(But I'm almost retired so time is not going to be a big issue soon)[/QUOTE] Your so right, ( if married) once retired your time will not be an issue, Your time from then on is all your wife's time
Your so right, ( if married) once retired your time will not be an issue, Your time from then on is all your wife's time[/QUOTE] Ohhh Norton that's what fancying those Brit Bikes does for you raises your cynicism level to red line said the unknowing retired bachelor !
Ohhh Norton that's what fancying those Brit Bikes does for you raises your cynicism level to red line said the unknowing retired bachelor ![/QUOTE]
To the original poster,,,,, I do not have a Ural presently but like you, I've got the hots for one real bad. I've driven the older Ural, it was a 2008 I think. It honestly felt like something I woulda built back when I was 16 and that's not a good thing. The thing required constant attention, accelerate {relative term there}and it pulled one way, decelerate and it pulled another. Hit one brake, pulls another then hit the other and yep,,,, you guessed it,,,,,,,,,, another way yet again. In simple terms, I was completely underwhelmed and glad as hell I was able to drive one a few miles before buying one as I woulda been a very unhappy camper to have plunked down 14K$ or better and then discovered this. Problem was/is, I still want one???:huh So, I took to looking for an older used one and was told to stay as current as possible because nearly every year they improved something and that 2008 was sorta the cut-off for me. While getting very close to buying a used one, the new 14s came out with all the new improvements. Buy everything I've read, the 14's improvements easily make up for the added costs, even compared to maybe a used one at say 10K$ or so. I will be trying to wrangle a test ride on a new 14 model and that will determine on whether I will be buying a new 14 or an older used model. Like you, I like the various camoed models and I'm dissapointed they are no longer available but man, like others have stated,,,,,,, that's the last thing I care about. If I want camo, I'll camo it using the OEM powder coat as a base. I know you may not know a thing about paint and body but man, thousands do and you could get it done for a grand or considerably less depending on who does it. If my choice is "better all round bike" vs "better paint choice",,,,,, I would pick the better bike any day. If you are rarely gonna ride it and it's just fer looking at, get the color choice you want and save alot of money. If you are gonna drive the thing alot,,,,,,,,, you might really want to test ride a 14 and a 13 back and possibly think about what two-three color combo would good on top of one of those three bland 14 choices.
BTW,,,, this is what can be done for less than 300$ in materials- Considering the Ural would use alot less materials with the primary base already applied,,,, look at less than 200$ in materials even if you splurge.
I've used the analogy of comparing a Ural to a high end custom rig, being like comparing an old CJ Jeep to a Range Rover. after putting a couple hundred km on the 2014, I will say itsnow like comparing a new Wrangler to a Range Rover. Its still a Ural in the way a Wrangler is still a Jeep, but feels much more like a contemporary vehicle. A sidecar is one of those things where your gut feeling is as important, if not more so, than a list of specifications. If your gut says Ural, then its unlikely you will be happy with something else, and if your gut says a Ural isn't refined enough for you, then you probably won't be happy with one. One thing to keep in mind, Ural, DIY, or custom, you may not like it at first, but fall in love with it in a short time.
Sorry OP I'm a bit late on this one. I have both a Ural and a 1200 GS. 50000km on the Ural and only 11000km on the GS. Can you guess which is my favourite ride ? 3 cars and 2 bikes in the shed. The Ural is always first choice.......
Had a Ural for a year, it was a nice adventure every time you took it out. Then I bought a 07 GSA with the sole intent on hacking it. We've put a shit load of miles on the rig since bringing the rig home from DMC's shop in Washington. Here it is on the trip home: We would take the Ural out on the weekends and do 80 to 100 mile "rides" in the hills around Ventura County California and like I said by the time you got home you felt like you had been on an adventure. With the current rig, after breakfast we'll decide to hop in and ride up to Santa Barbara wine country, do some wine tasting, and be home for dinner. Easily do the 200+ mile day and no drama, no stress and all grins all day. This June we are taking the rig on the Continental Divide Route which should be around 75 to 80% dirt and lots of camping. The CDT is just the first of our planned long trips with South America being the long term goal. There are a lot of people here on AdvRider who do a lot of VERY adventurous rides/trips. There are guys who do the TAT on Honda 90 trail bikes, a guy who toured South America on 125cc 3 wheeled cab, the "Bugs on My Face" couple who rode from Texas to Alaska on a Ural, and then they had a nice big GSA based rig built which they took to South America. Most of these Foil Heads with their 2wd clunkers are playing around close to home and with a dog or camping gear in the tub. Sure they could be racking up miles but in lots of short runs. I think you want your passenger to be happy get something you can easily travel on, not make a big ordeal out of a day trip.
NotsoStrong Bad, "Easily do the 200+ mile day and no drama, no stress and all grins all day" Big deal. Maybe you need to spend some time in the gym? 300+ days no problem for me on my Ural and I am 72.
Look again old man, your speedo is in Kilometers, your 300+ is only 186+ of my miles! Hahahahaha! Nice try geezer! (btw, I'm 60, so you ain't that old! ) How happy is you passenger after 300km?
Now that's funny! Actually SWMBO wouldn't allow 2 sidecars in the the garage at the same time, but regardless I have no need nor desire to own a Ural now that I've seen what a real rig will do.
Weak Bad, Duh, is my odometer really in kilometers? No sh*t? Boy, you are one smart cookie. All along I though I was getting 50 miles per gallon on my Ural. Your idiotic post above just blew what little faith I had in your opinions. If you are worn after 100 miles on a Ural then you need some gym time to get some upper body strength or else you needed somebody to set up your Ural properly for you.
From Weak Bad "Easily do the 200+ mile day and no drama, no stress and all grins all day." Boy that is impressive. Iron butt Bob.
Wow Strong you've got a new admirer a 72 y/o with a W650 and a Ural your really on your way to top of the adv social roster. Don't even wonder why I think most of adv\hacks is beyond contempt
