Hi,
Ural was my *first* motorcycle. I was 2 years old when my dad put me into the sidecar with my mom. I rode that, K-750 and other Soviet bikes.
There are two things that you should know about these bikes:
1. They are not modern by any means. No ECU or other crap that you guys are used to.
2. The bikes with sidecars are tanks.
In Soviet Russia having a car was expensive; therefore, many middle-class families chose motorcycles with sidecars. We used it on highways, in a city and in the woods. The bike was perfect.
In my opinion, getting this bike as the only motorcycle could be a mistake for now. The bikes are relatively new to the U.S. and the instruction manuals may not be translated perfectly. Also, the top speed is only around 60mph, but in reality you would not want to go more than 55mph on one of those puppies. If I lived in a rural area, I would definitely get one instead of an ATV; however, in a city this may be a stretch. Also, these bikes probably need to be customized a bit in order to make good crusiers.
The seats on these motorcycles are not the best. You can ride for an hour or two tops. The sidecar, if you choose to get one, is not really comfortable if you are a tall person and you will have to pay attention to the sheet metal because it can rust if you scratch it... The again, my bike was made in late 1970s and things could be different now.
The good news is that you cannot have more fun on a dirt road! One of our motorcycles had an on demand sidecar drive. My dad used to find big puddles and smash the bike into them. Then we would try to get it out
If I were a hunter, this bike would be perfect for that as well.
Please let me know if you have any other questions. Thanks,
-V
P.S.: I hear that Ural has a good warranty and the dealers are pretty nice as well. I was thinking of starting a Ural dealership in my area, but there is one already. GRRRR!!!!
