There’s nothing like time travel

Back in 2009 when Basem replied to the email and agreed to fly to Seattle to ride Ural T, he had a hugely popular column on about.com, a published book endorsed by Jay Leno and we had one demo bike in Seattle, zero marketing budget, and super vague chances to survive the Great Recession.

We had the one thing that we could offer a journalist though: bring your wife along and ride together. That’s how we met Basem’s beautiful wife Anna,  and other lovely couples over the years.

Basem and Anna are on the Ural again, bringing back memories of past adventures but this time also sharing them with their 12 year old son.

If that’s not what makes it all worth it, we don’t know what does.

“The only thing better than riding with your wife is having your 12-year-old kid in tow. A sidecar is an amazing way for 3 people to get around and hang out, right up there with rolling 3 abreast in a Series 2A. Such good times with such a simple machine.”
— Basem Wasef

Two Years Later (a note from Ilya)

Dear Friends,

Hans Christian Andersen, famous Danish author of fairy tales once wrote  "When we get to the end of the story, we shall know more than we do now..."

Our story is far from the end, but what do we know now, two years after the war broke out and we realized that the only way to continue is to leave our birthplace behind? 

Well, we definitely know more now than we did then.

We know now that nothing is going to be the same, that the old ways of doing things are no more, and that we need to reimagine and rebuild the company pretty much from scratch. 

That Kazakhstan is not the final destination but only a stop. That we will be losing friends, partners and even team members along the way. That the reality can be even more complicated than the most pessimistic forecasts.

That nobody is going to give us a break just because we’re are nice, and that every day and every minute we have to continue to come up with the proof that the world is a better place with Ural in it. 
 
And that, as always, it all depends on us.

What we can also tell you now, two years later, is that we continue doing our absolute best, and have absolutely no plans to quit.

Yes, it’s difficult, yes, we make mistakes sometimes, but Ural is here, all key people are here, bikes and parts have been built and shipped, and new development is in the works.

With spring finally sprung, let’s get out and enjoy life and the thrill of the road ahead. Let’s multiply the adventure by sharing it with friends or family members.

Please remember, that your smiles and stories is what gives us the strength and motivation to move forward. This is what we work for and we promise to keep it this way!


Ilya and the Team at Ural

Photo Courtesy of Burtoni Motors

Disclaimer: The dent in the sidecar, that you probably haven't even noticed, is not a hint to any events in the past or in the future. This is just a dent :)

Matt & Tilly

Tilly, my dog, loves to ride. I bought a Ural Patrol so we could take road trips and let her ears flap in the wind.

We typically ride to town on sunny days and get pup cups from Sonic and she knows when we get the bike out, it’s time for ice cream.

We just participated in our local parade and Tilly loved being the star of the show! After the parade we celebrated with a pup cup and a nap!

“We love our Ural and it catches lots of looks and pointed finger! Thank you for making a great bike and allowing us to share our story.”
— Matt... and Tilly

Birthday Camping Trip

This is a very local story, and a very cool one.

Steve Sapers ordered his Ural Gear Up back in 2022.

It turned out his bike was on one of the shipments held up in port of Hamburg  in early March of 2022, days after the war in Ukraine broke out.

Looking back, we didn't know what to expect in those days but we quickly learnt that almost all the customers kept their orders and waited patiently for their bikes to arrive.  Steve was one of them and because his work is in Redmond, few minutes from our office, he reached out and asked to stop by. That's how we met then and had a chance to chat in person. 

Steve picked up his Gear Up in October of 2022, and  this is the text he sent this past September, after the birthday camping trip together with his wife Clair:

“... wanted to pass along some pics from my birthday trip.  Took me near a year but we finally did a camping trip, all in, and it was great.  The Ural handled the Mountain Loop with panache, including all sideroads.  It was just perfect in every way.  I already use most days to commute all year long, and it has done ferries and islands and this was the last box I needed checking.  I am so happy I did this and appreciate what you guys do.  Cheers.”
— Steve Sapers

As most passengers do, Claire had her own experience about this new way to travel, which she was also happy to share with us:

“Once you get used to not having a seat belt, which seems odd at first since you are more like a car passenger, it’s a very pleasant riding experience. Of course, it’s highly weather dependent, but if dressed appropriately it’s super comfy. Love the sensation of wind. Great visibility, much better than sitting behind the driver. “.”
— Clair Sapers
“It’s nice to be an active participant with the leaning rather than a passive passenger.  Wind so far never an issue, but I could see how under certain circumstances could be annoying over a long trip. Need to hang tight to loose items like gloves in the box and, as Edna Mode would say “No capes (or long scarves)”
— Clair Sapers

Official Selection of EOFT 2023: "By Land To New York"

Special Exhibition "By Land To New York" at Augustusburg Castle near Chemnitz, Germany

October 21, 2023 - January 19, 2025

Discover the ultimate adventure in the new special exhibition "Overland to New York: 4 Ural motorcycles - 43,000 km - 972 breakdowns"! Five artists from leavinghomefunktion without any motorcycle experience dare to take an extraordinary journey through the big, wide world - across three continents. Get in their sidecar and let yourself be chauffeured through Europe, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia to the Russian Far East, through Alaska, Canada to New York.

 

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