The end of sidecars? Quite the contrary!…
The year 2016 is the opportunity to present some technical novelties: Electronic injection, 3 brake discs, even a price decrease!
New models, such as the Tourist Cross at 16’300.-and the Sportman Cross at 17’100.- Ural Ranger Gobi at 17’550.- URAL CT with 18″ wheels ä 15’600.- URAL T WD at 15’600.- URAL Retro at 17’000.- !
The spirit remains and the sidecarists are more and more numerous to be spoiled by the brand URAL which widens its range from year to year by creating new models for practices always more diversified and of great improvement of use as well as in safety !
URAL is a classic vision of the sidecar to share with friends or lovers.
Whether it is the Neo Vintage trend that is affecting all motorcycle brands, with its model rightly called Retro, or the new “Adventure” trend with Cross models that allow for everything at the same time: off-road riding, amateur competitions on the ground, or the great adventure in distant lands and on tracks that are not necessarily marked out.
Finally, Ural does not escape the fashion of matte colors: matte asphalt, metallic Burgundy, matte azure, matte terracotta.
Vintage trend with the Ural Retro.
Ural Retro
This is the most beautiful model of the Ural brand with its Retro look, as its name suggests, which allows it to revive the charm of the models of yesteryear in the fifties.
But if the look dates back to the fifties, the mechanics is quite modern.
The oblong shape of the tank is reminiscent of the M72, the very first Ural sidecar.
The speedometer and the lights are integrated in the headlight.
Since 2009, the fork is a Marzocchi.
It has a low-profile frame and 18-inch wheels.
The reverse gear is easily engaged with the lever near the tank, like shifting gears on older bikes, ä 17’000.-
Ural Cross
The Ural Cross, is one of those revolutions like it happens every 10 years in the Ural family.
It was developed at the request of European consumers who wanted a model more precisely predestined for adventure.
A sidecar capable of carrying heavy and varied loads on rough and snowy terrain and even of participating in amateur off-road competitions.
For this reason, the passenger comfort has been reduced to its simplest expression on this Ural Cross, but for which several support bars have been added, so that the passenger can be one with the machine.
This way, he can move like a co-pilot of the machine, in order to improve both its stability and its traction, especially in competition.
The adventurer who wants to travel the world has different needs.
Lockable storage boxes have been placed under and behind the passenger seat, which can also provide a significant storage area.
The Ural Cross is equipped with an engine cover plate as standard.
Ural T, the Spartan, is the cheapest
The Ural T, represents what is otherwise called the low cost of the Ural range, will be sold from FRS 15’600.-.
A low price made possible by the reduction of the level of equipment to the strict minimum, a little in the spirit of what historically Mr. Henry Ford had achieved with his Ford T.
The URAL CT has 18 inch wheels, no passenger seat, no windscreen, no cylinder guard, no spare wheel and is available in only one color, black, which covers the whole sidecar, which has no chrome.
It goes without saying that everything can be acquired through accessories sold separately.
This model T was put on sale in the USA, where it met a great success especially with young and beginner sidecarists.
In fact, it seems that the totally black line of this sidecar, seduced the buyers by giving a modern, trendy and less clumsy look than the T model.
The very low price of this Ural, is also a good alternative to buy a new sidecar instead of a second hand one, especially since these second hand ones are rare in Europe, especially because Ural owners usually keep their vehicles for a long time and that’s why second hand ones with low mileage are expensive.
Let’s not forget that with the Ford T model, Mr. Henry Ford realized during years, the biggest sales of the car world.
Of course, this is all the bad news for the Ural T.
URAL T WD for two-wheel drive, should sell around also 15’600.-
Ural Adventure
Just like the gatherings of other brands, Ural also organizes concentrations and “Ural Adventure” courses for enthusiasts of these models.
Ural Ranger Gobi
As the name suggests, the Ural Ranger Gobi, is an evocation of the brand’s military past. This model is intended for those who would like to own a replica of the models of yesteryear to walk in the woods or go fishing in full discretion and in camouflage.
In this case, the Gobi is designed for desert trekking, where it will blend in perfectly with the landscape.
The Gobi is equipped with a directional headlight, a spare canister and an American shovel for sand removal, all as standard.
The Ural Ranger also comes in green, brown and matte green, at 17,550.-
A little history
The grandfather of the Ural was the M72 model (which we also discuss below), which was a copy of the BMW R71 model.
The first models were assembled in Moscow, Leningrad, Charkow and Gorkij.
When Hitler invaded Russia, the production plants were moved to the east of the Soviet Union, to Siberia and the Ural Mountains, so that German planes could not reach them or destroy them.
On November 19, 1941, the first train loaded with machine tools and materials for production arrived in Irbit, a small town of 300 people east of the Urals.
Production began in a brewery building that soon proved to be too small, and continued outdoors, especially in Siberia, in freezing temperatures that one can easily imagine.
But despite all these disadvantages, the first M72 models were ready for use and operational by 1942.
However, the URAL factory experienced a serious crisis in 2009, as the factory produced only 500 units and the number of employees was reduced to 150.
The new environmental laws also forced the site to close its galvanization plant.
But in 2011, production resumed its normal course, with 950 units produced and in 2013, 1200 units.
The main market for the Ural brand is the United States, where two thirds of the production is sold.
Outside Europe, the URAL brand is sold in Canada, Australia, Japan, South Africa and South Korea, while very few are sold on Russian soil.
The first M72s came off the assembly line in Irbit, Siberia in the Urals, on 19 November 1941, just before the war forced the factory to move to the Moscow area.
The models manufactured were all intended for the troops at war. About 9,500 Ural were produced, which participated in the victory in their own way, either as troop transporters, reconnaissance vehicles or even ambulances.
Of course, at that time it was impossible to imagine that 70 years later Ural would be the last sidecar manufacturer in the world and would become a cult brand.
Since 1941, more than 3 million units have been produced by Irbit Motorcycles Factory.
In November 2011, URAL celebrated the 70th anniversary of the IMZ-Ural by creating the model…
…M70 Anniversary Edition… Too late exhausted !< />A model dedicated to the first M72 assembled in Irbit, remaining as close to the original as possible, especially by its original color.
The IMZ logo has not appeared on the Urals since 1956.
After a painstaking research, a logo almost identical to the original was finally reproduced and affixed to the M70 Anniversary Edition.
The M70 is equipped with 18″ wheels, Marzocchi telescopic fork, Sachs shock absorber and Brembo 4-piston disc brake.
Explore new and unique sensations “LIKE YOU”… and come join the big URAL family soon!
URAL Scrambler Hurry up, there are only a few left!
