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Ural Sales up 39 Percent Along with their Cool Factor

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2012 Ural Gear Up - 2WD adventure sidecar rig
2012 Ural Gear Up - 2WD adventure sidecar rig

This Ural PR piece hit my inbox yesterday and it got me thinking. What is it about the Ural that has them on the upswing while so many other bikes are collecting dust on showroom floors? That M70 anniversary model we wrote about just over a month ago sold out in less than 2 weeks. The Ural is “suddenly cool” after being around for 70 odd years. It’s certainly no super bike, it isn’t going to be a favorite of the boy racer crowd, there aren’t any carbon fiber accessories and the majority are sold with sidecars, yet the numbers are going up and the dealer network is actually growing, 22 new ones in the past year. So, what’s up?

2012 Ural Forest Fog Gear Up - 2WD adventure sidecar rig

The cool factor plays a part; as the press piece says, they put one in the Hammacher Schlemmer catalog and Brad Pitt and Ewan McGregor put Urals in their garages, and to some that sort of thing makes a difference, but most buyers couldn’t care less. I think it has more to do with more folks wanting to get back to motorcycling basics, a nice weekend ride instead of a cross country tour, a cruise down some unpaved back roads, a place to carry a few things you pick up at the store or want to take with you, and to top it off, it’s different. People wave and want to talk when you stop. You have that Indiana Jones adventurous look about you even if you just rode out of your garage ten minutes ago, and I also think, people who have no desire to get the biker look can see themselves tooling around in one of these.

Ural also shares something with the Royal Enfield, another brand doing really well right now, they’re not intimidating to maintain. After all, you can’t build 2WD sidecar adventure rigs that need computer diagnostics every time something isn’t right, so like a Royal Enfield, they’re designed for a more basic tool set. These days, that’s a nice touch.

Prices are lower, too. Although Harley exited the sidecar business, getting into a touring rig with a sidecar attached was no cheap date and it wasn’t made for any off road excursions. With a Ural, you’re starting with a much more basic rig where you can add or subtract pieces and still keep your investment from getting out of hand.

Maybe the Ural upswing will be short lived, maybe it will last a long time, but either way, they’re doing pretty well right now and quite a few riders could probably see themselves and a significant other off for a weekend adventure with a Ural, even if it’s only for a day.

Link: Ural

Press release follows: Ural Sees 39% Increase in Sales for Second Consecutive Year

REDMOND, WA — Ural Motorcycles experienced dramatic growth in 2011, logging a 39% increase in unit sales for the second consecutive year and welcoming 22 new dealers to its existing network.

Additional 2011 highlights included a New York Times feature, a Solo sT collaboration with esteemed bike builder James Hammarhead, being chosen for the prestigious Hammacher Schlemmer catalog, and seeing both Brad Pitt and Ewan McGregor add Urals to their garages. Last but certainly not least, Ural rang in the New Year by watching the year-end release of the M70 anniversary-edition sell out in less than two weeks.

So why is a 70-year-old Russian company — one that still builds its motorcycles just east of Ural Mountains — experiencing such success in an otherwise quiet market? Says Ural CEO Ilya Khait: “Sidecar motorcycles are ideal for a wide range for applications, from adventure riding to daily commuting. Being the only sidecar manufacturer in the world, Ural has experienced an increased demand from all age groups. Mature riders are interested in sidecars because of the added stability, and the unique opportunity to share the ride with their family members. The younger urban crowd is also getting into sidecars in their search for practical transportation and their desire for something unique — an experience and identity — they can associate with their own lifestyle.”

With infrastructure paramount for a fast-growing company, Ural is carefully expanding across all fronts. To service an increasing customer base, standout 2011 new dealers – Leo’s South, Kissell Motorsports, Santa Fe Motorsports, Philadelphia Cycle Center, San Diego BMW, Motorcycles of Charlotte and others — will be joined by an additional 25 to 30 dealers in 2012.

Meanwhile, Ural’s North American operation, located in Redmond, Washington, is moving to a larger facility to accommodate offices, parts and logistics departments. Additionally, Ural is pleased to announce the appointment of Chuck Schram, former Dealer Developer for Piaggio, to the position of Director of Dealer Development, and Jon Bekefy — previously employed by Ducati and LeoVince — to the position of Director of Strategic Marketing Communications.

With new Urals, special projects, dealers, and websites on the way, 2012 promises to continue the excitement and success of 2011 — and then some.

Posted on Filed Under: Motorcycle Business

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Comments

      • I’ve got a 2010 Ural Solo sT and it has been completely reliable. No issues.

        Ural, about 5-7 years ago, hired a firm to come in and address quality issues. The firm made significant parts and design detail changes, standardizing many bearings and seals, allowing Ural to buy higher quality western parts. Because Urals are still not F.I., they come jetted very lean, which is simply not good for any engine’s longevity. Thirty minutes (tops) and you can change out the jets, since the carbs are right out there in the open. The carbs, by the way, are CV Keihin carbs, so they are just as reliable as they are on any Japanese bike. The alternator, which was a source of trouble in earlier models, was replaced with a standard Denso unit that’s been solid. The brakes are now Brembos. The shocks are Sachs and the springs are from Progressive Suspension. Forks are 41mm Marzocchi units. It’s a solid, reliable bike as long as you’re not trying to abuse it by keeping up with your buddies on Ducatis, GSX-Rs, and CBRs. You can cruise at 70mph all day, but you probably would not want to be doing 80mph for long.

        Now keep in mind that I’m talking about the Solo sT model as far as performance goes. Add on a sidecar, passenger, 2WD mechnism, and all of the weight and aerodynamic drag and you need to tone down the performance expectations even further. I would not recommend taking a sidecar rig out on 65-70mph interstates, but it would probably be very happy on the 45-50mph speed limit secondary roads (understanding that people generally exceed the posted limits).

    • @Bob, right on! I love the classic styling of the Ural and Royal Enfield. The engine and other mechanical parts are out where you can see them, and you don’t have to remove all kinds of expensive plastic bits to get at them. One day, I’ll have one (or both) in my garage.

      • I do really love the look of the Enfields but you don’t need any tools to take the parts off, they tend to come off on their own.

        If you know ahead of time that is what you are going to have happen then that is one thing. But I really was hating it for one person I just met. Young dude, his first bike, and I think he is turned off forever now to biking after leaving a trail of Enfield parts in his wake. Lots of frustration.

  4. The San Diego BMW dealer carries them, and while there are no long term comments yet the maintenance guys seem to think they are good. Basically think 60’s BMW engines with changes for simplicity and reliability. The build quality looks good and solid, and the few that I’ve seen tooling around sound excellent.

  5. As a former hack pilot, I can attest to a totally different public reaction to a sidecar rig. Pedestrians pound each other on the shoulder and point, drivers grin, small children jump up and down with glee and cops put down their radar guns. Just as riding a motorcycle with a sidecar is a completely different experience, the public sees a rig as something different from a 2-wheeler. The “bad boy” image simply isn’t there. It’s not fair but it’s so. Back in the day I could ride my XS650 without the hack, and people on the street gave me the hairy eyeball. Bolt on the hack, and I was “that nut with the sidecar” — wearing the same black leather jacket and Bell full-face helmet, but I went from being a perceived threat to rolling comedy. Weird, huh? Little did they know how fast that rig was — put a passenger in the hack for weight and it cornered like it was on rails — hang on and steer, twist the throttle and it just flat flew. Even with the chair empty it would hustle around right-hand corners if I hung off the side and lofted the wheel.

    Maybe this is why riders are discovering sidecar rigs. Plus there’s lots of space to haul stuff; I carried all manner of things from groceries to oil-dri to plumbing supplies. It’s hugely practical while still being a motorcycle.

    As for Ural quality, I can’t speak to that from experience, but from what I’ve read, quality is miles ahead of the old Soviet days (when the transmission gears were cast iron!). Of course, that was a pretty low point and they might need a lot more improvement, but it looks like a great rig for tooling around, leisurely back-road touring and commuting; as long as it stays off the highway. Any sidecar rig needs at least 1000 ccs to work well on the highway; a hack places a lot of load and aerodynamic drag on the bike, and plenty of power is a necessity for speeds beyond 50 mph.

    But it looks like Ural has it right; the Earles fork is the right setup. I can’t tell if there’s suspension on the hack’s wheel, but it should be rigid, with the body suspended, to avoid strange handling dynamics.I learned this the hard way with my old rig; on left-hand turns the chair’s suspension compressed, tilting the whole machine the wrong way so all its dynamics had to fight each other. I ended up welding the axle to the frame and mounting the body on springs to get it working right, and it handled well afterward.

    So I’d say a Ural is the ideal machine for anyone with a quirky frame of mind who wants to be different but still enjoy riding.

    • Jim – looks like we were penning very similar comments at the same time. . . Instead of the rugged guy with the black leather jacket I wear my cream Triumph Romero, jeans, vintage helmet and vintage pilot goggles. Lots of waives (especially when I get the Mrs. and her cut friend to go out to dinner with me on the hack :).

    • I had my trail 90 with sidecar up to 50mph (passenger or no) many times. I think the trail 90 is around 5 HP and I know it’s 90cc. 45mph seemed like its natural top end with the car attached but it would do more once in a while.

      I fondly remember railing through corners – with my brother as monkey – looking down to see the front forks and spokes bent ever so unnaturally.

      -todd

    • Whats a hack pilot B50 Jim?

      I think these things are really cute. I would love to take a ride in one. I dont think I have ever actually seen a side car on the road. I am checking out our local motorcycle show this weekend, I hope I get to see something like this Ural.

  6. I think the popularity is increasing because the average motorcycle enthusiast is becoming more broad and older with disposable income. For those that had multiple bikes it used to be if you were into racing you had a few race bikes, or if you were into dirt biking you had a few dirt bikes, etc. Now it seems like folks are diversifying into different styles of riding.

    I’m one of those guys. . . I have a WR250R for the dirt, a Triumph Tiger 955i for the street, a DR650 Street Tracker for hooligan work, a DRZ110 supermoto for the track and a modern Bonneville with a Cozy sidecar for bumming around town in and date nights. Each bike allows me to wear a different outfit or feel different when riding. I’m still riding a motorcycle, but each bike is a different experience for me. That’s why I think the whole Ural scene is expanding. . . just another type of moto to have in the garage that gives a guy a different experience that you don’t get when you own 4 very similar bikes.

  8. Looks like an older model BMW to me. I like it. That drive wheel on the side hack is different. I don’t believe I’ve ever seen that before.

  9. The Ural bikes have sort of evoloved (a bit) from BMW designs of the early 1940s. The quality used to be dreadful but has improved. BMW engines from the 80s can be fitted, which up the performance. They have a retro charm and they’re cheap, so they do have some appeal. There are quite a few of them running around here in the UK and I can see the appeal, while the quality improvements mean they can actually be used as daily hacks. I doubt the growing sales in the US has anything to do with a hankering for the good old days of the 80s when we had a communist threat from Russia. 🙂

    I’d still rather have one of the new Enfields if I was looking for retro charm myself, the six days trials model particularly. Each to their own though.

  11. As Scotsduke says on the roads you do see varying vintages of these from downright retro to modern.
    Now the question is….. today, if you wanted a military orientated combo (bike & sidecar) would you go for the Russian modern old school 1938 BMW or the modern Chinese equivalent – a 600 single?.

  12. Nice looking but really poor MPG which is the greatest reason not to buy one. No new engine unlike royal enfield. Try running down the highway at 65 MPH for 2 hours and your going to be rebuilding the top end of the engine. Tough bike at 12 grand new I could buy a used BMW GS Airhead and a sidecar with cash left over for a trip.

    • Dave, have you rebuilt the Ural engine yourself after “running down the highway @ 65 mph for 2 hours”, or you just have heard about it?

  13. I’ve always thought sidecars were cool but had never driven one. Made friends with a guy that has a V max with a sidecar and decided to build one. Already owning a Blackbird and being a fabricator helped with that decision. 4130 tubing, sheet aluminum and awhole bunch of work later I’m having ten times the fun I could have on that bike as a bike. Three car tires for the price of two bike tires is a big plus and they last many times as long if you go easy on the back one(impossible) and it corners like a race dar.
    I like the looks of these Urals but like the performance of mine. Might be fun to build a dual sport rig. Sidecars make folks smile, give one a try.

    • Having owned 3 different BMWs over the years I’ve always thought that there couldn’t be too much wrong with these bikes that a little judicious retrofitting wouldn’t fix. I remember looking at them in Canada back in 1980 and thinking they were a stunning value, but the dealer had a release to be signed before sale stating that you knew they were unsafe and unreliable as sold. If modern quality control has found its way to the Ural factory you may be looking at the bike of a long lifetime (remember AMF).
      I had always dismissed the side car though, as a mere novelty, until I was visiting with motorcycling giant Ozzie Auer. I told him I felt a side hack would crimp my style and he responded that once there was more than 4 or 5 inches of snow and ice on the roads a side car was the only way to reliably keep a cycle balanced in daily use. In awe I said “of course”.
      I am not yet that much of a man.

  16. Either you “get” Russian bikes or you don’t. They have managed to retain their unique Russian panache while upgrading the naggling QC issues and components. My primary everyday ride is a 1984 Dnepr bobber

  17. Hell For Leather has been giving Ural alot of attention, which certainly has helped Ural’s bottom line. Plus, a small improvement on small numbers can make for a significant percentage boost! They look to be quite entertaining bikes!

  19. Hi there. I’ve owned a number of sidecars. I currently own a Suzuki DR650 with a sidecar. And Hannigan is putting together a Supersport sidecar on my 1250 Suzuki Bandit. I just sold my Goldwing sidecar. The Urals are way better than 10 years ago. Not a little better. WAY better. The igniton, the charging systems, the brakes, have all been greatly improved. They used to be 650, they are now 750cc. But my 650cc Suzuki DR, will still out run them. For all sidecars, the fuel milage goes down a lot. My GL1000 got 42 mpg, with a sidecar, it got 30 mpg, My DR650 got 50 mpg, with the sidecar it gets 40 mpg. A 10 mpg drop is normal. If the rig is not properly set up, the milage can be worse and the tires will wear out fast. But, if you have a properly set up rig, they are a lot of fun. Urals are designed for a sidecar, so they handle it better than most bikes. But they still only get about 30 mpg. Blaine

  20. Carolynne—

    As Bryan S. said, the sidecar is a a “hack” — the term evolved from “sidehack”, which I think came from the days when taxis were also called hacks, and sidecars were used as a cheap alternative to a car-based cab. I’m not sure. But a “hack pilot” therefore, is someone who rides a bike with sidecar attached. It’s tons of fun, once you unlearn everything you know about riding a motorcycle and re-learn all you need to know to handle a sidecar rig. If I had the space, I’d love to put a rig together, dedicated to a sidecar, not just a bike with a hack bolted on — as bbartcadia describes. Then I’d have to find a willing monkey (passenger) who isn’t afraid to put his or her life in my hands. My wife shows little interest in riding with me — I wonder why?

    • I would ride with you!
      As for unlearning everything, I know nothing so thumbs up there. All my riding experience is within the realm of basically dirt biking on back roads, or as a passenger (which I actually really like, as long as your driver can be trusted) Thanks for the explanation.

  21. Carolynne —

    Climb in! Basically, being a monkey means hunkering down in the “chair” and holding on for dear life. The pilot will loft the sidecar on left-hand turns, which is unnerving for the passenger. Riding fast that close to the ground also is a thrill. I learned to pilot my rig with a guy from the cycle shop as a monkey. We just went out and pushed it as hard as we could, and discovered how much we COULD push it. My brake rotor was blue from the heat! And what fun!

    Steering a rig is totally different from steering on two wheels. You don’t countersteer; rather you turn the bars in the direction you want to go. Sometimes you have to put some muscle into it as well. You have to trust that it will make the turn and crank the bars. It requires an entirely different set of skills. Just remembering to not put a foot down at stops is a trick in itself. It’s like a big, fast, grown-up tricycle!

    • That sounds like a riot. Thats the way I have always rode, and skied and everything else. Go fast and hang on for dear life. Love it. Looking forward to being your monkey!!!

  23. @ Paul Crowe , I think you answered the question you posed about “why” in the earlier part of your post. It seems Ural has made a concerted effort to push public relations, rely on celebrity ownership (unknown if it’s really a Brad Pitt desire to own one or a marketing gift for a photo shoot) and expanding the dealer network with slightly less flooring commitments than other brands.

    Anyway that it happens is great for the MC industry as a whole and riders in general. Greater choice for those that don’t exactly want a trike, and greater future inventory of parts for those that chop and mod.

  24. Thanks, AlwaysOnTwo! I knew the term came from somewhere. Now, I only have to get one again. Amid all this talk about sidecars, I suddenly remember how much fun they are. And I owe Carolynne a ride!