Question for the masses

Glenn- you've received plenty of replies and lots of darn good advice from some long time sidecarists. I'll tell you of my experience without trying to influence your choices. I'd ridden on two wheels for many years and many bikes a lot of those with my wife as my passenger. We've been married 54 years this year. In about 2002, I knew she was riding less and less with me and finally not at all. I asked if and why she quit. At that point we'd lost some friends to bike accidents but we'd also lost family and friends to auto accidents. She was no longer willing to accept the risk. I thought perhaps she'd like the view and feel safer in a sidecar, although I did not expect to like the ride on three wheels myself. If it meant she'd continue to go with me we'd give it a try. I bought Hal Thompson's used Ural through Raceway Services in Salem, OR. Her mind was set. She rode with me once at a rally up in the Okanogan but spent the following day with friends at the casino. I had Archie (my Boxer) at the time and found he absolutely loved the Ural and the ride in the sidecar. And I found it to be an entire new thrill. For two years we rode the Ural while the Harley mostly sat. There was no going back. I sold that rig, and a few more items and ordered the Liberty for the FLH. It was set up by Pete Larsen at Liberty Motors along with the changed triple tree. Archie rode with me until his passing in 2010, I got Henry a few months later and the adventure continued. Henry met his demise in 2012. I didn't wait this time. I found Petey at the same shelter Archie and Henry came from. Petey loved to ride as much as Archie had. The adventure continued once again until my health began to take the edge off the enjoyment. Through this forum, I met and became friends with Dennis Peabody, who is now the proud owner of my beloved FLH. Petey and I both missed it. He crossed the Rainbow Bridge just last week, never having the chance again to find the joy he once did in "his" sidecar. Good luck finding what fits your desires and here's to many years and many miles of riding pleasure!!

Let me just say... I did not mean any particular bike, or person selling one, was unsatisfactory. I apologize if it sounded like an insult (except maybe to Urals, my opinion is they deserve an insult).

The fact that this well running example... needed an engine rebuild when it is around 10 years old... proves my point. As mentioned, the pains have been experienced already. Quite possibly, the same with mine.. if I had fixed it the third time, instead of giving up and selling it.

As for BMWs... definitely a quirky jerk, there LOL But yes, I happen to have a friend who is an expert in those /7s, this is my second one (first no sidecar), this one is in great shape for little cash... So I tend to agree its not for everyone, but still IMO way better than trailering the broken Ural  Again. I guess one of the main things... I can go online, and get every piece for a 1930s Beemer shipped within a week. Good luck getting Russian parts quickly. And you're going to need them, Granted, a lot of my parts requirements were during covid... I did get what I needed, eventually. Perhaps I'm just eating sour grapes and put the Ural on that list with that one drink you got so sick on, in college, you'll never touch it again. I will admit this is very much opinion... based on my factual experience. This is the only place I've ever seen gears actually melt... I've heard of them stripping, but I don't think I've ever even heard of anyone else having this happen. Twice. YMMV, but the OP deserves to know a Ural is a problem looking for a wrench, and IMO not a rider, but a hobby in itself keeping it on the road. Perhaps the gentleman selling his nicely sorted one, has already done all the wrenching on that particular one. However, that exception might just prove exactly what I'm saying.

Oh and one more thing for the OP- You don't need 2WD. It is for extreme off roading. While some might disagree, you probably get a little benefit... for on road conditions, snow, mud, it just doesn't do much, if anything. The only time I noticed a difference, was in the river, deep enough to try to keep the airbox out of the water. If you go someplace, where you were in a Jepp Wrangler, and you put it in 4WD... Probably still good with 1WD Ural. If you put it in 4WD Low Lock, that's about when you'd also use 2WD on the Ural. It adds weight, changes the geometry (the sidecar wheel is offset closer to the drive wheel, the width of the car is mounted differently), and IMO makes it worse for highway riding. Not much worse, but making it worse for something you might never use (effectively) is silly, if I knew, I'd have bought the other bike the dealer had on sale. When you're getting stuck on a dirt bike.... You won't get stuck (as much) in 2WD. In fact, in 2WD, the only time I got stuck, was in deep mud (over the axles, floating the exhaust) while pulling a pickup truck out that was buried. It just didn't have the mass, I unhooked, and drove out without her.

Glenn- Like Jeff said, others might disagree with his dislike of Urals, he's right in that regard. I disagree. I found my Ural easy to work on as far as the maintenance went and it was a pleasure to ride. We didn't enter any drag races but that wasn't the intent. It was a very good way to enter the world of sidecars. I'm sure best to learn the necessary skills rather than starting right off with the Liberty on the FLH. And later on, I had two Harley rigs in my garage- Lonnie Cook's Dyna Wide Glide/Spalding rig. Options are good. This is not the rodeo pic I had in mind but it's the one I found....

 

@Jeff_Online, you are good, I certainly didn't take your comments regarding Urals as bad comments, nor disparaging. I actually LIKE your comments, and your contribution here.

And @Jeff_Online, every word you posted above is 100% true and accurate about Urals....at least on Earth.

In a World, Far, Far Away....Urals will do that to people. In fact, on the former planet, Pluto, there are two fighting groups of Uralistas....the Uraluminatii, and the Ural-dada....and they can never agree on 2wd vs 1wd.

As @smitty901 said, the right tool for the job. Sometimes you feel like a nut....sometimes you don't. Some Urals have 2wd, some Urals don't.

Below...my right tool for the job ! 😎 

 

Thanks y’all, I initially was going to go with a ural and after reading, watching vids, counting change, I think that is what I’m now leaning towards. 
I realize they are more labor intensive but I’m pretty good with a wrench.

the big thing is I can get into a sidecar rig, with 2wd, pre made brackets for fuel/water cans, kick start, parts are “too” expensive, and I can get into one decently cheap. 

buying a bike that would have a better maintenance record, a tub, a SC frame, setting it all up, having never set one up before, seems like it would be more expensive and take longer to actually ride on. 
I do appreciate all the input, good or bad, but I think that’s my trail of thought (shameless Dream Theater reference) at the moment.

thanks y’all!

oh and if yall see some Urals for sale (used) let me know!

@Glenn Fleming, okay, we...the people...shall respect your decision (I think you are doing the right thing), and shall show you Urals for sale.

Of course, I have a favorite one, because a friend of mine owns it, has put his own sweat, blood, and money into it, and has named it...Olga.

Here is the ad on Craigslist, in Colorado: https://rockies.craigslist.org/mcy/d/aspen-2011-ural-patrol/7739882519.html

He is asking $ 9,250.00 for his 2011 Ural Patrol sidecar rig...AND all the goodies listed below...and IMO, that is a darn good deal !

Here is the text of that ad:

I am selling a Ural Patrol 2wd Sidecar motorcycle. Engine was rebuilt at the Company Headquarters. It has 4000 kilometers on it since rebuilt.          Runs great. Incredibly fun machine.
Extras includes:
Three windshields for the bike. One for the tub/sidecar.
A tonneau cover for the sidecar.
A soft door.
LED auxiliary driving lights on the tub.
Hand shifter for fwd/reverse
Aftermarket skid plate.
A brand new spare tire
2-1 custom high mount exhaust (sounds good)
Lap robe for winter riding
Heated grips
Handlebar covers.
Renthal Bars with adjustable bar risers
Carb balancing gauges
Factory tool kit (it’s huge)
Fresh set of Knobby tires (Duro 307s)
Ram Mounts phone mount and power supply
And factory manuals plus the Sidecar Yellowbook.

Now, Glenn, seriously read over that list above, and understand that no one else on planet Earth is going to sell you a Ural with ALL those added goodies included with the sale, including....THEE Sidecar Yellowbook.

I have added the pictures from his ad, as seen below...Tim loves to have fun in the snow.

One thing that is VERY important to know, and understand, Glenn...is that the current owner of Olga is a well known entity within our sidecar community. The man is not going to risk selling you a POS, as he also has a Double Bandit sidecar, and is staying active in this community. Buying a known machine, from a known owner, has value.

By now you should know that I would have already mapped out the drive between seller and buyer....Aspen, CO to Kerrville, TX...approx 1,000 miles. So that is basically a 2 day journey each way, or....work it out with the seller, and maybe you meet halfway, so it is only a 2 day trip for each of you. Example.....Amarillo, TX.....and each of you could memorize the song that says, Amarillo by morning...

Posted by: @flemgunner

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Thanks y’all, I initially was going to go with a ural and after reading, watching vids, counting change, I think that is what I’m now leaning towards. 
I realize they are more labor intensive but I’m pretty good with a wrench.

the big thing is I can get into a sidecar rig, with 2wd, pre made brackets for fuel/water cans, kick start, parts are “too” expensive, and I can get into one decently cheap. 

buying a bike that would have a better maintenance record, a tub, a SC frame, setting it all up, having never set one up before, seems like it would be more expensive and take longer to actually ride on. 
I do appreciate all the input, good or bad, but I think that’s my trail of thought (shameless Dream Theater reference) at the moment.

thanks y’all!

oh and if yall see some Urals for sale (used) let me know!

(imo) a sound choice for a first rig! 

I second @miles-ladue on your decision, and about Olga.  That is a very nice rig at a great price.  For comparison, there is a guy here in Utah advertising an '09 rig for over $13K.  I don't know that it is any nicer, and certainly doesn't have a fresh engine.

If you decide to go a different direction, it would be worth staying newer than '06.  They started some pretty significant upgrades that made it to rigs here in '07.  Per the original owner of the Ural I just bought, most all the updates shown on this site in '06 didn't hit until '07 Ural Changes '03 to '20

I just bought an '06 Ural 2WD, and it was eye opening when compared directly to my '95 BMW R1100 GS with Dnepr sidecar (Dnepr is a Ukrainian copy of the Ural) that I bought last year.   Comparing the two back to back has allowed me to see where the BMW needs improvements.  It also made me realize a few features (reverse and 2WD) that are important to me going forward.  To me that is the best reason to start with a Ural.  It's almost like a "control" in an experiment.

Good luck with your purchase.  Hope to see you at the rally.  🍻 

 

Thanks guys, still have a lot to learn about these things before I am truly “in the market” in June, but if I had the funds now id go with Olga for sure. Seems like a good set up right off the bat.

Posted by: @flemgunner

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Thanks guys, still have a lot to learn about these things before I am truly “in the market” in June, but if I had the funds now id go with Olga for sure. Seems like a good set up right off the bat.

I've never owned a Ural (driven a couple, though) and I've been told that if you find one that's running, and running well, and MOST IMPORTANTLY, has over 5000 miles on it (8000 km), then any of the problems that it had when it emerged from the factory have become evident already and been dealt with by the previous owners.  I would think most Urals you might encounter in the $9000-$10,000 range will have over 5000 miles so if you find one that's a runner, and well-cared for, you have a good chance of getting a good one.

 

 

It’s always a nice feeling when people that know you still speak highly of you LOL. Hi Glenn, I’m Tim. And I’m the owner of the oh so sweet Olga. And yes if it came down to it I could probably meet you somewhere. Or if you wanted to come up I could get you hooked up with a room as I work at a nice hotel in Snowmass Village. My 2011-Ural is very very solid. I will be sad to let it go. But I’m going to build a rig The can I handle highway trips to the dirt/Baja. I want to be able to do a lot of freeway before I get to the dirt. So I’m building a rig based on a KTM 950/990 adventure. 

Posted by: @qwik

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It’s always a nice feeling when people that know you still speak highly of you LOL. Hi Glenn, I’m Tim. And I’m the owner of the oh so sweet Olga. And yes if it came down to it I could probably meet you somewhere. Or if you wanted to come up I could get you hooked up with a room as I work at a nice hotel in Snowmass Village. My 2011-Ural is very very solid. I will be sad to let it go. But I’m going to build a rig The can I handle highway trips to the dirt/Baja. I want to be able to do a lot of freeway before I get to the dirt. So I’m building a rig based on a KTM 950/990 adventure. 

 

hey man, yeah that’s a real nice bike man! 

if you still have it when I’m able to find it in a couple months we are gonna talk! Lol

 

And then another month. The trip becomes much shorter because you can go over independence pass. You don’t have to drive all the way around. That cuts off about 150 miles

And honestly. With the way this little Girl is running.  I wouldn’t hesitate to take a (slow) cross country trip on her. 

Tim meets Glenn, and Glenn meets Tim.....  

Okay then....my work here is done.

Another friendship formed, and I have once again solved Whirled Peas

Good luck!  Remember, all urals are slow machines.  Driving them over 65mph might lead to...uh... melted stuff.  😉 plan your trips 20% slower than on your other bike... plus make time for UDF... 🙂