Why you should NOT buy a Ural motorcycle

[Mr. Cob]

Howdy bokad,

I know you have had some problems and you have made some valid points that many of us Uralistas have been complaining about for years. That said some of your other observations miss the mark completely. Its clear that the Ural is not a machine your comfortable with so sell it to someone who can appreciate it for what it is.

[MotoJ]

Seven pages in 14 odd hours, Bokad! Might be a record!

[davide]

I just read the whole thing! This is great! It is pouring with rain down here in Costa Rica and there is nothing to do, but sit in the internet café, sip some of the best coffee ever made and read about a machine I have been drooling on since the 90's, but that I have never been able to afford.
Anyway, I thought I'd throw in my 2 cents: most of the previous posts, both pro and against Ural, apply to any old school machines. Take the LML Star deLuxe 150cc 2 stroke Vespa clone made in India (Stella in the US) I am using to tour Costa Rica: compared to any 4 stroke Jap or Chinese made scooter available here is not only slightly more expensive, but it is also totally outdated and unrealistic as a touring machine. Yet I am totally in love with it and would not want anything different (except a Gear Up to explore off road.) Basically, I bought an overpriced Indian scooter (a piece of shit to many, an amazing piece of history to me and others) that is fairly slow, rides listing to the left because the motor is on the rt side, barely stops and that requires me to mix 2 stroke oil every time I gas up. But I love the whole experience. I knew exactly what I was getting into when I got it and it delivered exactly what I expected. I am having a great time and I know that I can get this thing going again in virtually any situation using a tool kit that includes a few basic tools, a coat hanger, a roll of electrical tape and a rubber mallet. I rode one when I was 16 in Milan, Italy, and my brother still rides his every day over 30 yrs later. It takes an intimate knowledge of this scooter in order to ride it correctly: overdo it and it will disassemble itself. Could this be the case with a Ural also? It certainly was with all my Meridien Triumphs, my MG Falcone 500 and the VW bus that took me and my dogs all over the US when I quit my job in Miami and went wandering with no idea of where I would eventually end up.
Anyway, all jokes aside, I can see why you are frustrated, Bokad, and I admire your willingness to travel to Indonesia on a Ural. Look at it as a great adventure on a new vintage machine. Yes, the aggravating factor is there, but the smiling factor overcompensates and makes it all worth it (at least for me.)
I am saving for a Ural T (only one I might be able to afford), I will add a few basic accessories, buy it from a dealer with a proven history of setting them up right, take one of the clinics offered to get to know it well, go over it with a fine comb to repair and replace anything that might look like it could become a liability down the road, break it in right, pack the trunk with 3 toolkits and 3 spare kits (basic, ordinary maintenance, extraordinary maintenance) and retrace the bicycle ride I did in 2010 from Kanab, Utah, to Costa Rica where (like in Cuba) Russian vehicles have a reputation for being very basic, but tough as nails and have a very strong following.
One last comment about Russian made stuff: when I was in the service, I had the opportunity to test extensively an AK 47. That thing was built to last, never jammed even if left in the mud, never needed any real cleaning or servicing, the pick up truck of assault rifles. We NATO personnel could only wish we had it instead of the British issued SLR (Self Loading Rifle.) SO not everything manufactured behind the iron curtain was poorly made...

[matman1972]

Bokard, I have enjoyed this thread. It is fun reading the different opinions, and kind of funny seeing the personal attacks develop from a simple difference of opinion. Has to make you wonder how unsure of that huge amount of dough they just plunked down they are feeling to lash back like that.
I have loved rebuilding, riding, wrecking, and re-rebuilding my 650. Driven it to peoria, all around the southeast, and on several camping trips . I will not be selling it. Nor will I lay down the dough for a new one. I cannot argue with your original statement that compared to vehicles of comparable cost, they are lacking in quality control.
I have driven many odd bikes cross country and will continue to take my 650 on trips, but I will always be prepared for the stranding that is coming, and just fix it when I get home. I have no problem with doing that on a bike i am into for less that $2500 alltogether. I would be totally bumbed out doing that with a bike I paid $15000 for.

[JerseyBlues]

Heck, we've got a bunch of GIRLS buying and riding these things...

elizilla, pjarmstrong, dachary, doublebarrel, and as mentioned earlier- Hints from Heloise!

...find yourself a girlfriend that can wrench bokad!

[janner]

It appears that I may own the two most unreliable motorcycles on the planet. A Ural and a GS.
If I ever break down on the road I hope its on the Ural as I will at least have some idea whats wrong and how to fix it.

[AlanCT]

Originally Posted by JerseyBlues

I've seen Ural owners replace cylinders in a campground on the ground covered in pine needles while drinking Baltika #9s (another great Russian product) and then go riding offroad the next couple of days and ride it home afterwards with no further issues (QBall).

Ha-ha, I remember that! I also recall getting a face full of 2WD roost from JerseyBlues while pushing him out of a nasty spot.

Ural owners I know seem to relish the chance to meet mechanical challenges, and understand that they will have a few of these opportunities when they get involved with them. Those like the OP who finds wrenching to be a nuisance are wise to steer clear, and this advice is repeated ad nauseam over on Steeds in countless "should I get a Ural" threads.

I do agree with the OP the newest ones have become a bit dear in price though.

[RidingDonkeys]

Hell, we had people ride in from as far away as Ohio and Maine at the CRAP rally this year. The only breakdown I recall was from the V-Strom that joined us.

[EvilClown]

Originally Posted by AlanCT

Ha-ha, I remember that! I also recall getting a face full of 2WD roost from JerseyBlues while pushing him out of a nasty spot.

...

[JerseyBlues]

Originally Posted by EvilClown

Dang! That was recorded?!?

[hogmaine]

11,500 km on my '11 Gobi no more issues than I had with my '09 Harley FLHT

Gobi - couple bulbs out, brake switch, and dirty air cleaner driven as daily transport since purchase in Sept. 11. Thru snow, sleet, freezing rain, ice storms, etc. one tire $56.00

Harley - Bulb, loose bolts, exhaust leak, gas cap lock froze up over 25,000 miles when traded for Gobi in Sept '11
two tires $536.00

really no big deal with either bike

[bokad]

That's unfortunate as I didn't write it feeling that way. I don't feel sorry for myself that I bought a Ural. I laugh and chalk it up to experience and my stubborness at ignoring other peoples advice.
I'll get another bike and move on. It's about informer other potential buyers.

Originally Posted by Dachary

It has sort of a "sour grapes" vibe that is clearly polarizing readers.

Excellent and direct question. You're right, it's just anecdotal evidence. If Ural would be so kind as to release their warranty figures then we'd know. I doubt any manufacturer would though.

Originally Posted by Dachary

As far as your statistics for stating that Urals are unreliable compared to other bikes - I'd love to hear your stats. What numbers did you crunch to determine this? Where have you found the data that supports the "higher number of failures versus other bikes" assertion? If you're basing it on more than anecdotal evidence from reading a wrenching forum, I'd love to hear how the statistics break out.

I hope you will hurry up and begin your trip! Waiting for a story sucks! And I do hope it will be a great success.

[bokad]

Yes, remember the tone of that thread when it was Ural owners talking amongst themselves? The anger and threats of violence? The attacks on the dealer that sold it to you. And this was from fellow Ural loving owners! When Ural is attacked by outsiders they circle the wagons but in 'private' there is often a different tone.

The dealer and Ural claim it's not their fault. That's a big surprise!

'So I can't really blame that one on Ural'. I think you can. They are the ones that determine where parts are made, how much QC is done, etc... Certainly someone must take the blame, it's not an act of god, right?

I am always amazed at how forgiving Ural owners are. Of all the other forums I read I've never heard so many stories of bikes that break within days of purchase.

Originally Posted by Dachary

So since one of the threads in the original post about a Ural failure was mine, I suppose I should chime in.

I recently bought a new Ural (bought new instead of used for the warranty, and for some of the improvements they've made in the past few years) and it failed on the way home from the dealer. Had to have it towed back to the dealer just 2.5 miles from making it home!

The dealer claims that the problem was a bad part - a part that Ural themselves outsourced and have had some quality control issues with. So I can't really blame that one on Ural. After replacing that part, the thing has run like a dream. Did a 300 mile day on it the day after bringing it home, which is a lot on a new engine that's still breaking in, and it just keeps getting better and better.

[Thermos]

I hope you will hurry up and begin your trip! Waiting for a story sucks! And I do hope it will be a great success.

HUH?

Seems a little harsh?

Bored in Indonesia?

-T

[bokad]

That is a great quote and Ural description.
"the common things it can't do..."

Originally Posted by JerseyBlues

The beauty of a Ural isn't about the common things it can't do, it's about the uncommon things it can do. -windmill