Photos by Rick Hancock and Lily Paull
TWO-UP ON A 2020 GEAR UP
Mike Paull and Aillene Balagtas Paull have owned and driven multiple sidecars around the country and across the globe. Earlier this spring, we lent them the new 2020 Gear Up to ride around and experience the new generation Ural compared to the earlier years models as well as their other sidecar rigs they owned. You can read up on their day trip back in April here and learn about year-over-year improvements here.
The Highways & Byways, Two-Up ride recap is the most recent chapter of Mike and Aillene’s adventures and impressions. Full three part report can be found on ADVRider.
Our day begins with a morning departure across Puget Sound at the ferry terminal in Edmonds, WA. Our destination, a short 25-minute cruise underway, the Kingston Terminal. From there, a brief ride through Big Valley to a friend’s homestead and blueberry farm, a socially-distanced quarantine-circle lunch on their deck, then across the Hood Canal Bridge to find some graded forest roads on the Olympic Peninsula.
My “all in” wife, partner, travel companion and navigator, Aillene, geared-up and waiting in the ferry line.
“I believe the 2019-and-newer URAL represents the best value in a high-fun-factor and highly capable recreational and utility vehicle available today.”
Ural has continuously made investments in the powerplant, braking systems, electricals, hardware, even the paint. They’ve improved manufacturing and finish quality, and now procure components from the same suppliers as the world’s major motorcycle brands.
Even if you had the tools, equipment, and skills to build your own sidecar rig, you’d be hard-pressed to build a highways/byways/off-pavement-capable outfit for the cost of new Gear Up (and of course, your labor is “free”). And if you did (my hat’s off to you!) you would NOT have: an all-new vehicle, an unlimited mileage/2-year warranty, locking 2-wheel drive, reverse gear, a limited but supportive global dealer network, schematics, brand-specific after-market accessories, and an international community of owners to tap into for self-help and socializing.
HIGHWAYS:
My previous carbureted Gear Ups would struggle to maintain 55MPH, two-up, loaded out, on a level stretch of highway if there was any headwind at all. Though the overall HP and torque increases are modest, the new closed-loop, Keihin throttle body fuel injection system and A-Racer engine control module, and improved cooling from new cylinder castings, allow us to touch 70MPH on a level road (if speed is your need, buy something else). What matters is, the rig will motor along, two-up with your belongings, at 60 to 65MPH, all the while having the suspension to let you transition to unpaved two-track with aplomb.
Ahead of us, our friends on a BMW R1200GSA, BMW R800GS, behind us, a Honda Africa Twin, and a solo-rider on an R1200GSA-LC sidecar.
The point? We’re keeping up, while two-up, with lunch for all!
byWAYS:
Where the Ural shines!
Take the roads-less-travelled, enjoy the great outdoors of continental North America. Leave the boredom of the interstates behind, and when the pavement ends, keep on going in the knowledge that, rider error aside, you have a vehicle where ”when the going gets tough, the tough can keep on going”. The suspension that feels a bit stiff and unresponsive on tarmac, transforms into sure-footed vehicle that can navigate the graded roads, forest service roads, hills and valleys that street riders won’t venture onto.
Unique to Ural is its suspended sidecar body. Like any rig, the sidecar chassis has a trailing arm and shock absorber to carry the full load of the sidecar assembly.
The passenger ride is smoother, as the sidecar body pivots up front on a pair of rubber bushings camped to chassis cross-member, and rides on two rubber “snowmen” under the rear. This secondary suspension system de-couples the mass of the sidecar body, passenger and gear from the chassis, essentially creating a dual suspension system. Whether your companion has two legs, or four, they’ll appreciate the added comfort!
Structurally, it’s a tough beast. Tubular chassis, steel body, and due to its roots as a war machine, Ural has some of the highest ground clearance of any commercially available sidecar kit. . . . and that ground clearance also translates into approach angle clearance as well.
“As a designer, sidecar enthusiast, owner, and now builder, I believe that Urals have finally come into their own. If properly set-up, operated within their performance envelope, and regularly maintained and serviced, I believe a 2nd-gen, fuel-injected Ural can give years of service.”
In every respect, a more-capable, more reliable Ural. I’m proud and happy to own one again!
IN SUMMARY:
“If you love riding, enjoy the great outdoors, are willing to take it all in at a measured pace, and have sidecaring in your blood, then the new Urals have your name written all over them. If you want one, buy one.”
For long-haul travel, I would not recommend running at greater than 60-65MPH for any extended period. On paved roads, the short-travel, relatively stiffly sprung suspension is a bit choppy for the pilot, but does the job intended off-pavement, while the dual-suspension system provides a more compliant ride for the passenger. Long-term reliability has yet to be put to the test, but I’ll give periodic updates as I log more miles. So far, it’s been all good.
Urals have always had good bones. They’re now equipped with components and running gear to match. The value is there. The fun-factor is unmatched. Capability, simplicity, improved reliability, reverse gear, optional 2WD, a complete tool kit, today’s Ural is an awesome way to see our world on your terms.
