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Leave this abusive relationship!

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The kid here was quite cross this past year that I did not get a Ural to drive her to school with. They are cool.

They are too expensive for me at the moment, and one's work schedule wouldn't allow for it anyway if one has to be on the train before the school bell rings.
 
Ural with side car is surprisingly affordable, compared to a Triumph/car Royal Enfield/car combo. And you get both bike and sidecar wheel driving, how cool is that? And parts should never be a problem, the same design seems to have been around since 1945. Finest stolen Soviet engineering.
 
The only thing that drove me nuts about the Ural is how close the cylinder heads are to your toes. I kept feeling like my feet would get stuck and I didn't feel I had room to shift or brake comfortably.
 
It's not that close anymore to the original WW2 kit. They've been upgrading them gradually. The 2014 models have EFI.
 
IIRC, the fuel economy is 20 mpg?
 
So I'm the owner of that stranded Ural. I feel terrible for leaving her there all this time. Here's the story, which hopefully answers some of your questions.

I ride the Ural all year. In the winter I ride in the city, unless it's icy.
That particular day was cold, but with a full-face helmet, long johns, and a parka, you don't really feel the chill for rides under 20 minutes.

My band plays a bi-monthly gig at C'est What, at the corner of Church and Front. When I got there around 2:30pm the weather was fine. When I left the gig at around 6:30pm, the sun had set and the temperature had dropped dramatically.

I started the Ural just fine. Giving it gas, though, stalled it. It would idle fine, but wouldn't move. I figured I would leave it there for the night and come back when the weather was warmer and I could either (1) drive it home or (2) dismantle the carb and inspect the float needle, etc.

Then we had that lovely cold front and snow that didn't abate for a few weeks. I went back to check on her and try and start her up, but no go. She's frozen.

I contacted Ken (kneedragger88) to get her towed and serviced, which will happen this week, I hope.

I feel bad for leaving the motorcycle out in this weather. Overnight it's typically stored in a garage, and outside during the day while at work, etc.

My wife loves riding in it. It's extremely convenient for carrying groceries / furniture / beach supplies / bags, etc. The third wheel helps a lot with stability. When it's engaged, it's quite nice to ride in the snow, especially in the back-alley leading to our house.

Just saw this thread now. Here she is in nicer weather:
DSCF1085.jpg
 
Thanks for the update. Still don't see a problem with leaving it out there though. I've seen brutal youtube videos on Urals being used off-road.
 
Awesome, thanks for writing. I am curious, did you originally buy it new or used? I'm also curious to know how many times you've needed to have things fixed. Urals don't have a reputation for being built to Japanese tolerances which can be scary if you're away from parts..
 
Sunspark,

I bought it used two years ago and have ridden it pretty much every day since. It was in good condition when I bought it and remains in good condition.
Aside from oil changes, I've had to buy one part - my oil pump drive gear stopper fell off while riding home. It seems to be an issue with it coming loose, as I found other people who it's happened to online. $15 part and screwing it back on fixed it.

Otherwise, the kick-starter helps a lot in the winter. Otherwise, A++. I ordered my part from Old Vintage Cranks (uralontario.ca) and it arrived in a few days. Lots of resources online as well for DIY and comparable part replacements from other dealers. Haven't had anything major, though, so I don't know regarding major fixes.

Hopefully get her up and running this week!
 
I owned a Ural gear up for almost 2 years. Put about 29,000kms on it. The bike was cool and could do lots of things that other bikes couldn't. But I got tired of the really crappy gas mileage/range (about 10L/100kms at best) and the fact that it was so slow. the top recommended speed was 90kmph. I am still at the stage of really enjoying long distance riding and the most I could get out of a day's riding with the Ural was about 450kms, if I wanted to be able to ride again the next day. I can easily do multiple 700-800km days with the FZ1. But, there is one thing that I miss about that bike, besides the carrying capacity, was that in 2 years, I never had a close call from someone cutting me off or trying to take me out with a left hand turn or even tailgate me. I think that even with the camouflage paint job, it had that "OMG, look at that bike" effect.
 
Sunspark said:
Awesome, thanks for writing. I am curious, did you originally buy it new or used? I'm also curious to know how many times you've needed to have things fixed. Urals don't have a reputation for being built to Japanese tolerances which can be scary if you're away from parts..
Click to expand...
Unless, something has changed, the oil had to be changed every 2,500kms and a rear tire on the bike would only last about 5,000kms. I did a trip to Cape Breton and Gaspe with my son. I changed the oil and put a new rear tire on before we left on the trip. I changed the oil in Sydney, NS in the hotel parking lot. I had to replace the rear tire when we got back from the trip.
 
I just looked up wtf an "oil drive gear stopper" is and that seems like a strange design to me
 
RichinOville said:
I owned a Ural gear up for almost 2 years. Put about 29,000kms on it. The bike was cool and could do lots of things that other bikes couldn't. But I got tired of the really crappy gas mileage/range (about 10L/100kms at best) and the fact that it was so slow. the top recommended speed was 90kmph. I am still at the stage of really enjoying long distance riding and the most I could get out of a day's riding with the Ural was about 450kms, if I wanted to be able to ride again the next day. I can easily do multiple 700-800km days with the FZ1. But, there is one thing that I miss about that bike, besides the carrying capacity, was that in 2 years, I never had a close call from someone cutting me off or trying to take me out with a left hand turn or even tailgate me. I think that even with the camouflage paint job, it had that "OMG, look at that bike" effect.
Click to expand...

Agree with you 100%. The top speed is limiting, especially on longer trips. We have to find side-roads and even on those, 90km/h - 110km/h seems to be the top speed. Quite scary on the larger highways. But, like you wrote, cars certainly respect you more than with a standard motorcycle.
 
Mind you. I may have actually broken the land speed record for a Ural. I once got the bike up to 130kmph. But that was on an interstate coming off the top of a mountain pass with a 30kmph tail wind. :) I've also discovered that the Ural is as aerodynamic as a brick. If you can get in behind a tractor trailer, on the highway, and don't give a care about stopping distance, you can easily cruise at 120kmph, without any using much gas, if you draft within about 10 feet of the back of the trailer. Just don't try to peek out to see where you are going or you will violently leave the draft. :)
 
How 'bout these bad parents? Found not one, not two, but FOUR of these on a street just east of OCAD downtown, on Tuesday:

Uz4COuw.jpg


CDBU67v.jpg
 
I think it's awesome that Moshe posted to claim his ride - this internet thing is awesome ;)
 
This is the third winter I've been watching a bike sit out under a ripped tarp. I tracked the guy down this fall and it turns out it's actually a harley. He had to take it off the road because he needed a car and wasn't interested in selling it - thinks he will be riding it next summer. Chances are it will need some work by then. Judging by the way it's poorly covered in a pile of snow it likely wasn't winterized too well.
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