Taking The Ivanic Plunge
Why we ride Urals and Dneprs, as told by our members

"Choubaka" patiently waits for his driver (Fred Palica) to get him in the wind again
(Photo by Al "Jazzpatrol" Kay, CURD Tundra Run '09)

So you're sitting on the fence, torn between the purchase of a new Ural/used Dnepr or walking away with your sanity intact. We've all been there, so rest assured you are not alone in your dilemma. Fact is, Russkie sidecar rigs are just not a common sight here in North America and there isn't enough literature about them in mainstream magazines to help you form an opinion and facilitate the decision making process. But, damn it, there's just something about them... the coolness factor, the uniqueness, the charm... there's just something that keeps you coming back to the dealer to stare at them. This can go on for weeks, months, even years before a decision is made. And when that decision is to "damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead" and open your wallet to buy one, we call that "Taking The Ivanic Plunge". It's a beautiful free-fall into a whole new world and one that very few ever regret taking.

So here's some reasons why we jumped off the fence, as told by CURD members, to give you more food for thought. Take your time, we'll save a CURD membership number for you...

Bvardi
Why do I love my Ural? I love it because it does a really good job of going "Clunk". That's my private reason anyway - publicly I'll point out I can take my daughter in the sidecar. I'll mention that it gets smiles wherever I go. I'll point out the retro styling, the ease of maintenance, how I feel more of a driver with the Ural than someone just along for the ride. If I'm feeling poetic I'll say how it makes me feel like a grand adventurer, setting off across the sideroads of some far off destination. Somewhere between Berlin and Morocco - bringing up dust on a side road and sipping tea in the evenings in my stained greatcoat and goggles. If I'm feeling all Hollywood I'll say how it makes me feel like I'm Steve McQueen, instead of Steve Irkle. I'm bigger than life, cool, and riding somewhere on a mission. Even grabbing milk is a barbed-wire jump to freedom, and running out for groceries is some kind of Indiana Jones chase scene. If I'm feeling simple, I'll just point out my wife and I enjoy going for rides together - that it gives us a riding experience together we don't get with either a car or a two wheeled bike. But the secret is... that it really isn't any of those reasons at all. It goes "Clunk" when I shift gears. It grinds a little sometimes. The engine makes an odd "Tickity tickity" sound when its happy and revving. The noise of the bike says its' mood, and is changed by the weather, the temperature, or just the whims of the Russian motorcycle gods. Somewhere inside of me is that little boy listening to the machine, hearing how it works, feeling the vibration and protests and growls. It's an awful lot like sitting there in the cardboard making making "Vroom vroom" noises and using a Frisbee as a steering wheel. Somewhere inside of me is a music lover born from two cylinders and a horizontal drumbeat solo - the rapid fire thud and clash of metal making fire to move forward. The syncopation of steel in motion.. Every time I ride it I know each gear change by the sound of the shift lever working. I know the revs by the sound of the engine. I know the road by the feel of the handlebars. When I'm on the Ural, I am the machine - part of it in a way I can't be with something more modern, something more insulated from the road and the ride. Other bikes are faster, smoother, more reliable, more accepted, and quite often even cheaper. But they don't talk to me. They scream, they whisper, they fly and they swoop. But they don't have that soul, that voice, that sore-shoulders feeling of having wrestled a three wheeled Russian bear into giving you a ride through the twisties. And they don't ever go "Clunk".

pidgey
Why do I love my Ural ?? Versatility ! Top ten reasons why I love my Ural (ok, ok, I can't count)
- A Ural is unique in that you can do many things that an ATV can but an Ural is completely street legal
- My Patrol takes me ice fishing; I flip it in 2wd and away I go.
- My Patrol can take me places I wouldn't take the two wheeler or the car. (ok,maybe the wife's car)
- Little kids and teenage girls smile and wave
- I win prizes at 'show and shine' contests by just showing up.
- It's not difficult to perform basic maintenance
- There's practically zero plastic on the entire rig
- Insurance is cheap on them as are parts.
- A Ural gives me a much longer riding season than I get from my Beemer
- The neighbors think I'm a communist..........!!!
- My 4yr old son loves being the hack monkey.

Regor44
(sung to the Smarties tune)
(the chorus)
I own a Russian URAL
and I belong to CURD
'Cause when you own a URAL
it's nice to join the herd
They answer all your questions
and tell you all they've heard
So if you buy a URAL
be sure to join CURD

When I ride my URAL,
I sometimes ride it FAST.
I sometimes ride it SLOWLY,
and think about the PAST.
I stop at all my UDFs,
and answer all I'm ASKED.
When I ride my URAL,
I like to make it LAST!

(chorus)

I maintain my URAL
I try to treat it right
I change the oil and tweak the carbs
and make sure it's all tight
I only feed it premium fuel
and keep it shining bright
I like to ride my URAL
I try to treat it right.

(chorus)

hondaeste1300pilot
Why do I love my Ural? Let me count the ways............ Okay, enough prose. It is both a simple and complex answer/relationship, but I can put it in these brief words; It is not my Honda. I have a beautiful Honda ST1300 that replaced a wonderful BMW K100, so for 2 decades I have been spoiled rotten by great bikes. They are smooth, reliable and make long distance touring fun. So I see a Ural 5 or so years ago at the Toronto bike show. Fascinating and unique. Over the next couple of years I do some research and go to meet the (new) importer in Peterborough, in a flash, I have signed the papers to buy an 06 demo. Where the Honda is eerily quiet, smooth, vibration free and a testament to state of the art in motorcycle design and manufacture (in my humble opinion), the Ural is quite the opposite; it is the "anti-Honda". Noisy, rough, a design that is so antiquated it is charming, almost a time machine. And like some people in my life, all the more loveable for its' eccentricities. The Ural is like a cranky old Uncle, sometimes difficult to deal with, but full of wonderful stories and fun to be around. Total opposites, but both are wonderful. The Honda for speed, comfort and making the miles blur, the Ural for being a ride like no other. I do have to admit something, both bikes are at hand but almost every time I need to run an errand or some non non-descript journey, I take the Ural. That might say something about my personality; perhaps I too have become the cranky old guy.

david
I like my Ural because;
It is so shiny and clean all of the time!
It is so dependable, and runs on a dime!
It goes oh! sooooo fast!
The joy seems to last! and last!
It's riding is serene,
The coolest rig you have ever seen!
So much faster than a hearse,
At Tim Hortens on Whyte, when you pull up to park,
You will hear someone, with a way cooler bike, remark;
Wow, that thing even has reverse!

cubituscubitus
Sure I love my Ural ! This Russian beast is my only way to enjoy motorcycling. To make a long story short, when I was 12 or 13 years old, I got for free an old moped which I rode in the neighbourhood. Our family live in a narrow street surrounded by fields and meadows; it ends in the woods. There were few cars at the time and no cops to pi$$ off the teenagers and their undocumented 2wheelers. Later, with a driving license in hand, I purchased a secondhand Honda 125 cc -which I found to be very slow for my taste. My buddies had bigger bikes such as Morini 3 1/2, Honda CB 360 T or Yam RD 250. It was hard for me to follow them since my bike lacked horsepower. So I found a 200 cc engine to install in the frame, it was better as for bike performance. Then I got my final degree, a job and a car. No more bike for the 20+ years to come. I found in March 2003 a fully restored Puch moped, the same model I had as a kid. I bought it... only to find out that I would never be able to ride a bike anymore. I had been diagnosed in early 2000 with the Charcot-Marie-Tooth syndrome, a neurological progressive disease. No problem, I said, just add a 3rd wheel. A hack rig will make me enjoy motorcycles again. I didn't want to spend much money; I bought an old 650 Ural. I learned a lot with this RPOC. But I could hardly kickstart it; the wife told me to sell it and buy a "better sidecar since you're happy on three wheels, chéri !" That's what I did; in April 2005 I got my used 750 Ural Tourist. Way easier for me. Just one little push with my right thumb and I go for a ride. Unfortunately, the disease didn't get better. Now I can't ride my Ural. I can hardly walk a few steps. I found in Patrick, who's been a good friend since years, a fine pilot and a great help when I sit in the hack. I am so happy then, in our Walloon landscapes at Ural pace.

So there you go. Tales of the Ivanic Plunge, as told by people just like you. Now get your butt to the nearest dealer and join the adventure!