Worth watching despite being marginally off topic.
Got to love it…just not a Harley.
4:51 in is where it starts showing its SOTA creds and the real eye opener is at 6:20 in…
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As the video says the older Ural was the Russian copy of the BMW motorbike. A horizontally opposed twin - “boxer” engine. Goes anywhere nothing stops it, or if it does it can be fixed with a minimum of tools as long as you have the skills.
73 Ed DD5LP.
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Actually the motorcycle is a bootleg replica of the Wehrmacht sidecar motorcycles of BMW and Zündapp after 2. WW… and on the technical level it has remained.
It is rather something for people who prefer to lie and screw under the motorcycle than ride it.
For today’s conditions it is not suitable for everyday use at all.
I had been driving BMW sidecars for years and knew some who owned the russian sidecars. Nearly all had replayced the electrics, the original engine and the gearbox with parts from BMW.
It is said that in the original the oil already drips through the cast aluminium - it is a dearly bought fun.
73 Armin
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The bit I loved was the Ural reversing up the dirt track. Given its a knock off of a BMW, can a modern day BMW equivalent go backwards up a hill?
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BMW stopped the production of sidecars after the introduction of the /5 model series in 1969.
Certainly there are manufacturers of custom made sidecars (some on BMW basis) which could do that (if you need to get out of the firing line quickly) … and they would be good for everyday use on the motorway in flowing traffic as well
73 Armin
OHV can do the same job, and even better.
Just like my 1969 VW Westfalia camper van! Goes anywhere and you can fix it with a few spanners and screwdrivers. 4 cyl, air-cooled, boxer design. Very simple, very reliable. Very slow!!! =)
There are some of these Ural motorbikes here in Seattle. I’ve seen them driving around. I prefer my Yamaha TW200 motorbike!
73,
-Josh WU7H
Hi Josh - They’re lovingly called "Bulli"s over here. Originally designed as a transporter van there evolved a range of campers that have become a classic symbol of people holiday-making on a budget anywhere in the world. I believe there was a 4WD version made at one point!
73 Ed.
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Back in the '60s and '70s, painted in zebra stripes and with large roof hatchs, they were the standard safari tour vehicles in East Africa, often seen in small herds surrounding a pride of lions…