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Anyone have a Ural!?

3K views 22 replies 8 participants last post by  escort1991 
#1 ·
#3 ·
I have read that also, however I have read the quality has improved over the last couple years. What reliability issues do you know of? Paying off my car and the wife's Vespa soon and will be purchasing a new motorcycle and I am leaning towards this. It would be fun to take on trips, just not sure about the quality of the machine.
 
#4 ·
What do you expect from soviet union two stroke that is copied?

There is a proverb here about soviet transportation "fix all week, ride for a weekend"

Mostly ignition units, hardware wear. Those things are badly assembled mostly by people who drinks at work
 
#7 ·
From my limited experience they are like old BMW boxers, but with more shaking and engine noise. Definitely not two strokes,though. Some of the older ones (maybe the current offerings,but I'm not sure) had an option for a heavy duty front end (leading link?). My buddy had one and you could slam through any field at full speed on that thing. Structurally, they are built like a farm tractor and equally as attractive. He never kept it long enough to really see about reliability.

I want one ,too. It would be the ultimate camping rig. Just crawl in the sidecar and call it a day. I'm 6'3'' and I tested it out. I fit laying down. They're huge! It's a whole lot of bike for 32hp.

Now that I think about it...maybe I don't really want a Ural. I just want a Ural sidecar. :D Japanese I4's are so damn hard to beat.
 
#10 ·
The one my buddy owned was a 70-something iirc. I stopped at the BMW dealership in a nearby town that sells Ural's. The one I'd want to buy is about $12,000-14,000. That's a nice KLR and a DR plus lots of luggage/camping equipment. They're such an awesome idea, just not well executed IMO.

Fitting, I suppose, that the BMW dealership would seem these. Another cool, trendy bike that just wont stay together :D

I read somewhere that BMW and HD run pretty neck and neck for reliability / warranty claims. You won't find that review on any BMW touring forum, that's for sure.
 
G
#9 ·
I had a few dealings with Ural's, Neval's & Cossacks & they are all of the same ilk, fairly tough & a good laugh off road but big heavy & underpowered, all the ones I've dealt directly with have been very abused older models & I've found the engines seem to stay together ok but smoke & loose even more power lol (bad machining I guess) gearboxes have been a problem too & the electics are plain shit

They are not even particularly cheap anymore

Just my opinion you understand :)
 
#13 ·
Always fancied having a go with one off road, mainly because one of my biking heroes (and all round loon) and his missus (also a biking legend) are fans:

 
#14 ·
Last year I had a long conversation with a guy who rode one over to my neighbors house. Basically He told me its a ridiculously underpowered piece of shit. It always drifts super hard to the right so you're constantly fighting with it and He constantly has to make repairs. Maybe the "2 wheel drive" versions dont pull that bad but youll still have to deal with it always breaking down.From everything I gathhered on them I think you'd be way better off building or buying a sidecar and painting your bike olive drab.
 
#16 ·
Sidecar rigs are just like cages, as in they require alignment to track properly. One buddy of mine (Monty- RIP) had a Royal Enfield with a sidecar that he mounted himself. He fiddled around for quite awhile getting the wheel placement ( how far forward/backward) and sidecar tire toe adjusted properly. Once he had it dialed in it was pretty impressive. I was riding with him in town and a stretch of 45 mph road and he could turn loose of the bars and the bike would go just as straight as it would with an empty sidecar. That bike was also fairly underpowered, but it was gorgeous and sounded great.
 
#19 ·
My $.02

... A motorcycle can haul 2 people. Thats fine and good. But when you're passenger needs to be in their own compartment beside you with another wheel and all that extra frame and fiberglass... You might as well just be in a convertible. It's half the price. Has the power to carry 2 people just fine. Handles better than absolute shit. + You're not pulling all that extra weight with motorcycle wheels and bearings and tires and transmission and rings and drive chain and all that. With a car you have something more affordable thats actually overbuilt for the occasion and not precisely the opposite.

Wanna go offroad? dont kid yourself... Just look at the thing... Yea so thats a no. Just buy a pickup truck AND a used side by side for the price of that old relic or 2 dual sports.. Unless your definition of off roading is a dirt road and some wheat fields.

Spending that kindof money on something with 35 hp and antique design is just looney imo. There's a lot more fun moar useful things for + 10 grand

The only fun this ural is really worth is if you're the kind of person who just really really wants to be seen on something like this. And engage in fun conversations with people about how expensive unreliable and underpowered it really is but you love it anyway because its... old and stuff. and russian.
 
#20 ·
That last paragraph is spot on. Its an attention getter, but I think if you REALLY want a sidehack you can go offroad in then you should build something from a dual sport. THAT would be fucking awesome. I know its not what you wanna hear, but none of us wanna see you get something you resent or possibly get hurt in. This forum is all about custom stuff, go build something way cooler!
 
#21 ·
since i come from post soviet country. we have them around. in last year price has gotten up. i think because of people wanting to recall their youth. but i think that is ridicilous. i can buy post 2000 honda for that price. or two 90's if im lucky to pick up. damn my rc36 build is planned waay cheaper than one of those. oh and what johnny said. unreliable POS
 
#23 ·
Allegedly, they have been improved over the last few years. With a strong allegedly. I know a gentleman who bought a new one a few years ago. He's had to rebuild the engibe(crankshaft issues), tranny, suspension and he had to true the wheels. He said he bought it as a "look at me bike!" It's horrid ride and reliability.
 
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