Saturday, August 17, 2013

Introducing Lisa

Hello Everyone,

Meet Lisa, a new contributor to my Ural Buddies blog. Please feel free to leave a comment about her article.

Ural Motorcycle

Lisa's Ural Patrol
Brief Introduction:
Ural motorcycles are manufactured for those people calculated for those who are searching for a reliable partner for hard journeys. Ural Products first came to U.S in 1993. The Ural sidecar is a classic motorcycle that seems like it came immediately after the World War 2. However, despite its old origins, the Ural is a modern motorcycle built for the modern roads. It is now increasing day by day. The History of Ural motorcycles has a bit of a parallel with Royal Enfield. Soviet Union started producing motorcycles based on the BMW R71 after a secret deal part of the Ribbentrop-Molotov agreement prior to World War II. Russian manufacturer of sidecar motorcycles posted a record year for sales beat the previous record set in 2006.  Two successive years of growth in 2010 and 2011 set the company on track to see 30+% growths in 2012.  Beating the record set previous to the global financial crisis was an incredible way to end an impactful year.
Today the main products are the heavy duty Ural sidecar motorcycles designed for rough Russian roads. There are many places in Russia where poor roads, or an altogether lack of roads, make horses and URAL motorcycles necessary to transport gear.
People loved the idea for making a replacement of a classic BMW, sidecar included, for less than might pay you to add a sidecar to a Harley or BMW. 

Beaming with pride
My Experience:
I share my experience with you I need bag for my Ural motorcycle so, I visited many stores but it was not of my type and I did not like any of them. Then my friend referred me to visit  www.motorcyclehouse.com  and I purchased Luggage bag. It was one of great bag which I purchased from there and still I am using it.
When I start the trip the differences was How to handle and control of two wheels in case of three wheels. Well it is lengthy conversation by itself. There are more often than day and night in terms of handling it. Because first time I rode an Ural motorcycles with 3 tires and have to face difficulties while ridding. When I turn the Ural motorbike it seems like I am driving a car. But after my first travel I was comfortable to ride a motorbike easily. I will recommend and suggest all people to do training before you go for a ride. Because In my case I didn’t take training and start to ride at the spot. For new ones I will say you will be happier at 60 to 65mph for hours on end but no faster while ridding. Reason is that it can be danger for you. At the end I would like to say you that it is much interesting for travelling and you should take care of your motorbike.
So, it can serve you for many years. 

Sunday, August 11, 2013

Ural Wins 1st Prize

Ural Wins 1st Prize
Our green 2007 Patrol won first prize in the sidecar category at the 5th Annual Cumberland Motorcycle Roundup.

On Saturday, August 10, we travelled south from Campbell River 55 kilometres to Cumberland. The village was celebrating bikes, the people who ride them and admire them. The evening before, Frank had buffed up the Ural with a light wiping of its most dominant parts. We paid ten dollars to register for the Show & Shine and were surprised to be awarded the 1st place ribbon.

“I’ve never won anything,” Frank said.

“Let’s take this ticket over to the raffle table and see if it’s a winner,” I said.

We won a helmet.


Bike with matte finish
That morning we arrived at 9:30 a.m. and enjoyed a fresh cup of coffee and conversation at The Wandering Moose Café. Frank stayed with the bike as I explored up and down the main street set up as the exclusive domain of motorbikes and vendors. The most prominent bike was the Harley-Davidson while the least well known was our Ural. There were bikes covered in spectacular air-brushed paint, matte finish, leather and duct tape. There were people of all shapes, sizes and ages covered with tattoos. The atmosphere was electric with fun-loving energy. The bright sun set up every bike as a showpiece.

Friendly, chatty chap
As I meandered through the bikes, I stopped at one of the Hells Angels booths. The young man behind the table explained he was working toward getting his first patch and so he was doing community service.

“I’m looking after this booth all weekend and then I hand in my hours,” he said.

“Is the Hells Angels like a gang, where you have to kill somebody to get in?” I asked.

“No! It’s not like that. We’re an organization like any other. There are rules like any other club. Like, you have to have a valid driver’s license and own a motorcycle,” he said.

I looked over the merchandise he was offering but couldn’t see myself wearing a t-shirt emblazoned with a Hells Angels cartoon graphic.

Sweet pink ride
I had many conversations that day, all about bikes. I told as many ladies as I met that another way to enjoy the road was as a monkey in a sidecar. The ladies who owned their own solo bikes nodded their head politely. Bikers like the thrill of controlling the speed, destination and conditions of the ride.

Bikers will spend thousands of dollars on decorating their ride. There were several custom air-brushed bikes, one was covered in leather, lots decorated with skulls and women’s body parts and some just plain and simple.

Please enjoy the video and let me know if it was worth the wait.





Wednesday, August 7, 2013

Sunday Mystery Tour

Too steep for me
Our initial destination was Cranberry Lane, a secondary road 37.5 kilometres south of Campbell River. We didn’t make it there. The shortcut route had a creepy grade. The sandy hill was too steep for my liking.

“I’m not going up that dumb thing,” I said.

“Aw come on, Honey, we can do it,” Frank said.

I scrunched up my face at him and shook my head no. He laughed and pointed to the hill that now had a doe and her two sweet fawns scrabbling down it. The loose terrain put their skills to the test.

Pig ornament basking in the sun
We motored down a paved road and stopped in a few places to take photos and enjoy the funky features of driveways. We were called over by a rancher who was keenly interested in the Ural. Frank explained the cool features of the bike including its two-wheel drive capability and the reverse feature. The Harley-Davidson owner confessed that he would never consider going on any of the logging roads on his solo bike.

“The Ural's made for logging roads and more. I call it a street-legal ATV,” Frank said.

We motored along and found an exquisite river running under a wooden bridge. It's called the Authur Mayse Side Channel. We dismounted and enjoyed our packed lunch perched on an outcropping of boulders. Kids and dogs swimming in the water entertained us. We spotted an otter scrambling through the rocks and took pleasure in the rumble of slow traffic passing over the bridge. Afterward, we strolled down a walking path and came out the other side at Cottage Lane. When we returned to our bike, we were greeted by folks interested in its history. Everyone loves the Ural.

We love it when our plans don’t come together. It's a ♫ Magical Mystery Tou.

My Sidecar View



For the Love of Bridges

Walk-about Trail

Cottage Lane