Modern Vespa

OK now back to Urals. I got the colour chart from the dealer. I think I'm going to go with cascade green.

*EDIT*

Here is a link to the Gear Up in Cascade Green.

https://www.alphacars.com/vehicle-details/new-2018-ural-gear-up-2wd-cascade-green-custom-boxborough-ma-id-26263465

I think you will be pleased. IMO the high gloss metallic colors look really good.

Wait, they come in more than one color? I have seen a few dozen over the years, they were all the Taiga color. I thought that was the only option

Cool, thanks Dooglas. I think I will go with that colour. Now it's the accessories that are going to be a real challenge.

A few are a given such as the heated grips and undercoat. Windscreens for sidecar and rider, the med kit and gas can I know I want and probably an aftermarket lighting kit. I'd rather get everything I want prior to purchase rather than ordering afterwards. I'd like to try and keep it to around 25 K though if possible.

That is a nice color, stylish yet clear hints towards military vehicles.

Is the engine always painted black in this model? I think it looks good in black and also fits nicely the green color.

Good point, I'll be sure to ask the dealer about that and I agree, it looks great.

This is typical me.... my wife knew as soon as I mentioned it. When I moved back to Canada a while ago I sold my Lammies and Vespas and gave up riding. Partially because I was just depressed (bad divorce and the fallout from that) and that I was piss broke. I lived in my step mothers basement in Toronto while my dad still lived in the states and so while doing that I went back to school. I was still barely 30 and young though good luck telling me that back then.

Got a job in advertising out of school working the help desk. Worked my way up to the second most senior IT position and ran all the servers and networks for a good sized international ad agency. I was doing great until I got laid off as the owners let go of senior staff as they prepped to sell the company and drop salary costs. I felt like I had hit another major slide but got a job as the senior tech at a consulting firm. Anyway long story short I now own my own firm and my wife was the controller at the AD agency so besides all the experience I gained I have that to be thankful for. She ran an accounting firm for over a decade and has for the last 3 years been running our own accounting division. Obviously not as good an accountant as web-tech but hey we get by

Crap I don't know why you all need to know this. I guess my point is she has learned that if I want something I sort of just do it. I got pissed off after not being able to ride for 4 days and knew a Ural would not have had a problem. I swore to myself this would be the last winter I look out a window and tell myself I cannot put the gear on and go ride.

I'll second the Cascade Green, don't get the Urban Camo - you'll never find it again.

The one I see regularly, the engine is the same color as the bike. But it is an older one.

I believe the engine is available in either alloy or black. The factory does a black-out finish on some bikes where bars, pipes, hubs, and everything are black.

Well in a few days I'll be speaking to the dealer as the downtown Toronto bike show is this weekend. I'm pretty excited about it.

Yup, it's available in black from the factory though it costs more. I've done A LOT of homework on these things now.

My biggest concern when I take delivery sometime this summer is I'm going to be riding it home and the dealer is an hour out of town on the freeway. They do give a one hour lesson when you get the bike and I'm assuming throw in some ballast for the sidecar. I also haven't ridden a shifty in a long time though I'm assuming that will come back to me easily enough. I will NOT be taking the freeway home the first ride that much I am sure of.

If you getting it with a hack, you should not have any problems. The difference is that you will be driving the bike, rather than riding it. You will find that you will be shifting your weight and wrestling the handlebars around some to turn, but I bet within 500 miles, you will be real comfortable with the clutch and shifting. Just avoid steep hills until you are.

Thanks for the reassurance.. Yeah with a sidecar, getting the Gear Up. I have 2 other bikes so I'll take my time with the Ural and learning how to ride it. We have a trip planned for Turkey Point off Lake Erie in August I'm hoping to have time to prep for. Lots of offload trails I'd love to take the Gear Up out on. Something I can't do with my current rides.

Saw this on Craig's List.
https://asheville.craigslist.org/mcy/d/highlands-bmw-r90-ural-sidecar-rig/6820436390.html

The Ural is not available without the sidecar. There have been a couple of Ural models without the sidecar available in the past, such as the Wolf, but they have been long since discontinued.

It's a done deal. Spoke to the dealer at the bike show with my wife with me. She gave her blessing and cascade green is the colour for the Gear Up. I'll have it sooner than I thought as well. I'll speak to the dealer mid week and we'll finalize the build and get the paperwork done.

They take you to an empty lot when you pick the bike up and give you as much training as you need before you ride the bike home.

As an added bonus for buying now I get a 3 year warranty at no extra charge. That may not sound like a big deal but I ride my bikes hard. The warranty on the Vespa and BMW have saved me a lot of money and both have been good about warranty coverage. The Ural I doubt I will ride as hard as far as going fast goes but I will be taking it off road so the extra warrant is nice. It also speaks to the confidence Ural has in the numerous upgrades in the last decade. Since the change in ownership Ural has been dragged kicking and screaming in to the current century it seems.

Very nice Sean.

I'm looking forward to a spin in the side car. I promise to rock my leather jacket and DGR open face helmet and goggles.

You've got yourself a deal David

The really hard part is going to be picking out the accessories.

So far here are the for sure add-ons. The dealer has a list of the most common ones he is sending me. NOT going to be a cheap toy but I love it. Not sure how I'm going to ride 3 bikes but I'll find a way and they do all serve different purposes. Yes for the same money I can get a Ducati or a big ole' Harley or Gold Wing etc but I don't want those bikes.

- Hand Shifter for 2WD & Reverse - Confused on this as there is also a 3rd party kit ( http://racewayural.com/product/ural-twin-stick-forwardreverse-shift-kit-pn10014/ ) - Will ask dealer.
- Heated Grips
- Windscreens - need to decide which but I like this one ( http://www.uralne.com/touring-windshield/ )
- All around impact protection
- Sidecar door
- Med Kit - (Piston and Sickle design)
- 15" Heavy Duty Cargo Net
- Extra Storage racks - Fender Rack Carrier, maybe nose rack as well
- Plug run up to handlebars from tender for GPS and heated gear
- RAM Mount Universal Device Holder Kit
- Left Foot Box Assembly
- Sidecar Armrest Set
- RAM Self Levelling Cup Holder Kit (yeah, yeah I know...)
- Ural Hand Mitts
- LED Driving Light Grille
- Trunk Organizer Net
- Military Grade Ammo Box (zombie apocalypse preparation and it looks cool)

I like this but it ads a lot to cost - probably can get by without it. ( 2-Into-1 High Mount Exhaust System http://www.uralne.com/2-into-1-high-mount-exhaust-system/ )

Your monkey might like to have the sidecar liners. That metal box is Cold! The sidecar windscreen also helps alot.

Thanks Tazio. I was looking at that and the heated blanket. The power adapter in the sidecar is easily accessible up on the top lefthand side.

The screen for the sidecar is for sure and I will get the sidecar mirror. My understanding is that helps the monkey see what is going on and it also helps the driver. It is driver with a sidecar I think and not rider? I'm just learning the lingo.

Ural has been making improvements yearly lately. There are threads here and there about "don't buy before 20xx". What do any of you know about 20xx?

2019 is considered a good year to take the plunge. But it's still a guessing game as to what is coming.


https://www.cycleworld.com/ural-upgrades-its-engines-for-2019#page-2

Driver/Rider/Pilot is on the bike. Monkey/Passenger is in the tub.

Accessory suggestions:

Yes on all the windshield and leg guards you can get. They're the bomb. Reverse and 2wd handshifters are nifty but you can operate the reverse with your heel with ease so you can consider those optional.

Re/ Luggage Racks: Fender rack is nifty but can't actually hold a ton of weight. BIG NO on the nose rack. A nose rack is outside your tipover lines, and it is outside the most dangerous one. If you go over that tipover line in a too-hot too-sharp left, the bike lands on you. SMUSH. This is the high side of the hack world. If you must have one, it's strictly for pillows and light stuff.

If you want cooler exhaust but don't want to shell out, evo sportster pipes go on with some basic adaptors and look and sound cool. Stock Ural Pontoons do the job but are meh and will burn your shins. You'll find out. It's the funnest. Right up there with pouring gas in your Vespa's pet carrier.

Ride it lots. Urals that get ridden are bombproof. When they sit a long time trouble develops.

Thanks. Here is the configuration .

I went with the nose rack more for aesthetics than anything else. If I do use it, it will be for lighter items like pillows. Thanks for tip though, I take all I can get. The guys over at Soviet Steeds have been helpful as well.

The hand shifter gets a big nod all around and I am getting it. I will be doing a lot of urban riding and just being able to find neutral and reverse easily is very handy.

Leg shields are now standard, I think it was just one of those things almost everyone got.

I ride a lot, period. Even with the 3 bikes I'm sure the Ural will get plenty of use. I love the feeling of grabbing my keys and making the decision on what bike to take out when I'm in the elevator gong down to the parking garage. In crappy weather I know what bike it will be almost every time.

With the leading link front end i wouldnt worry too much about front weight.

Ah, thanks! Still with the amount of storage available especially without a monkey on board I don't see it getting much use. I head up t the cottage often the day before my wife and when I do that I usually load the bike up pretty well. The BMW has about 110 Litres of storage, the Ural I imagine has much more than that especially when you consider the racks.

So what is the total cost of this slice of 1970's nostalgia?

I'm going to say it's a little further along than that.

It's not cheap nor do I feel it's a waste of money.

https://www.imz-ural.com/2019-ural

Anything that makes you happy, isn't a waste of money. See my Enfield Pegasus left. But you keep showing us glimpses of the prices of these spare bits and I just wondered how much of an obsession it had become

With all the little bits it comes to about 30K CAD.

Pretty good vid here just in the off chance anyone is wondering as to why I want a modern Ural. It covers a lot of the reasons. I have no room for a car and a parking spot in my building would put my back about 60-80K or $250/month to rent a spot. I want something I can ride year round with lots of storage that will fit in the same spot as my other 2 bikes. This does all that.

I missed way too may days this winter because of snow. I hate public transport and while Uber is OK it's still a pain.

This is EXACTLY why I am getting a Ural. Went in to the market for 20 minutes and came out to a bike covered in snow. The ride of a few miles home was NOT fun and took every little bit of skill I had to do it without dropping the bike. I will say this, the BMW C650GT really is a great well balanced bike. I got home about 20 minutes ago and my nerves are still a little shot. With the Ural I'll be looking forward to this kind of weather

What jolly larks.

Bill x

The Larks come flying back in about a month, Bill.

That is just a taste of Canada's winter offering.
So far, down in my neck of the woods, we have dodged the bullet thus far today. It's +3.6 °C as I type.
We'll probably get hit tonight.

My cousin from France went to Russia to work.
Check his ride, he looks happy.

It looks super. Like the King's ride.

Utility at its best!

Love the patina! Think it may belong in the NSM section though

Sort of like Vespa - you can look at a 50 year old bike and tell it's the same brand.

Looks almost WWII era.

That is exactly what they are, or at least the origin of them. Modelled after a late-1930s BMW sidecar bike called the R71 .

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IMZ-Ural

If you listen carefully, that weather is telling you to buy a Jeep Renegade.
It comes with air conditioning, heated seats and is a smidgen cheaper.
If the gun mounting is important then perhaps you could find a used Toyota pickup?

I don't drive cars, don't even have a license. Not sure, what's the fixation with the gun mount? You don't have to own this, I do. I prefer to be on a bike, I don't like being surrounded by a cage. I don't understand why that concept is so difficult to understand. Last I checked this forum is one focused on a type of motorbike. I don't "get" 50 CC scoots but I don't hold it against anyone that owns or wants one. To each their own.

Winter riding is NO BIG DEAL if you have the gear. It's actually fun, maybe you should try it?

The other reason I would not get a jeep is where am I going to park it? You want to give me 80K or 250/month for a parking spot? The Ural will fit in my spot with the other 2 bikes.