Up in Salem, Oregon, Raceway Services not only sells and services Ural sidecar motorcycles. It also comes up with some pretty sweet hand shifters, including a new hand shifter that will shift between single-wheel drive and two-wheel drive on 2WD Patrol and Gear-Up models. Learn more by contacting Raceway, and also be sure to check out this discussion on Soviet Steeds:

“Most of you are already aware of a fine product made by Jim at “Raceway” his tank shifter that will shift the forward gears and reverse. I have been bugging Jim for over two years to make a shifter that will shift the two wheel drive instead of the forward gears. My wishes have been answered. “

Follow the whole discussion: Soviet Steeds :: View topic - “NEW” shifter from “Raceway”

A cheap, easy-to-follow must-have for any Ural owner

One of the allures of the Ural is that even the average rider – even non mechanically-minded schmucks like me – can do their own maintenance and service. To help us along, Ural has a 2-disc CD set that covers the basic service (IMWA 0032 750 cc Basic Service (2 disc set), MSRP $23.99). I ordered a copy when I got my bike, and would recommend that any new Ural owner order a copy too.

Here’s what I’ve learned so far, from the Ural maintenance procedures themselves to tools and equipment I’ll need in the garage.

Ural Basic Service, Disc 1 Contents

• Introduction
• Oil Change
• Torque Headbolts
• Tappet Adjustment (on my set this isn’t on the CD’s label, but it is part of the program)
• Carb Balance
• Spline Lubrication
• Battery Inspection
• Brake Inspection
• Air Filter Service
• Sidecar Alignment

Read the rest of this entry »

Much as I love riding around on my rig and getting the feel for my Patrol as it breaks in, I do also wonder what it’ll be like once it broken in, once I’ve had it for a while and have plenty of rides (and wrenching) under my belt. This piece, A Ural how-to: Observations, is a must-read classic for the Ural enthusiast. It lets you know what’s in store for you (though some of this may need a grain of salt, given newer Urals), and what you have to look forward to:

“I attempted to beat the URAL snot outta the bike…. for those of you wondering what your rig’s gonna be like in a few thousand klicks…Well, it’s only gonna get better!”

When taking Ella to the dog park the other day, Jodie and I had a slight dilemma: what to do with our helmets?

Naturally, we didn’t want to carry them around the dog park with us. The helmets would both fit in the trunk, but they wouldn’t be secure (my trunk lock will get installed when I take the rig up to Raceway Services for its 500km first service). Besides, there will be plenty of trips we take where the trunk is full of other stuff, so we still need a way to securely stash the helmets elsewhere on the motorcycle.

A quick look around the garage, and our bicycles provided the answer. We’d make our own helmet lock instead.

WWID — What Would Ivan Do?

The elements of our DIY helmet lock are available at any bicycle shop, and are standard for any bicycle lock. Prices will vary by shop and brand.

• Braided steel cable (plastic-coated and with a loop on each end)
• U-lock

I opened the visors on each helmet and laid the helmets in the sidecar seat so the head openings were up against each other. I looped the cable through both openings a few times, tying in the helmets through the chin bars.

After unlocking the U-lock and running the “U” bar through the cable loops, I hung the helmets and bar on the sidecar windshield grab bar, and locked up the whole assembly. The result? Two secure helmets, safely locked up on the bike:

Now, this is not a perfect system. No security system ever is or will be. The main improvement we could make would be getting a longer U-lock just for the motorcycle. My current U-lock is too short to fit through both helmets. A longer U-bar would do the job of the steel cable, and would be much harder to break through.

In the future we’ll most likely be getting some proper helmet locks, but this is working fine for us so far. We were able to use and re-purpose equipment we already had and, above all, could lock up our helmets and feel confident they’d be there when we got back.

A foggy Saturday morning finally gave way to a sunny afternoon, so Jodie and I geared up, got Ella in her doggles, and took our first true around-town family trip together. The destination? Eugene’s Candelight Park, an off-leash dog park in west Eugene.

We’d ridden around the neighborhood a little, but this was the first time all 3 of us had ridden around town together. I couldn’t be happier with how it went. Ella was completely relaxed — she didn’t even mind her doggles too much. We also got in some WWID (What Would Ivan Do?) thinking, when it came to our helmets.

First off was a systems check:

• Oil: Level fine.
• Tire Pressure: Pumped up all the tires, as they’d been getting a bit low. Filled tires to manual specs: 32 psi in the front tire, 30 psi in the sidecar tire, and 40 psi in the rear tire.
• Brake Lights and Turn Signals: All operational.

After a trip to the gas station, we rode off to the dog park.

Getting used to Doggles

Ella is still getting used to wearing her Doggles. After we got her in the sidecar and she nuzzled down in the tub, the first couple of miles were iffy Doggles-wise. On the way to the gas station, Ella nudged off her Doggles. On the next leg of the ride though, she kept them on and did fine — we’re guessing she realized they made a difference in the wind hitting her in the face.

WWID: Rigging up a helmet lock

Since we were going to be walking around a park with Ella, we didn’t want to have to worry about our helmets. We haven’t snagged up helmet locks yet, but while at home in the garage we realized we might not need to. A bicycle’s locking cable and U-lock later, and we rigged up a helmet lock that secured both helmets to the sidecar windshield’s grab bar. It’s perhaps not a perfect system, but it works well for now.

Comfort level

Before leaving the house, I felt pretty nervous about this ride. It was a perfect day weather-wise, but it was also 1) the farthest afield I’d gone on the rig, and 2) the first time driving around with both Jodie and Ella. These were just early jitters though — a couple of minutes in the saddle, and I felt fine. More importantly, Jodie felt fine too, and she told me later that she felt perfectly safe with my driving. That was great to hear, and it shows I’m really getting the hang of my Ural Patrol.

This was a great ride around town. We had a good destination. Going to the dog park, something Ella really enjoys, also helped further reinforce an association that the sidecar and even the Doggles are positive things — they mean she gets to go to cool places that she loves.

And as for us humans, we had a great time. Driving around Jodie and Ella — and all the waves, smiles and thumbs-up that go with it — is exactly the fun experience I had hoped and knew it would be.

• Gas Price Per Gallon: $3.759
• Gallons: 3.029
• Fuel Total: $11.39
• Tripmeter at fuel-up: 122km/76 miles (approx)
• kpg/mpg (approx.) 40kpg/25mpg
• Odometer at fuel-up: 268km/166.5 miles
• Date & Time: Saturday, Mar. 22, 2008, 1:39 p.m.
• Gas Station: Jacksons Store (Shell), 1809 W. 6th Ave., Eugene, Oregon
• Fuel: “V-Power” 91 octane (some Ural owners say they don’t go for the high-test; I respect their opinions, but for my money, I’m going to listen to what the manual says and pony up the extra coins per gallon)

Notes on mileage: I feel a bit disappointed about the 25mpg mileage, but it’s not without hope. I’d have to check around to see, but if I remember correctly mileage improves after break-in. I believe my tires had also been low for the past couple of rides, and that would have negatively impacted the mileage too. Will be more diligent about checking air pressure.

Sidecar ballast is important to the rider new either to sidecar motorcycles in general or Ural motorcycles in particular. Getting the feel of riding a machine with a bunch of dead weight on one side – dead weight that loves to rise up and kiss the sky depending on the turn you’re taking – takes some getting used to, and ballast is how you get used to it.

Ballast was critical to me in my first weeks of riding. Here’s how much ballast I used in my Ural Patrol’s sidecar, where I put it, and how long I rode with it:

• 120 lbs. of ballast (3 40-lb. bags of stove pellets) for one week. 2 bags in the floor of the sidecar, one in the trunk
• 80 lbs. of ballast (2 40-lb. bags of stove pellets) for one week. 1 bag in floor of sidecar, one in the trunk
• 40 lbs. of ballast (1 40-lb. bag of stove pellets) for one week, 1 bag in floor of sidecar

Now I’m running with no ballast, and have been doing fine. For the first few days without ballast in the tub, I took it slow around the neighborhood, getting the feel for how the bike’s handling changed with braking, turning and acceleration. The bike handles very differently without ballast, and it takes getting used to. Finding an empty parking lot and practicing turns and braking is essential to knowing how your rig, and you, will handle and react.

It’s important to know how your sidecar rig will handle with and without ballast, especially when first getting used to your motorcycle. Find something you can put in the sidecar (dog food, pellets, potting soil, lead shot, whatever), and run a few weeks first around the 100-lb. mark and working your way down. You’ll feel much better about your rig, your riding ability and how you respond under different riding conditions.

For more opinions, ideas and recommendations about sidecar ballast, Soviet Steeds has a good discussion going: Best place for ballast,how much is enough:

“I started with (3) 40 pound bags of water conditioner salt on the side car seat and floor. try to keep the weight in the triangle (tip lines) between the 3 wheels. You take one out each time you get confident. about a week each. It took me about a month of regular riding to get to a nice comfort level with the transition from 2 to 3 wheels”

Read the whole discussion: Soviet Steeds Message Boards - Best place for ballast,how much is enough

“I can’t wait for riding season to get here,” my dad told me the other day, as we spoke on the phone and rain dumped outside. “I’m itching for a ride.”

I was itching for one too. So that’s where I got it.

Hadn’t ridden a single km in nearly a week, since last week’s real ride. Rain and some other tasks had kept the Patrol in the garage. Today, however, today I got home from work, and it wasn’t raining. There were breaks of blue in the thick clouds. It was even a little sunny. Just a quick ride, I thought. I gotta have one.
I popped the enricheners, hit the starter and the bike fired right up. After only about 10 seconds the engine didn’t need the richer mixture, so I popped the enricheners back in and got my riding kit on while the Ural purred.

It was glorious. The sun was out, people were waving, and it just felt so bloody good to be on my bike again. It was a short ride, just a wee tear around the area, but it was enough o also get in a good dose of UDF.

Thrift Store UDF

I thought I’d make the ride at least mildly practical, so on the way home I wheeled into S.A.R.A.’s Treasures Thrift and Gift Store, a great wee thrift store on River Road (near Park Avenue). At the register on the way out, one of the women and I got to talking motorcycles. She had recently gotten her first bike, a wee cruiser from United Motors.
We talked Urals, starter bikes and training classes (such as Team Oregon Motorcycle Training and Adventure Sidecar’s Trike and Sidecar Motorcycle Training.

She called my bike “handsome” too. It was cool.

Back at home, I felt relieved and happy (and wasn’t twitching anymore). It was a quick ride, but I was back on the Ural again, and that was all that mattered.

“First Ural shipments to come to Australia since 1987″

IMZ Ural Australia has released an update about Ural motorcycles heading to Down Under:

We are pleased to inform all our interested friends and enquirers that the new 2008 Ural motorcycles and sidecars are now passed for registration in Australia. Since October we have had a Ural outfit in Sydney undergoing inspection for ADR certification so we could seek import approval for the registerable Urals to enter Australia. This process is now complete.

The factory in the heart of Russia is now assembling the first shipment in their crates for the start of their long land and sea journey to Sydney. We expect the first container load early in May and this will be followed soon after by a second shipment.

There will be a launch ceremony at Armidale northern New South Wales which is provisionally set for the afternoon of 24th May. We are expecting a crowd with representation from media, Russian Motorcycle Owners Club, Sidecar club members, interested and already committed customers as well as the new Ural Dealers from Sydney, Melbourne, Newcastle and Armidale. There will be a range of models on show including the 2WD model for off-road use, Tourist and camouflage-coloured Gear-Up model. We cannot facilitate test rides on the day, but arrangements can be made with Ural of Oz or dealers for alternative opportunities.

There is a lot of excitement generated by the first Ural shipments to come to Australia since 1987. The quality of the new outfits whilst maintaining their classic style has aroused the interest of many bike riders, many who have waited a long time for the opportunity to purchase a fully registerable left-side outfit that has current specifications.

We will post our dealer names and the recommended retail prices on the website by the first week in April. Keep watching and contact us if you want an invitation to attend the launch or more information regarding it.

More Information

• IMZ “Ural of Oz” Ural Australia website
• Urals Expected to be in Australia in May 2008 » Ride Three

The weather’s been pretty up and down this week, and my as-yet-unnamed Patrol has been relaxing in the garage. Finally got to get it out last night though, and do what, for me, felt my like my first “proper”, real ride. It felt this way because instead of riding around just for the sake of riding around and practicing, I was actually riding the bike somewhere.

With a rain jacket in the trunk and my rain pants on just in case, I trucked off down to meet a friend and head to a Chamber of Commerce event. Road home later that evening, and did just fine. Felt as natural as can be.

Best part of the ride though? At a stoplight, a pickup pulled up next to me. Driver took one look at the bike and started smiling and nodding. I gave him a nod and a thumbs-up. I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of that — I think my funky retro-looking bike made his night. Having this first “real ride” certainly made mine.