Sidecarnutz has a Ural with sidecar. You might want to shoot him a message. He's a good dude.

At this point I think I'm going to end up putting one together on an older Yamaha or Honda. I figure it will be easier to do the maintenance this way. I've been looking at the thewarkshop.com for the last few days getting ideas and deciding if I'm up to the challenge of driving one of these.



It sounds like they would suit me just fine

Thanks for the help

yes, urals of not too long ago SUCKED as far as quality goes. I would not touch one.

Side cars turn motorcycles into............ a sinking barge full of rocks. Or at least they feel that way. Handling is dramatically reduced. Sure, you do not have to balance a bike at a stop BUT you completely loose the ability to corner by leaning. Instead you now have a machine that seems (as in 'gives the false suggestion of") to be stable but then rolls dramatically once it is pushed too far. You need to put a lot more energy and movement into cornering, and if you fail to do so, you CAN end up under that side car.

If you are unsure about a motorcycle, then a trike (or can am spider) may be a better option. They handle poorly compared to motorcycles but they are more predictable than a side car

If you had a sidecar you could rescue Indiana Jones and his father...



or get laughed at for your cheesy Steampunk costume...



or take beautiful women to Oktoberfest

That bike makes me grin every time i ride it, though anything longer than an hour left me sore. I haven't tried it with my new seat. I can haul a ton of groceries, kids wave, people smile, and its a hoot at parades. The retro styling helps. I do wish the steering were tweaked a bit. I get bad head shake if I dont steer with both hands at low speed.

Trikes say "Old man that can't hold a bike up any more". Sidecars give an entirely different message about you. Women are very definitely attracted to sidecar rigs-when I had my Ural, I was always having random women saying "I'd love to ride in that", and I'm just an ordinary older guy.
A rig handles nothing like a solo motorcycle-there is a lengthy learning curve involved. You don't just plunk your money down,and ride away. You will be riding around a parking lot for a while before you even think about heading out on the street. Right turns make you think the rig is going to flip, until you get used to the feeling.

I had an old 650 Ural, which was primitive,compared to the new ones,even though they look the same. I might get 55 mph out of it by really twisting its tail, but it was really only happy at 45. The new ones can easily keep up on the highways,and the engines are stronger. Don't even think of putting a 'car on a Royal Enfield-they are lucky to do 45 then (I have a Bullet also). My interests changed, and I sold the Ural last year to make room in the garage for a Ford Model A. There are times I miss that Ural,though.

That enfield looks like something that would be very underpowered (only 500cc right?).

I have an 06/07(had some upgrades) Ural Gear Up 2wd and even that thing feels underpowered on the highway, its not a highway bike of course...
So I cannot imagine the enfield.. the enfield is probably a lot lighter though.

I like the enfields but, maybe a solo would be where its at with those, they are too pricey now too... what isnt? gets me near triumph prices though..

I have had my Ural for 4 years and no problems really, its a simple crude machine, just regular maintenance.
some gaskets have just started leaking in the final drive. When it gets cooler here I will replace them but that is the only issue I have had and its just now.
I have a short ride to work and its my daily commute vehicle, I have had it in all kinds of weather thought I dont take long trips.
Snow, mud, rain, grasses, desert, rocks and dust, even some sandy washes and it did alright.
(got stuck real good in some East TX clay mud once though... that sucked...)

I really expected more trouble out of it.. glad I havent had any.

You can fit a lot of stuff in a ural too.

Much of the aftermarket shit is extremely overpriced due to it being extremely inefficiently made in some small shops or garages..or just insane markup up IMO on Russian shit.

the thing fun and its got the market cornered being the only in its class.

This was taken a while ago (years)


My dad had this side car rigged with hydraulics to help my late step-mother in and out. She had MS and had a very hard time walking and moving. The side car was pretty cool how he set it up and perfect for a handicapped person. Dad did tell me that he ate up a lot of front tires during the time he had it attached. After she died he removed the side car and sold it for a tidy sum.

I think you're better off buying a used BMW and having a sidecar professionally added. Your dependability will go way up.

Here's an excellent forum... ADVRiders Sidecar Forum

Controversial Thread on Ural Dependability

For realistic prices on Urals you have to keep your eye out, most of the posts/ads I see for them are complete bullshit or even put there to make them look more expensive/in demand I suspect.... the high asking prices usually last a while

Most the BS ads are on craigslist and ebay but every now and then I see good deals on craigslist, ebay too
Check soviet steads and russian iron forums too, less spam and more serious ads

The BMW route will probably cost a bit more, but if your not after the look, the 2wd or the simple crudeness there isnt a comparison between those two brands..one being a 70 year old knock off of the other that still isnt as good as what they copied

-I wanted a Zündapp or BMW, but wasnt going to shell out the dough for that....

concerning the old triumphs, I have a 1973 triumph bonneville and those old triumph engines vibrate like jackhammers. damn fun bikes though.

Your link goes to some comicbook thing. The correct link is: http://www.warkshop.com/

An E-Friend has a URAL setup in Washington state, he rides the old forest trails with it, and really likes it.

Michael