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UPDATE: Ken Beach just called me, he found a used black Dnepr sidecar in very good shape today. We've cut a deal and he'll be picking it up next week, ordering the mounting kit and arranging for a welder to do the dirty work. I'll have a sidecar on my Harley in a couple of weeks!

I'm really starting to hate cars more than ever. Had to drive Angie to the Dorval International Airport in Quebec yesterday, she's gone on a two week vacation to France and didn't want to risk leaving her nice Mercury Cougar in the airport parking lot, so I was asked nicely to chauffeur her. She let me use her car as it has air conditioning, a V6 and a totally bitchin' sound system - things which my POS Chev Cavalier doesn't have. The trip took 5hrs total and it was the most miserable time I've had in awhile. Not only did I have to say good bye to her for two weeks, I also had to fight with Quebec traffic while in a cage. I was NOT a happy camper. Despite the AC and the tunes I just could not get comfy and within an hour was feeling trapped and claustrophobic. What made it even worse was that it was a beautiful day and there were many, many bikes out on the roads. Everytime I saw one I got a knot in my face because they were doing what I wanted to - ride.

Saw one couple on bikes that scared the hell out of us. He was on a clapped out old FLH shovelhead and she was on a new V-Star 1100; they were riding side by side and in the 1/2 hour that we followed them Angie and I were amazed that they lived. There was something terribly wrong with his bike - it was wobbling badly and he was having a hard time keeping it straight. He almost smacked into his girlfriend/wife a couple times when it unexpectedly shot over across the lane. I couldn't tell exactly what the problem was, but it looked like the steering head bearings were shot judging by the way the bike was wiggling about. We were doing 120kmh and these two were slowly pulling away from us, hanging out in the fast lane and holding up the flow of faster traffic like a couple of idiots. When we took the turnoff to Dorval, they continued on towards Montreal... I sure hope they made it safely to wherever they were going.

I was up early this morning washing the Harley and fixing an oil leak on the Dnepr. Washed the Dnepr, too and it's now sitting out in the driveway awaiting its next journey. Hector doesn't know it yet, but after I finish brekkie we're going for a ride to see his brother Jess. He'll be one happy puppy!

The madness continues...

I went to the bank today to sign the loan papers to finance the purchase of a sidecar for the Harley. We're halfway through the paperwork and the lady casually mentions that I was approved for more funds if I wanted. I asked how much more and, well, to make a long story short - I didn't get a loan for a sidecar. The Harley will stay a solo bike.

What I did get was enough money for a new '05 Ural Tourist and it will be in my hands within the next couple weeks. The downside here is that the Dnepr will have to go; I just don't have the room (or the money for insurance) for three bikes.

More details to follow soon!

WOO-HOO!!! My new Ural Tourist arrived this morning!

Just got back from the 50km maiden voyage; this bike ROCKS! I'll post more details and a ride impression later, right now I'm off to the garage to do a post-ride checkup.

STILL can't wipe the smile off my face from today's maiden voyage. I think Douk and I are in for a lot of happy times if this first ride is an indication of things to come. I did just over 50km today with my dog Hector in the chair and the experience was an eye opener to say the least. Here's my initial thoughts and impressions:

First of all, parked next to my Dnepr the new Ural looks almost dainty in comparison. But the Tourist's fit and finish is much more refined than the MT10-36 and I could only find a couple of minor flaws in the glossy black paintwork and powdercoat. I had a bit of a giggle when removing the lower seat cushion to make way for Hector's doggy blanket; the seat base is made of black painted plywood while the lower support is a whittled down 2X4! So much for state of the art Russian upholstery technology. I removed the rear fender seat from the bike and jammed its rubber suspension block under the rider seat for added support; I still find it a bit too flexy for my taste but it is surprisingly comfy. I'll be getting a seat cover ASAP, though, as the rubber surface of the tractor style solo seat feels just a little too freaky on the buns. I'm not sure about the sidecar windshield, it's way too much protection for a dog who spends most of his time lying down while the rig is in motion and the drag it creates was noticeable on a windy day like today. I'm going to remove it and see what difference that makes on my next ride.

The bike fires up and idles so easily I can't help but get ticked off - my Harley could take some lessons in this area. Ken did a super job of jetting and adjusting the carbs and I had no problems with the performance - the exhaust headers only show a slight goldish hue so I doubt anything will need tweaking in this area. Despite my careful twists of the throttle and gentle acceleration (much to the disgust of some twit in an SUV who went blasting by me around a blind corner because I wasn't going 40km over the speed limit like he was) I could tell the bike has lots of low down torque, so I don't think I'll have any troubles riding in traffic. It pulls willingly and without a lot of mechanical noise and fuss, the only hiccup is the need to very firmly tromp on the shifter to change gears. The transmission is hella clunky and downright hard to shift into reverse but I expect this to improve as the gears wear in. The ratios seem well spaced and a brief (and careful) run up to 80kmh left the definite impression that more power is on tap should I need it; but it'll be awhile before I try that. The manual says no special techniques are needed during break-in other than the usual varying of speeds and light acceleration/deceleration, but I want this bike to last a long time and will be giving it a very easy first 500km.

The ride quality was, well, different. I'm not sure if it was the strong wind, the new (to me) leading link front end, a pusher tire that was 6lbs low, the big windshield or a combination of them all but the bike was yawing all over the place at speeds above 60kmh. I stopped at a friend's place and pumped up the pusher tire, checked the other two tires (40psi all around) and put all four bike shocks to the highest preload setting; this made an appreciable difference but I could still feel it gently wallowing about from side to side on the highway. I think the windshield might have been the major culprit here so I'm curious to see if there's a difference with it removed. I did notice that it takes very little effort to steer into corners, the rig is easy to control even in an off camber decreasing radius curve that I specifically tried just for sh*ts 'n' giggles. I am impressed with how easy it is to change direction with this bike.

Speaking of windshields, I need one for the bike. Ken Beach (Old Vintage Cranks, 519-856-2822) has a Ural metal fairing on order and it can't get here fast enough for me. I've been pampered all these years by riding behind slabs of plexiglass on my bikes and the absence of one today was a strong reminder of why I like them. Bugs in the teeth are fine when you're young, but at 43 they're a real pain to pick out of one's beard at the end of a ride.

Ride comfort was amazing - all those shock absorbers help the bike glide over road imperfections and train tracks with a Cadillac quality. Very little vibration is felt through the footpegs and handlebars but the long stalk mirrors get fuzzy pretty quick after 50kmh. Hector seemed quite relaxed in the hack and didn't seem to be getting tossed about like he does in the Dnepr. I think at one point in our trip he actually fell asleep.

Brakes... this thing has brakes! What an absolute joy to squeeze the lever and pedal and feel the g-force of deceleration. Again, Ken did a marvelous setup as the hubs ran cool all day and the bike stopped straight and true every time. Contrast that with the "hammer it and hope for the best" Mapquest-assisted stopping ritual of the Dnepr and the Ural feels like it's hit a patch of quicksand when the brakes are touched.


So, colour my butt a sparkling shade of happy! More to follow as the miles go by...

Hey, glad to hear you didn't have to tie up your Harley to hack and got a spanky new bike instead. Best of both worlds.

I don't think I've ever seen anyone so happy about a piece of Russian machinery before. Looks good on ya.

Hope Hector likes his new ride.

I've ridden 600km on the Ural now and it's been a hoot. Took it to work Monday, Wednesday and Friday and the Harley on Tuesday and Thursday, which prompted many comments about how lucky I am to have more bikes than changes of underwear.

The Ural is one of - if not THE most - attention getting rigs I've ever ridden. I can't park it anywhere without attracting a crowd and having to field all kinds of questions about it. In the Ural community this is known as "UDF", which means Ural Delay Factor and is a variable one must calculate into any trip. I've learned that if I'm in a hurry I'm better off taking the Harley as it will get almost as many looks, but way fewer people will approach me to talk about it. If I have time to spare, the Ural gets the nod and I usually end up meeting many new people in the parking lot of Canadian Tire, the grocery store, Post Office or any other place I stop. Whenever I take Hector with me the crowds get even bigger; there's something about a blind dog riding around in a sidecar that brings out the smiles and curiosity in the general public.

The Dnepr is up for sale and I had a guy come look at it on Friday. Not sure if he'll end up buying her but he seemed quite impressed and enjoyed the ride in the sidecar. I wish I could keep her, but there's no way I can justify paying insurance on three bikes and the garage isn't big enough to accomodate two sidecar rigs, a Harley and my sweetie's Vulcan 800 Classic. Maybe some day when I'm a rich old fart I'll have the room and the finances to indulge in a motorcycle smorgasbord, but for now I'll have to make do with two bikes.

I work with a guy who has a Dnepr sidecar that he claims to have rebuilt. Knowing this guy, I would say he probably means he got it in running condition again. But he sure enjoys it. He also has a 98 Harley he bought new, but it's for sale. He never rides it, him and his boy spend most of thier time tooling around in the hack, then fixxing it, then more putting, repair, ect. They enjoy it. he's always talking about it anyway, I've never seen the bike.

There was also an old guy in town who rode a Ural hack year-round everyplace he went. He passed away last winter though. I wonder if they have that bike in storage someplace....

Hmm... my updates are getting more infrequent. But, hey, at least I've been out riding and having a lot of fun!

The Harley now has over 50,000km on the odometer and STILL hasn't had any problems whatsoever. So all you Harley bashers can just kiss my fat, hairy *ss.

Mind you, the Harley hasn't seen much action lately as I've been busy playing with my new Ural. "Douk" and I have logged over 1,000km now and so far there's been no sign of trouble. Hector is enjoying his many trips in the sidecar and gets all excited now every time he hears me put my riding boots on.

On a sad note, my Dnepr has been sold. The happy owner will arrive next Thursday to pick her up, he lives about 2 1/2 hours west of me so chances are we'll stay in touch after the sale. It feels good to know that she's going to a good home; I hope he has a smuch fun as I did... without all the teething pains, though.

cool ride, i have a jawa sidecar!

what engine does the ural have?

is it 2wd or 1wd?

brw waht engine did the dneper have?

and was it 2 ot 1 wd?