same way and others do not.
Note that with a URAL, with exception of possibly the newer ones, you must be prepared to work on them to ride them. This is not that bad of a thing if you realize up front what you are getting into.
Many off roaders and/or dual sport sidecarists run Urals although a lot prefer an outfit based on other bikes such as the BMW GS (airheads and oilheads), The Suzuki V Stroms (DL1000 AND 650) with the KLR650 also being a popular choice.
With these types of rigs you have more power, the ability to run the superslab when need be at high speeds and more of a gas and go type machine.
Dual sport based outfits present their own challenges to make them into good sidecar outfits. We have done many dual sport rigs Of our own design and also have done a few Hannigan based outfits. Dauntless Motors also has done a lot of dual sport type rigs.
You will get replies here but you may also want to post your question at the Adventure Rider site. There are a lot of Ural and off road fanatics there.
Click here:
http://www.advrider.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=56
Mike,
I'm with Claude on this.
If it's the southern desert and summer riding you are thinking of a water cooled bike would be an asset.
Without a group or backup of some sort the retro bike rigs can leave you in deep S*** (sand?) with a long hot walk back to safety.
Even with a modest budget to work with there are many strong dependable and tractable tugs available to convert to on-off road usage from the last two decades. Many of the Japanese 650cc to 1100cc bikes are used for this work and are plentiful and sell for very reasonable prices. Good front ends, closed drivelines and lots of low end torque with more than adequate power, dependability and a large market of accessories for improving suspension and handling make these bikes great candidates for Dual sport use.
Lonnie
So you think my H-D would be no worse? !980 FXEF with a 70s HitchHiker. Want to use it for prospecting and it is only about 100 mile each direction.
Thank both of you.
www.imz-ural.com then the community tab then forum if memory serves me right... (if you're still interested in Ural information that is.)
My FXDL rig (Avatar shot) sees a lot of desert country. BLM and forestry dirt and gravel work fine but due to clearance problems no creek beds or deep sand areas are attempted with this one.
As fas as heat resistance 116F was the hottest last summer around Palm Desert,CA aand New Mexico. Lots nicer at altitude in Colorado around Mesa Verde.
Lonnie
