Is the Ural as TERRIBLE as everyone says? 

What is the ugliest motorcycle you can buy? ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-iM1jXUcpPz4.html

This guy isn't even aware that the ural has reverse. as for it being unreliable they pumped water out of the cylinders and it ran...pretty good in my eyes!

so floding an engine with water is it's inherented fault? i thought that happens to any vehicle. put water in the engine and it dies.

The fact you didn't destroy the engine after ingesting so much water is probably the most impressive part of this whole video.

5:50. So you discovered that the Ural is not a submarine.

Every time americans trying to ride Ural we russians take beer and having fun watching it :)

In these videos where "the water did go over the tank" they acually used rised air intake block (which had the actual intake around the steering bar), and you were using stock one. No wonder it stalled.

Back in 2008, I took my 2007 GearUp all over Alaska, into the Yukon and Northwest Territories. Across the Arctic Circle - twice, and all the way up to Prudhoe Bay in Alaska and Inuvik in the NWT. I had ZERO problems. Miss that moto more than any other bike I've ever owned.

I have a 2007 Ural Gear-Up that I bought brand new. The very first thing that happened at the dealer was that he took me out in a parking lot and taught the basics on how to ride a “rig”…..that’s what you call a motorcycle with a sidecar……learning the controls was easy. It was learning the geometry (moving your body to help steer the machine) that took some getting used to. He had me “ flying the chair” in short order. After a couple of hours he took me out in a large field where I learned that the 2WD feature is best utilized on loose or slippery surfaces but is not needed all the time….. only when you need it. Only then did a take it home. Whenever someone (who has no experience ride a rig) asks to ride my rig, I ask them “can you forget EVERYTHING that you know about riding a motorcycle in the next ten seconds?” When they answer “no” I then tell them “DO NOT come out of first gear and DO NOT try to backup.

I had one in Cuba, did u know they have reverse gear? It is on your right foot between the brake and the rear axel... ;)

The Ural is like a woman: doesn't like it when you try to drown her

Seems that , other than you flooding the engine, it ran pretty well, though I am left wondering about the difficulty it had climbing hills. However, I think that may have more to do with the operator than the motorcycle

drive a motorcycle into deep water and it stops. Oh what a surprise I never imagined that would happen

About time you bought a real bike. Haven't had any major troubles with the previous 2 or our current 2 rigs. My only real complaint is they need a lower 1st gear and 5 speeds forward. Both myself and wife ride and go places "Urals can't go" like road trips. Our longest single trip is about 3500 miles. We've put almost 40,000 miles down riding Urals in the past 4 years. Those videos in the river were specially prepared bikes with snorkels piped into the sidecar which was sealed. I've only ever had one sort of major on road problem and much like you, it was my own fault, I forgot to torque the rear axle nut, but I caught it and swapped to the spare, kept on going. Always buy the newest Ural you can afford, they get better and better as the years go on. We have 2017 Urals now, the 2020 Ural has major improvements even over ours. I liken a Ural to a big woman, when you dance with her, let her lead or she'll kill you. Ride on, be safe!

Our everyday home path was tougher than the place where you tested this motorcycle. I love URALs, my dad had 2 of those. They're built to survive in typical USSR "inthemiddleofnowhere" village and were widely used in army. Greetings from former USSR state Moldova

It is just the Russian way of thinking. When you live in a very remote area, your vehicle has to be capable to overcome almost every difficulty or obstacle you could come across in any environment. Like Siberia, where people say that 'there are no roads, just general directions'. So the vehicle must have outstanding terrain capabilities, easy to maintain and be durable. I drive the UAZ 452 'Bukhanka', which is a Russian 4x4 van built by those same principles. Goes anywhere, and is hold togegether by large nuts and bolts of 2 or 3 sizes. Maintenance and repairs require only a simple toolbox and can be done by anyone. I like this approach, and if I were into driving motorcycles I certainly would own a Ural. I love this video, and the Ural.

I'v had 2 of these bikes, 2000 patrole and a 2005 Gear-Up . The Patrol was a 650 cc and it was only $9000 I had to work on it and that was fun for me. The 2005 is a 750 cc and still is a great runner, I have had to do anything to it, I ride it in the winter which is taxing some times but it get's me where I need to go and back home, I'm only 73 and will be riding till I leave this world

I have a 2020 gear up Sahara. Many upgrades and tweaks have been made in the last decade to sort of bring the Ural into the 21st century sort of speak. Brembo disc brakes at all 3 points of contact, fuel injection over carbs, redesigned air box, universal hubs for all 4 tires (spare), LED lighting, oversized cylinder fins for additional cooling efficiency... the list goes on. It is the jeep of motorcycles. It takes time to "learn" the Ural but once you do, I would deem it unstoppable especially when a winch is mounted.

Personally I love the Urals, i've had two so far and the one I own now is the gear up, its full injected and has some other upgrades that the one on the video dosen't have. its never broken down on me and runs like a champ... the only problem with it though is that its slow, like to slow.

My Ural has never broken down or stranded me in nearly tens years of riding on-road and off-road with it.

why do these "know it alls" take a SIDECAR RIG and treat it like its a frigging dirt bike and then act all pissy when it has issues?for the money these stock sidecars cost new or used, they provide excellent transportation, and have been very reliable for me since the mid-1980s. as a handicapped rider with one leg, these rigs are perfect for me. allowing me to still be able to ride. I do all year long on my Ural here in northeastern Ohio... snow, rain, hail, or shine. the last video he drove into deep water and stalled it then cried about it.... would you do that to a Harley sidecar rig?

The quality of a particular Ural depends on the WOV level on the factory that day. WOV = Workers On Vodka.

Hydrolocks it “uNreLiaBle bIkE

You need to take it on an actual road trip. Long distance, back roads, dirt roads, class 6 roads and trails. Like you said it did all the same things a cheap atv did. The ATV is not road legal, the whole point of them is to cross variable conditions and surfaces both on and off road. It will never beat a machine when it is going up against one purpose made for the single terrain at hand. It won't beat an off road bike off road, nor an on road bike on road. It is made to do so so across all surfaces. Take it across all surfaces.

I need one of these, my gf has arthrogryposis and is in a wheelchair, don't think she could ride on the back of a bike, but a side car would be perfect.

I have an 04 tourist. I bought it in Dallas and drove it 400 miles to Corpus Christ. 4 days later I drove it to New Mexico , 1500 mi round trip. Only problem was two tire failures, fixed them on the side of the road. The Japanese motorcycles and made to not break down. The Russian philosophy is, they make the motorcycle so it can be fixed on the road if it breaks down. It's had minor problems but never left me stranded.....so far.

“Try to burn that stupid beard off with wd40 spoiled American” 😂😂😂 that comment had me laughing

Sure, it’s old, slow, heavy, unreliable and uses ancient technology. However, it’s really expensive too. 😄

Now imagine the same situation with some modern sophisticated Japanese bike. You'd never get it running again so easily.

Okay guys i have to say it, this is by FAR my most favorite video of yours, and I watched a lot of them!!! Love this specific content!!! Love love love! I ride a 59 Panhead and believe it or not, some of this stuff that you do, minus the deep muddy waters, I do with my pan as well, and I just love watching other people doing all terrain fun with their different bikes.

Когда вы утопили мотоцикл, думал, что мотору финиш... А, когда завёлся, радовался вместе с вами, ребята...

Dude this is 1940's reliable, like a Beetle. That doesn't mean it never stops or has problems, it has lots of problems it's just built so you can fix it with a couple of hand tools and some rough knowledge of motors. My Beetle overheated constantly, you just had to pop the deck lid and let her breath for a little bit before it got too hot. It's not hard work you just have to accept that it needs to be done and it's gonna take the time it needs to take.

The "Indiana Jones" Sidecar Motorcycle used in the Last Crusade was a KMZ Dnepr MT-11, not an IMZ Ural. The Ural was made for Civilian sales while the Dnepr was made for Military service. The Dnepr motorcycles are built heavier and are slower than the Urals. Also the engines are different. Dnepr engines have a centrifugal military type oil filter connected to the crankshaft inside the engine front cover. It purifies the oil as the engine crankshaft spins. It's serviced every 10,000 Km. The Dnepr transmission also has reverse but also is a semi-automatic design. When pressing down on the shifter with the toe or heel pads the clutch is automatically disengaged so you can keep your left hand firmly on the left hand grip so you don't need to pull in the hand clutch lever to shift up or down. The two wheel drive Dnepr is full time two wheel drive unlike the Ural that requires engaging a locking lever to engage the sidecar wheel. The two wheel drive system on Dnepr's is not a simple differential type system. It's like a Rokon 2 wheel drive 2 wheel motorcycle. There is a gear box on the motorcycle rear wheel and another on the sidecar wheel with a freewheel. The sidecar wheel reduction has a lower gear ratio than the gear box on the motorcycle wheel. The sidecar wheel "freewheels" when the motorcycle wheel is not losing traction. When the motorcycle wheel loses traction the sidecar wheel "catches up" and starts providing traction at a lower gear ratio. Not only has the two wheel drive automatically activated it's also like shifting to a lower gear automatically as well. In 1992 after the collapse of the Soviet Union (Christmas day 1991) Ukraine exported Dnepr Motorcycles worldwide with many finding their way into the USA. I have one myself. KMZ no longer produces Dnepr Motorcycles but parts are still being made for them and you can even buy a "restored" Dnepr Motorcycle today. Arbalet Motorcycles keeps a few Dniepr Motorcycles available for sale in their Nebraska warehouse which have a modern 800cc engine with a spin on type oil filter with reverse and 5 forward speeds and electric start. Parts are available for the old KMZ Dnepr motorcycles as well as the modern Dniepr motorcycles. www.dnepr-kiev.com/

My grandmother used to ride a ic 350 before she had a car. It was my grandfather's, he used to ride it to work. Then it broke down and he dissasembled it and sold parts of it, still have some stuff left of it

I don’t recall the scene where Indy needed a rain shelter for his conversation. He may have attempted to start an obviously inundated engine- but he was, after all, an archaeologist… not a motorhead (who should know better).

Pretty cool. My father used have one, back in 80s in Russia, in army green. I used ride in the side car with him, fishing, hunting.

Hum, unreliable you say? Perhaps operator usage error and still you fixed it with a screwdriver IN THE FIELD. I think it is pretty awesome! In the video the second time you went through deeper water for much longer time, but you were assertive, you learned, and you did fine. The Ural is a machine that you need to learn to love, that is all.

I live in Lancaster, PA and I bought a Ural a few weeks ago. It’s AWESOME. I keep describing it as a “smile machine.” I’m not saying it’s the best bike out there from a performance perspective, and I’m suggesting it will be as reliable as the Harley I sold to pay for the Ural, but I’m certain I’m going to enjoy every second with this thing! Keep doing what you’re doing guys! Love your content and love that it’s produced right here in the Lancaster area!!

this reminded me to watch indiana jones again

"Not for gasoline or water...." Then, it must be Vodka!!

Funny, Ive ridden that area so many times (before it was run by FRO and overrun with UTVs) that I know exactly where you were filming. Fun video, guys.

Fondly nicknamed "The Urinal", by bikers in Britain. We also had the "Dnieper" sold in Britain, which was nicknamed "The Diaper" by UK bikers. From the 1960's to 1980's, the following Soviet bikes were sold in Britain: Voskhod 175 IZH 350 Jupiter (twin) IZH 350 Saturn (Single) Ural 650 Dnieper 750

By all accounts the new fuel injected models are very reliable, supposedly the quality control has vastly improved

I've owned one of these! An '89 Dnepr 650-but it was a solo! No sidecar, but still the reverse gear. Brakes weren't great and it was slow to change direction. But despite bad carburettors it ran faultlessly in all sorts of weather. What I'd like is a 2WW Zündapp 750 combination. Now those really are the business!

Caleb runs in all excited "DEAD WEIGHT!!!!!"

The fact that you didn't grenade the engine after hydrolocking it means it's pretty well built. All it needs is a snorkle...

Great bikes, designed in the thirties. These people just don't get it. Go and buy a modern bike. Incidentally, you can't compress water!

Um how’s dumping your motorcycle into a river makes the bike “unreliable”? Like if I toss my Suzuki off the cliff and it crashes badly will it make the bike unreliable?

Они так забавно говорят "Юрал"))

Greetings from Kaliningrad! Great shot! The Urals is a special topic) Привет из Калининграда! Отличный ролик! Урал-это особая тема)

Thanks for sharing, testing the Ural. I'm thinking you might take a "road trip" from your shop to Anchorage Alaska. I don't think the quad would do well on that kind of journey... Have fun and be safe guys, J.

This bike is a similar case to why the yugo was considered worthless, most people just figure "well if it's cheap it can survive anything!" And then run the engine with no oil and neglect maintenance and can't be bothered to do anything and then blame the bike when the engine inevitably breaks

local guy to me drives one around town, and I've only seen him broken down once! lol!

Air Intake on those urals in the videos you mentioned was changed to a much higher position. "I didn't know it had a reverse". What? :D Shows your preparation. Sorry it's a really bad review.

Bought a used Ural last year and have had a blast. Had one problem with it, but it wasn't bad enough to get stranded. Just had to fix something. Fun to ride. Great for errands. And the UDF (Ural delay factor) is definitely a real thing!

I have a 2016 Sahara gear up and I LOVE it!! It goes anywhere!! It is always a topic of conversation anywhere my wife and I go. The UDF, Ural Delay Factor, is scheduled into each and every ride we do. And yes, I love the reverse feature. Makes life on a Ural so much better. I really like the kick start. It has saved the day more than once! It's hard to break one of these machines. But...they are not Navy vehicles, so don't take them in deep water. My wife LOVES riding in the sidecar. We go on picnics a lot and rides to scenic areas. It's a fun machine and we have fun!!

I really hate sliding backwards down a hill. I didn't make it up. I am usually glad there is no one around to see it. You publish it.

The air inlets are not supposed to get flooded. Where are the pipes leading to the air filter?

I wish you would get a Rokon and "review" that.

You should do an update with a 2022 model. Fuel injected now and and a host of improvements. Your test should've mentioned how old the bike was.

Dude, if a bike survives you, it can survive anything!-John in Texas

Meanwhile on Craiglist: MINT Ural, never been offroad. Service recently done. xD

As a retired Ural mechanic, I should tell you that a weak point on the bike is the twin-plate dry clutch. It is VERY easy to cook it if you use it like a normal wet-clutch and slip it for control. First of all, there is no need to slip the clutch as the engine is almost like a diesel for slow speed torque. Neither do you need to rev it to get more power, as revving makes little difference in reality. Labouring the engine which is an air-cooled flat twin 750cc design (originally a BMW copy, but not really anymore) only shakes it to bits. What you need is to learn what jet-fighter pilots do, and get the thousand-yard stare. In reality it's learning what's coming up before you get there, so that you prepare beforehand to deal with it. Sidecar outfits fight you unless you learn how to get them to work FOR you, not against you. It's nothing like riding a bike or driving a car. It's a life-skill unto itself. A lady and her young daughter rode one round and across Africa, from the United Kingdom, all on their own, and beyond normal wear and tear (and a replacement set of clutch plates), all went well. Urals are unique in many ways, having been used and developed in isolation in the Soviet Union. Wheel bearing are fitted 'inside out', for example, and the seats rely as much on the rubber they're made of, the sprung mounts they're fitted to, as the suspension itself to give a comfy ride. The latest versions are vastly improved over the classic ones, having German made gears, ROUND wheels, better shock absorbers and fuel injection. My own experience is that the earlier ones were much easier to improve. My own could wind up to 90mph, which is quite beyond the modern versions, albeit at the cost of extra maintenance. This bike is perfect for bikers who enjoy looking after their steed, not just polishing them. It requires frequent oil changes because it's such an old underlying design, as well as intimate knowledge of the machine itself. It's one of those machines where relying on 'old hands' in the biking world will bring you nothing but misery. You need to learn from the horse's mouth, from Ural engineers. You do that, and learn the craft of riding a sidecar outfit properly (I used to do training courses), and you'll never want to sell your Ural. Oh, and the fairer sex like them too!

Fantastic video my man! Had me riveted. My Mum used to tell me stories of when she and my Father would ride from London to Wales with her in the sidecar. They were dirt poor but she loved the journeys they took together. Shame that my Father turned out to be a bell-end!!

There really would be a market for these kind of bikes. Older, fully manual more easily field repaired technology with no comforts but at the same time with proper quality control. Like UAZ vans and cars... They would be awesome as they are if they even tried! They wouldn't need to change anything about the cars tech itself. Just the quality of manufacturing. The tolerances are a joke, the welds look like they were made by a 6 year old and the rust proofing is non existent as the ones in EU market seem to start rusting under the paint just a year after a purchase. (of a brand new one) I love those cars and have always wanted a car with spartan accommodations, minimal amount of plastic, all manual windows, no AC, leaf springs, etc, but with quality, modern construction. Why doesn't anyone make one?

Aside from the buffoonery, silliness and here hold my beer moments the is a nice video showing what a Ural can and can't do.

I've seen a couple on the road. Unfortunately haven't been to a dealer yet. Thanks for the update!

I really cant stand this guys positivity and lack of sexual content. The fact that he isn't cursing at least every 7 words really pisses me right off. Dont get me started on the bible verses. Refreshing indeed.

The passenger shoud put more weight on the sidecar weel for better traction.

I think I remember the electrical system had problems 12 years ago. I don't know if they modified the electronics in the last 12 years, but I think the 1937 electrical system was temperamental. I think the Chinese red army motorcycle had the same problem. Seeing that they are the same model it shouldn't be a surprise.

Мое детство и юность...

Half expecting the puddle to be why I don't want/buy one. Now I need one

If you watch old film of Urals off roading notice theyre always going thru water at high speeds and over rough terrain as well. You have to keep them on the power band.

You should buy the king of dirtbikes the honda ""crf 50"" i would sell mine from my buildserie to you but i live in the Netherlands so will not work out😂

I bought one for my 50th birthday, and I'm 59 now. Bloody unreal bike!

Nothing changed in 80 years ? Motorcykles still have two wheels and a engine. What a stupid reliable test.

Зато экзотика!

I have a 2002 harley road king and a 2021 URAL CT....one wheel drive.....I love it.....really fun to drive around town.....just ordered some black turn out pipes for it to get rid of the big pontoons.....and hopefully get a better sound......

9:20 police be like: You can run but you can’t hide

From Russia with Love! learn - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-UUZOzT4F0DI.html Надо учиться на нем ездить ;)

Dude, I love this channel, so glad I found it! Very entertaining with some education and most videos literally make me laugh. Thank you!

I'm curious to know what additional things you had to say or test out on the Ural. I searched your channel, but didn't see the follow-up video... If you were in the Austin area I'd let you try out mine.

If Honda made something like that I would stand in line to buy

Sold my Ural a few years ago converted it into a '37 R-71 the trickiest part was replacing and lowering the front fender. A guy in Poland aftermarkets all the data plates.

Only use 2 wheel drive to get out of a sticky situation. NEVER drive with both wheels engaged at speeds above 15 mph. You will not be able to turn. Having said that, there was a version produced in the '90s which had a differential, much like a Dnepr MT16. That version was full time 2 wheel drive with a locking lever in case you got stuck.

I’ve been familiar with these, they fill a niche. I’ve never laughed so much seeing one until your video. Very entertaining!!!

The tires aren't set up for off roading. I bet a good set of inverse treads or knobbies would make a huge difference with the posi two wheel drive engaged.

The Last Crusade... my favorite Indy movie also!

Tbh USA is well known for getting an inferior version of an original product when it comes to imported vehicles

That test track/sight reminds me a lot of Centralia.

I just bought my bucket list bike (R1200GS Adventure) and THIS is my 2nd bucket list bike. Ewan and Charlie should ride these around the world.

I really wanted to buy the one in the Honda dealers in 1975 when I got my first bike. It put me in mind of those you see in old war films where some Germans are on a bike fitted with a machine gun. I bought the Honda though!

Just because an old model BMW is made in Russia doesn't mean it's unreliable. Anyway, how often does one see engineering so good that it warrants copying? BMW should be thankful for the compliment.

I really wish more manufacturers built classic bikes like this. Royal Enfield and Harley Davidson come to mind but im talking about these awesome 1940s war time bikes. No ones really captured that look and feel like the Ural. (in my opinion)

So what happened to this bike? One of these days I need to find a nice Ural, but it’s difficult.

The smallest hick town in Central Florida just got a stop light and dollar store ..has had a dealership for years.

I had a friend that had a Ural and he loved that motorcycle. He road on back roads and trails all the time and never had an issue.

I used to think that the Soviets just ripped the design off, but in fact they acquired the rights as part of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact. The sidecar is on the wrong side for the UK; the Ministry of Transport used to license them, but they won’t at the moment. Another good reason to move to Uruguay!

I suspect the Urals sold in the US come with tires aimed at mostly on-road riding, and the ones in the demo videos (and probably the ones sold in Russia) have tires better for mud.

Ural was a Copy of the BMW R71 at 1942. It was designed to serve in the Militair. It has a reversegear. It takes Time to learn to use the Ural the right way. But it is true - there is no Limit for the Ural exept highspeed :-D btw you can mount a waterproof airfilter an spakplugcovers. this allows you to dive short distances, like Puddels or Creeks