Ural Motorcycles

A true trans-continental marque, the present-day IMZ-Ural is managed by a U.S.-based team in Redmond, Washington, but the factory is in Irbit, Russia. It specializes in heavy, sidecar-equipped motorcycles that bring classic looks to the table alongside real-world off-road capabilities. At the time of this writing, IMZ-Ural is the only major manufacturer of production sidecar models.

Ural offers the M70 for the rider base who lacks the adventuresome spirit to ride on the old-school IMZ front end prevalent throughout the rest of the range. It hits all the other major Ural high points with a look that’s straight out of Germany circa 1930s-ish with the classic boxer engine, and of course, a sidecar. This ride is definitely the most modern machine Ural brings to the table, in spite of its looks and this is the last year it is offered, so let’s dive into this rolling paradox to see what else our crazy Russian buddies have going on over there.

Ural revised its lineup ahead of MY2019 with a host of improvements to the drivetrain, and the CT is one of the units buffed to carry the marque into the 21st century. As with all of Ural’s products, the CT mounts an old-fashioned sidecar that, in turn, acts as a platform for a number of stock accessories. This is a more urban-centric of Ural’s products and not the terrain-tackling Gear Up model meant for use off the beaten path, so its best for folks who plan on staying on relatively civilized roads. It’s also the cleanest base model that Ural has to offer, so let’s check out this “entry-level” sidecar and see how it stacks up against some of the others in the three-wheeled field.

As much fun as it is to see all the new bikes that are already slated for production and release, it’s the [concept bikes-<mot297] that really do it for me. The EICMA show presents a number of such items, so join me while I give a run-down of some of my favorites.

Continue reading for a look at my favorite concept bikes from 2018 EICMA.

Ural Motorcycle — the Russian company built around a captured German machine from WWII — hits 2019 with some fairly major updates that bring the Gear Up into the 21st century. Most of the improvements are “under the hood” as it were, but the factory brushed up the looks and specific equipment for three submodels to make the “GU,” potentially, four rides out of one. Cross-country safety is increased with these models as they’ve been on the receiving end of a universal spare tire that will work in any of the three possible positions. This is the most thorough engine update in quite a while, so let’s check out what those clever Russians have in store for us.

Continue reading for my review of the Ural Gear Up.

The Ural cT, a stripped down version of its Ural brothers, is a base model on which you can build your own sidecar bike. Rolling with a 749 cc engine and not a lot else, it is designed to have easier handling for new sidecar enthusiasts. The cT comes without accessories such as a spare tire, passenger grab handles, rear fender rack, tool bag, air pump, rubber trunk floor mat or knee grips. Keep it clean or customize it with a whole slew of accessories from your Ural dealer.

Continue reading my review of the Ural cT

The look of the sidecar bike is nostalgic and romantic (or heroic, depending on which image they bring to your mind); but either way, it’s the classic look of a bygone time. For the M70, it’s a classic look, yes, but that’s where old-school ends and modern engineering begins. Ural equips the M70 with fuel-injected 749 cc engine, and while the numbers don’t look terribly impressive on paper, the ride is lively and quite up to an adventure as much as any adventure bike out there.

Continue reading to see my review of the Ural M70.

You know that sad feeling you get when the first chill arrives in the air and it’s time to start thinking about putting your bike into storage for the winter months? What if you didn’t have to do that? The folks at Ural don’t want you to quit riding just because winter arrives. Back in the day, you needed a one-horse open sleigh to go dashing through the snow. Today, you need a Gear-Up — a street legal, four-season adventure bike from Ural. The off-road beast of its brother, the Patrol, the Gear-Up comes standard with on-demand two-wheel drive, a high-intensity spotlight, spare tire, luggage rack and sidecar bumper to carry you through the snow, over rough terrain or anywhere your adventures take you once the pavement ends.

Continue reading for my review of the Ural Gear-Up.

Back in the day, a horse and sleigh took you over the river and through the woods to grandma’s house. Today, it’s a two-wheel-drive, all-terrain Patrol from Ural. This street-legal adventure motorcycle is comfortable as a touring bike, but is as off-road capable as its brother, the Gear Up.

Who would have thought you could have so much fun with a sidecar? Of course, the folks at Ural do. Anyone who owns one of these awesome sidecar bikes knows what "UDF" is: Ural Delay Factor. It’s that extra 15 minutes you have to add to your trip’s time estimation anytime you leave the house on one of these because inevitably, people are going to want to talk to you about what you’re riding.

Continue reading for my review of the Ural Patrol.

Let’s imagine Al Gore was right; Manbearpig and global warming are real and the EPA has declared unrestricted war on both. Extensive studies indicate that reindeer flatulence is a significant contributor to the worldwide greenhouse-gas totals, and the EPA used some its newly-acquired firepower to strike a blow against reindeer farts for the sake of mankind. As you can imagine, this leaves ol’ Kris Kringle in a bit of a pickle what with Christmas upon us, so what’s a guy to do?

Continue reading for our picks for Santa’s solution.

Inspired by the world of Star Wars®, Ural gives a nod to the dark side with their limited edition Dark Force for 2016. Built on a base cT, Ural adds upgrades that include high-visibility LED lighting, an enduro bench seat, black zinc-coated passenger pegs as well as upgraded drivetrain components, painted it glossy black and threw in a three-foot extendable lightsaber®. Yes, you read that correctly: it includes a lightsaber® mounted on the sidecar, within easy reach for you and your adventure buddies (with the bench seat and sidecar, you can take two of your friends with you) to do battle with opposing forces.

The folks at Ural tell us, "Come to the dark side, we’ve got sidecars." However, don’t wait too long. Released online on November 13, 2015 and at dealers on December 1, Ural is only making 25 of the Dark Force and this very limited edition — available only in the U.S. — won’t last long.

Continue reading for more on the 2016 Ural Dark Force.

Iron and Air magazine is giving away a used Ural Gear-Up as part of its promotional campaign this year. Yes, you read that right, it’s a used bike…sort of. The folks from Iron and Air plan on taking the customized Gear Up on a six-week tour of the American West, and putting 10,000 miles on it before the drawing on October 15, 2015. Therefore, I guess it isn’t really all that used; just broken in is all. Look at it this way; if anything is going to shake off, it will happen on their watch, and what a great provenance to tell your friends. The winner gets a three-year warranty on the bike, so there ya’ go.

The grand-prize winner will get the classic Ural Gear-up, complete with sidecar and all the bells and whistles as well as LED duel sidecar lights, diamond pin-tuck upholstery, jerry-can rack and more. It doesn’t stop there, either – the sidecar comes stuffed with camping goodies from Nemo, Good-to-Go, Goal Zero and Hennessy Hammock, plus a GoPro camera with which to document your off-road shenanigannery, and post it up on YouTube. (Remember: video, or it didn’t happen!)

The Gear-Up is a curious machine, in that it is one of the few sidecars in the world that comes with the option of engaging the sidecar wheel for true, dual rear-wheel drive, which works really well. If you watch some Ural videos, you rarely see the bike on pavement. Folks are usually off-road and maybe even out on some frozen tundra somewhere, tearing up the countryside with impunity. You don’t play in those conditions on just any machine.

Continue reading for the full story.

The Ural M70 brings together the classic lines of the old motorcycles with modern technologies forming an unmistakable bike that will reward its rider with a unique riding experience each time he starts its engine.

The motorcycle features telescopic forks, 18” wheels and Duro HF-308, 4.0×18″ tires. Power comes from an OHV, air cooled, 2 cylinder, 4 stroke “Boxer” (Flat Twin) engine with a displacement of 749 cc. The engine cranks out a maximum power of 41 at 5500 rpm and 42 Ft-Lbs of torque at 4300 rpm.

The motorcycle is offered with a starting price of $15,599 and comes with 2-years parts and labor unlimited mileage warranty.

The stopping power is assured by a front 4-piston fixed Brembo caliper with 295mm floating NG rotor and a rear HB big bore single piston integrated floating caliper with 256 mm fixed NG rotor.

Hit the jump for more information on the Ural M70.