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I fell in love with a fat butted girl last night (Ural Motorcycle)

Melensdad

Jerk in a Hawaiian Shirt & SNOWCAT Moderator
Staff member
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I think I fell in love with a big pig last night :cool:


Sometimes I ride my NC750x to the fencing club in the evening. I got one-upped last night when a couple of my students rolled up to the club last night in this 2010 Ural.

It's a father-daughter pair of students. The daughter is 15, she has been practicing on a dirt bike and plans to get her drivers license and motorcycle endorsement as soon as she is legally able. The dad, who has become my friend over the past few months, mentioned the Ural in a conversation a week or two ago. He also has a new JANUS.

This is a 1 wheel drive version of the Ural. But they also make a 2 wheel drive where the sidecar wheel is driven by a driveshaft that extends under the sidecar and attaches to the motorcycle via a gearbox. The 2 wheel drive version apparently has a maximum speed of about 55mph. The 1 wheel drive version will top out about 70mph.

These are hard core old school cool. All metal. Couldn't find plastic on this thing anywhere.

Ural are a Soviet era knock-off of a BMW. I believe the design goes back to roughly 1943 and pretty much has not been improved. They did upgrade from cast iron to aluminum heads and added things like an electric starter, and electronic ignition, but I don't think those 'innovations' occurred until sometime after the 2000 model year. It still has a kick starter, which I was told is a very difficult task to try to accomplish, but the electric start makes it reasonable to start. Its also got a reverse gear so pulling out of a parking spot is easy.

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tiredretired

The Old Salt
SUPER Site Supporter
I grew up not far from a Harley shop. I worked there as a kid doing grunt work for 25 cents an hour.

Anyhoo, I remember lots of those old BMW's coming into the shop as they rode with friends who had Duo-Glides and Electra-Glides. Looking at that old Ural brings me back. Thanx for the pics. :clap:
 

Melensdad

Jerk in a Hawaiian Shirt & SNOWCAT Moderator
Staff member
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Side by side tonight in the parking lot at the fencing club.
 

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JimVT

Bronze Member
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brings back memories
I had a 59 with the factory car on it. r60 bmw
I caught a sparkplug in my wrist one morning on Canada highway
yours is much better looking.
 

Bannedjoe

Well-known member
I think one of those would be cool.
I take one of my dogs out now and then for a ride; she rides on the tank.
A sidecar would be much more comfortable.

I question how high the learning curve might be moving to one.

With one knee, and one hip replacement, I considered making the move, but I'm still ok for now.
 

Melensdad

Jerk in a Hawaiian Shirt & SNOWCAT Moderator
Staff member
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...

I question how high the learning curve might be moving to one.

...
Well it has a reverse gear and (I think) only 5 forward gears.

Apparently it turns wider but he says it actually is pretty easy to drive. I've not driven his but he did offer one night. Perhaps one of these days when we both have a bit more time I'll take it for a quick spin.
 
my Ural is a 2013, the last of the carb models. The 2010 is probably about the earliest you would want. Four forward gears and reverse, I have two wheel drive. These bikes are alright at 60 or so and I have commuted in freeway traffic often. Two wheel drive is never used on pavement as the sidecar wheel must have bad traction or you will get torque windup and break something. I think before about 2008 the timing gears were cast iron and so were gears in the transmission. Now those gears are Herzog steel gears. The carbs are Japanese, the ignition is by Ducati and the wheels and controls are Italian. I bought mine in Wisconsin new old stock and flew to it commercial and rode it home cold turkey to Washington. I ride often on dirt roads as I can go from my house to Ketchum and only cross pavement once at hwy 20. I never use two wheel drive anywhere but snow. They don’t want to turn very well in 2WD so you break the rear tire’s loose to turn.
 
Urals are very easy to kick start, the kick start is above the starter and kicks sideways like most BMWs. I’m in the process of pulling the engine due to a crankshaft knock. Cranks on Urals are pressed together and sometimes slip and loose timing. There’re like a lawnmower they’re so simple, I will do all the work myself. I never take it to a mechanic as valve adjustments and carb syncing are easy.
 
If I want to ride the Ural far away, instead of enduring the 60 mph or less ride I trailer the bike. I purchased a landscaping trailer just for that purpose.
 
The picture with my dog is at Paisley Caves Oregon. The Two pictures at Devils Tower were on my ride from Wisconsin after buying it. The picture of the blue sky in the desert is near my home in Idaho. The paint scheme is called Gobi Desert.
 
The learning curve for riding a sidecar is fairly easy. Right turns at high speed require standing up and leaning over the car, kind of like skiing. Riding at the speed limit takes nearly all the surprise out of this right turn issue by the way. In a parking lot with the handlebars turned full lock to the right, if you apply quite a bit of throttle the car will come up about 45 degrees off the pavement. Which is kinda anti intuitive until you see it. Never traverse a badly eroded dirt road off of level with the car uphill. You can't stop the car once it starts over you in such a situation. I have not personally had a mishap with any of these scenarios but I am aware of them. If someone is in the car the right hand turn tendencies of the car coming up are diminished. Carrying your dog, which I often do, means securing the dog in the car against his exit if he spots something irresistible. I use a vest and a short leash attached to the floor of the sidecar. If your wondering what you do when you encounter a bad piece of dirt road I described earlier, you back across that section in reverse with the car down hill, no problem. The last cautionary tale about riding a Ural is the throttle isn't restricted in reverse. Too much throttle in reverse make the bike squirrelly as all hell.
 
I should mention the ultimate all weather trike, 80 mph, very stable, capable of piercing high wind, roll cage and lap belt.IMG_0113.JPGIMG_0114.JPGIMG_0115.JPG
 
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