Ural Gear-Up Review Let's do the time warp again

Once upon a time in Sydney, the late 1980's to be precise, there were two fabulous, yet doomed retail emporiums close to Central Station. One, W.F. Omodei, had been there since 1937 and sold just about everything ever made for motorcycles or motorcycling. A vast range of parts carefully stored in grease proof paper were stored away in a gloomy labyrinth of cardboard boxes lovingly tended by Mrs Omodei and her  Need any part for an English bike or something arcane such as a replacement revolving rain visor circa 1960 and eventually it would emerge from the murk of the past. It was a fantastic repository of bygone motorcycling. 

Incredibly, just around the corner was another shrine to another empire in terminal decline, in this case the U.S.S.R. - there was a Soviet Surplus Store that flogged Red Army surplus fur hats, badges, genuine cardboard leather belts, greatcoats, vodka, and anything else us decadent westerners would spend our hard-earned on. It was tat but gloriously kitsch and the fall of the wall saw the death of it. 

Meanwhile in the next Sydney suburb of Redfern, Sabre Cycles had been importing Urals, complete with a bottle of vodka in/as the Medical Kit, possibly to assuage Buyer's Remorse. The bikes were a mixture of cast iron and Bakelite (ask your grandparents). The quality control of the time passed 350 degree bearings made of a metallic approximate as "close enough". They were a Russian copy of a German copy of a 1937 Belgium original that brought a new meaning to the word 'agricultural'. They were in many ways a wheeled example of the state of the Soviet Union in 1990, antiquated, unwieldy yet enduring. The other imported Russian based vehicle of the time was the Lada Niva, the value of which could be, cynics said, reportedly doubled, by the simple expedient of filling the tank with fuel. This ignored the fact that the Niva had completed numerous Paris Dakar Rallys and other endurance events. 

I was loaned a Ural and sidecar when my Suzuki GS1100G and DJP sidecar was in for a service. There was a scheduled Breakfast Run to the Blue Mountains slated for that weekend, however the weather had turned abysmal. The early spring deluge over Saturday night turned into wild, wet and cold weather funneling off the Southern Tablelands. Trees were down, roads closed, rivers bursting their banks and minor flooding. As riding in the rain is something I enjoy I rode to the allotted starting point. The roads were empty, the Ural rattled along with a contemptuous air for the conditions, 'We have worse in Siberia". Alone I waited in the deluge. Nobody else turned up. 'Sod it', I thought, ' I'll do it anyway" and continued up the slippery back roads from Springwood to Katoomba. The only two vehicles I saw were Lada Nivas. 

Arriving at the cafe to, "They're here", I replied that I was certainly here but I couldn't answer for anyone else. "Oh, we have enough omelette mix for 50..." I tried my best but came up 47 short. Meanwhile the ride organisers were on the phone apologising saying that no-one would be mad enough to be attending today and could they please reschedule for the following weekend when their Italian thoroughbred machines would not feel overly threatened by climatic variables.

I clattered off to descend to the saturated flood plains, the gifted plastic bags of omelette mix gently leaking into my jacket and again the only vehicles seen were a Lada Niva and a Russian knock off of a Fiat 124.  Say what you like but there is a time and place in this world when simple, basic, enduring engineering that can be a far more appropriate and rewarding.  Think of an English canal boat, it sure as hell ain't going to win the America's Cup or sail across the Pacific, however in its own environment it is a delight.

In essence these earlier Urals were born a generation before the Series 1 Land Rover and the Jeep, all utilitarian vehicles par excellence. Whilst the West forged ahead with continually updated versions the Russians just, er, forged. Nothing changed, it was what it was Comrade, and be grateful.

30 years later and I find myself at the tiller of the latest incarnation of the Ural. Things have moved on. Gloriously free of Bakelite, the missing 10 degrees finally added to all the bearings, sporting fuel injection, easy access airbox, Brembo brakes, upgraded engine cases and leading link front end and a host of other upgrades - the cherry on the cake being drive to the left hand side chair, this is no longer a Soviet era machine. It's not even Russian, the factory having moved to Kazakhstan. 

The Ural Gear Up fits perfectly in the Australian market. If you can't quite come to the terms of wrestling a giant BMW 1300 GS or Triumph 1200 and go weak at the knees at the prospect of righting one after a spill in the middle of nowhere, the Gear Up is for you. It can easily carry all they can and more as well as the advantage of not falling over. Riding in sand or gravel on 3 wheels is not intimidating, it's fun. It fits right in with the city dwellers dreams of escape that has become synonymous with the  4WD ownership.

Deep in every Ozzie's psyche is the lure of Outback, a lap of the country, going bush, doing a local version of The Long Way Round.  Dreams of escape are almost promoted as a national obligation, become a grey nomad or else. The terror and siren call of The Wide Brown Land. Covid and the travel ban locked the gate to overseas travel and the resulting boom in all things camping has created an enormous aftermarket of lightweight accessories for those intent on experiencing Oz first hand in comfort. without waking in fright at Wolf Creek or anywhere else. Go, see it, feel how small you are against the immensity of the land and sky, do your 40 days in the desert and come back with tales of what you saw and learned, the cathartic itch for the escape valve of wilderness truly scratched. 

Picking the bike up at RetroMoto it starts easily, runs quickly then settles down to a pleasant pulse. Release the Park Brake on the left bar, pull in the light clutch lever and tread down heavily to engage the first of the four gears. No real force is required, just slow, considered action. Changing up a little pre-load on the gear lever ensures a smooth change. Do this, feel the gears sliding and engaging and avoid more false neutrals than a coach load of Swiss impersonators on the way to a yodelling contest on Pattaya Beach. The neutral light can be a little shy on occasion but seemed to get over its initial reticence as the miles went by. A little eccentricity also applies to the indicator Idiot Light design, it functions perfectly yet weirdly, you'll see what I mean when you use it.

Like all sidecars it is a machine that operates at its own pace, poking the bear doesn't get you anywhere.  Deliberate firm actions telegraphed well ahead avoid potential red flags. Ease the clutch out and move away easily. 1st gear is not particularly low yet still allows a traffic competitive move off the line. Accelerate and the bike wants to get ahead of the sidecar, as they are joined at the hips this leads to the bike trying to move around the chair resulting in the outfit steering left on a positive throttle. The correct adjustment of the chair's toe-in and alignment can minimise this, but it is an inherent part of sidecar riding, you steer and correct your path with the throttle. It's a sort of Soviet TimeWarp, more a step (steppe?) than a jump - unless you hammer your cycle - to the left, brake and you go right.

To go in another direction, because it's so useful, and adds hilarity to life, when stationary and in Neutral  - the real one - use your right hand or heel to flick back the silver lever sticking out of the right of the gearbox backwards - that's a clue as to what happens next as you ease the clutch out - and reversewards you go. Parking was never easier.

Adjacent to the Reverse Lever and mounted further back on the swingarm is another lever. This black one is used to select 2 wheel drive and engages the sidecar wheel. The idea is that this is for use on soft surfaces only, there is no differential. Snow, sand, dirt, mud use only. I'd suggest that it's preferable to get stuck with 1 wheel drive before engaging 2 wheel drive to extricate yourself and then continue on in it. If you have really got yourself bogged there is a shovel provided...

With a dry weight of 331kg having an active passenger is a bonus, not just for getting unstuck when adventuring but also on road. Movable ballast that hangs left on left-handers and right on right-handers makes the rider's life a lot easier - sidecars are hard work on the arms. This departure from the normal motorcycle pillion decorum - "Stop bloody moving!"  engenders a feeling of teamwork and mutual dependence and can really make a difference on the limit. Hooning around on slippery surfaces 2 up in a sidecar is obligatory. The only negative of a passenger is that the load carrying abilities of the sidecar are somewhat compromised.

Sidecar world is different, solo riders invariably put both feet down when they first come to a halt riding a sidecar (!) but you learn to steer with the bars and any change to camber or path is corrected with a mixture of throttle, steering or braking.

On heavily cambered WA country roads I found it easier to ride in the oncoming lane when clear - the chair is then higher than the bike and the camber wants to push the bike to the right whilst a positive throttle wants to push the bike slightly to the left and these cancel each other out and the bike runs straight and true with minimal effort. Even with a leading link front end your first 500km day on a sidecar leaves your arms tired.

Its a perfect weekend getaway machine. Other rider's eyes light up at the thought of accompanying you on a trip and somehow all their gear migrates into the sidecar before they bugger off into the distance. No matter, just cruise after them, and at heart, above all, this is a cruiser. You'll get there in the end and the  way is usually more interesting than the destination. How far you get on a tank towards your target varies markedly depending on load, frontal area, wind resistance and speed over the ground. At a happy 90-95 kph in still air with about 80kg in the chair I got around 19km/l, a theoretical 300km plus from the19 litre tank. The fuel warning light comes on after 16 litres. The bike comes with a 10 litre jerrycan and like the shovel is there for a reason.

Ural sidecars are not for misanthropes, wherever you go people will want to talk to you. Take a dog as a passenger and you'll be a viral TikTok sensation. Apart from making most people smile sidecars are so rare and seldom seen the have the bonus of making the majority of motorists notice them. Thumbs up, kids waving, you're not alone for long. Licence losing speed is not an issue either, thrashing a Ural all day over 100kph is just missing the point, like a Postie bike or canal boat you are in your own little bubble, take your time and smell the roses. The only negatives is you aren't going to be filtering in traffic on this.

The Ural Gear Up is sold with a spare wheel and adaptor so that it an be used to replace any of the other three, tubeless tyres are not yet an option. Discs need to be swopped over  but a roadside change over shouldn't take more than 30 minutes. The American distributor has put up some excellent YouTube videos on this and other basic maintenance procedures.

The trip I took down to Bridgetown for the 2024 No Names Rally encompassed The South West Highway, Mornington Road, Collie and  Boyup Brook. Freeways were avoided as this is more of a backroads vehicle. I'd liked to have been able to do the trip down entirely on the dirt but time and company precluded  it on this occasion, next time, the Ural is more than capable of that and some serious off road adventuring.

Sidecar World is that one step removed from most riders reality. Certainly  you have to learn the technique of how to ride them well enough to not revert back to motorcycle style inputs at times of crisis. Machine familiarity, a steady approach and practice on a variety of surfaces and cambers should not put you in that situation. Learn how to negotiate an off-camber downhill left hander, how to stop in a left or right bend and how to fly the chair and you'll pretty much be ready for anything.

 Derided in the past as for riders who didn't practice contraception and couldn't afford a car the modern Urals offer a reliable alternative to a 4WD, a ute, a round town runabout - that boot is useful, a convertible and something that leaves smiles wherever it goes, nobody sneers at it. Take your gran out in it for an arvo, pick the kid up from school, go shopping, take off for a skiing weekend in the mountains, go down the beach or bush. It's a timeless time machine, really from 1939 to now and unlike the current Land Rover or Jeep can still be mistaken for the original.  So many incarnations, war machine to Commie Commuter to hippie run around and now Grand Tourer/Expeditioner. Definitely different, definitely worth experiencing, the two wheel drive adds that missing ingredient  - Gear Up for adventure and the time of your life.

Written by:

Richard Beatty