Back in November, I explained that the unique appeal of the Ural sidecars is that they’ll go where no other vehicle can. A unique combination of compact dimensions, relatively light weight and 2WD makes them virtually unstoppable. Well, here’s one place they won’t go. This Austrian rider somehow managed to bury his in a mud pit smack in the middle of a Panzer obstacle course. :continue:
In the early ‘90s, if you presented this stamped sheet of paper at a bakery in Irbit, you’d have received six 1kg loaves of bread in return. Operating in a collapsed economy, the company supported its workforce and the town it was located in by dispatching crafty employees to trade sidecars, tools and parts for supplies. In effect, it created its own economy. :continue:
It’s actually a misnomer to call the Irbit Motorcycle Factory a motorcycle factory at all. Don’t get me wrong, it definitely makes bikes, it’s just that it makes bolts, pins, spokes, rims and nearly all the other parts that go into the Ural motorcycles and sidecars too. And it does so using some of the most archaic, gigantic machinery you’ve ever seen. This gatling gun of doom? That’s actually one of six machines involved in the process of milling a small amount of material off each cast iron cylinder sleeve. Something it does with laborious slowness. :continue:
Back in July, I rolled a Ural sidecar into a ditch off road and pretty much snapped my left wrist in half. Today, I rode one for the first time since that accident. In Siberia. In the Snow. In sub-zero temperatures. Was it scary? Holy shit yes. But no other vehicle could have gotten me here. :continue:
Ural is launching 2 new 70th anniversary limited edition M70 models that pay homage to the M72, the first Ural. Only 30 of the anniversary M70 sidecars will be built and an even tinier run of 10 M70-Solo anniversary bikes will be produced. To be clear, the M70 is not so much an all-new machine as it is a repurposing of the older and somewhat clumsy model known as the “Retro” cruiser. Much like the proverbial ugly duckling, the transformed M70 is a beautiful statement of elegant simplicity and magnificent details.
When you first ride a Ural, it’s likely that you’ll feel equal parts giddy-excitement, fear, confusion and curiosity. Giddy-excitement from the thrill of riding something that goes sideways every time you turn left. Fear caused by steering that changes with each throttle input, gear shift, brake application or bump. Confusion after you realize you’re not going terribly fast. And, once you get used to riding a rig, you’ll be curious as to exactly what they’re good for. In the case of this Gear-Up, it’s going for two things: honest off-road capability with plenty of storage for extended camping and enough charm to make even grumpy middle-aged housewives stop to say “hi.”
Photos: Ashlee Goodwin :continue:
Last week, Motorcyclist joked that we were going to need a helicopter to get the Ural Wes crashed out of the mountains. We’re not Motorcyclist, so I headed back to the mountains on Tuesday lugging my trusty tool chest and a few parts that Ural sent over. I wasn’t sure if the parts would fix everything, but I was hell bent that I wasn’t going home unless it was aboard a Russian sidecar. Here’s the story of how I saved Hell for Leather’s reputation (and Wes’s ass) and got the Ural out of the mountains.
Photos: Sean MacDonald
You’ve probably already read about it, but on Saturday I broke my left arm. Again. It happened 18 miles into the desert and hours from a hospital. But, you know what? It wasn’t a big deal. A big part of that was because I had Sean with me. Now that I’m all fixed, here’s the story. :continue:
As some of you may have seen of his Facebook page, Wes had himself yet another epic bender sometime Saturday afternoon. I wasn’t there and Sean is currently occupied taking Wes to a specialist, but after a good bit of texting and confirmation via IM, I’ve been able to piece together a story of what went down.
Our friend JonB pinged us yesterday — “New job, new season, time for a new bike. What should I buy? HFL should do a buyer’s guide.” Good idea. Here’s 11 motorcycles you can afford that will make 2011 a summer to remember. :continue:
