Ride Three

For Ural Sidecar Motorcycle Enthusiasts

Seen a Ural in Eugene? Have questions about sidecar bikes? Here are some answers

Spotted an anachronistic sidecar motorcycle buzzing around Eugene? Did some investigative web surfing and wound up here? Here’s some skinny on sidecar motorcycles, particularly Urals, in Eugene, Oregon.

How many Urals are there in Eugene? 2 (that I know of). That includes mine and another chap’s. There are a couple of other folks in Lane County with Urals, but I only know of 2 of us in Eugene itself. If you have a Ural and are in the area, drop me a line.

What’s the deal with Urals? Here’s a quick rundown of Ural factoids:

• Engine: 750cc
• Gears: 4 gears + reverse gear, with some models also offering a 2-wheel drive (or 2WD, where you can put power from the rear wheel to the sidecar on demand)
• Manufacturer: IMZ Ural (www.imz-ural.com), with manufacturing facilities in Irbit, Siberia, Russia, and corporate headquarters in Seattle, Washington (lovingly referred to as “Little Irbit”)
• History: The Ural, overall, is a takeoff of the German BMW R-71 from World War II. Urals have been in production since 1941 for the military, and since the 1950s for civilians. The first Ural came to the U.S. in 1993 (but was listed as a 1994).
• Top Speed: 65mph (so says the manual). Newer models can generally go a bit faster, but the Ural, and most Ural owners (including this one), are happiest between 45-60mph.
• Miles per Gallon? In-town, they average around 28-32 mpg (about the same as a good sedan). On the highway, this can get more around 40 mpg. Urals have a “break-in period” where essentially the bike is just settling into itself. This lasts a couple of thousand kilometers, and mileage, speed and handling generally see further improvements after this time.

Does the sidecar come off? Technically, yes. But you really, really wouldn’t want to do it. Urals are engineered to ride with a sidecar, so they are very hard to ride without one. Think of it this way: if you strapped a bathtub to the side of a regular ol’ 2-wheel motorcycle, do you think it might ride funny? Exactly.

Is it reliable? Yes. During their earlier days in the States, Urals did have a reputation for not being reliable. That’s not entirely accurate, but there were some model years where you kind of had to do, say, 3 hours of wrenching for every hour of riding. Those days are long gone. Since 2000 especially, Urals have steadily improved in quality and reliability. Since 2006, they are rock-solid machines, with the 2007 and 2008 model years the best yet.

Is it hard to ride? It takes some getting used to. If you’re considering a 3-wheel motorcycle, either a sidecar rig or a trike, then go to Adventure Sidecar and sign up for Vernon Wade’s 3-day (3 days, 3 wheels, get it?) training course in Hood River, Oregon. In addition to taking a trip to the lovely Columbia River Gorge, Vernon’s class will give you all the basic ins and outs of riding on 3 wheels — and whether it’s for you. This class was the deciding factor in my decision to get a Ural, and I heartily recommend it to anyone considering a 3-wheel motorcycle.

I’m in the Pacific Northwest too. Where can I get my own Ural? Two of the top Ural dealerships in the U.S. are right here in the Pacific Northwest:

• Raceway Services, Salem, Oregon (this is where I got my 2007 Ural Patrol)
• Ural NW, Bellingham, Washington

OK, I think I’ve seen you. Which Ural do you have, you weird blogger? My Ural Patrol, “Svetlana”, is Forest Green — goes quite nicely here in Ducktown, Oregon. You can recognize me by my kit: a silver full-face helmet and a black leather jacket. There may also be a cute dog and a cuter lady in the sidecar.

Can I get in touch with you? Please do! You can leave comments or questions in the box below, or drop me a line.

Now it’s my turn to ask something

What’s your question? If you didn’t see an answer to your Ural question here, please send it along. I’ll do my best to answer it here on this page. Thank you!