Published October 15, 2025 by Michael Le Pard , Editor‑in‑Chief

The Complete Motorcycle Compendium
– U –

2004 Ural Retro with Sidecar

 

Ural (Russia) [Active – Sidecar Specialists]

IMZ-Ural

Years Active: 1941–present

Notable Models: Ural Gear Up, Ural Retro, Ural cT

Ural is Russia’s most famous motorcycle manufacturer, specializing in rugged sidecar outfits.
Founded during WWII by reverse‑engineering the BMW R71, Ural supplied thousands of M‑72 sidecar rigs to the Soviet Army.
Today, Ural continues to build modernized versions with fuel injection, disc brakes, and Euro‑5 compliance, while retaining their classic look.

💡 Did You Know? Ural is one of the last manufacturers in the world still producing factory‑built sidecar motorcycles.

Ultra (United States) [Defunct – Custom Cruisers]

Ultra Motorcycles

Years Active: 1990s–2000s

Notable Models: Ultra Groundpounder, Ultra Fat Pounder

Ultra was an American custom motorcycle company producing Harley‑style cruisers powered by S&S engines.
They were part of the 1990s–2000s chopper boom, offering factory‑built customs with stretched frames and chrome styling.
Ultra closed in the mid‑2000s as the custom market contracted.

💡 Did You Know? Ultra’s bikes were often featured in U.S. motorcycle magazines as turnkey customs.

Union (Netherlands) [Defunct – Bicycles & Mopeds]

Union

Years Active: 1904–1970s

Notable Models: Union 50cc Moped

Union was a Dutch manufacturer best known for bicycles, but they also produced mopeds and small motorcycles.
Their lightweight machines were popular in the Netherlands during the 1950s and 1960s.
Union eventually focused solely on bicycles, where the brand still exists today.

💡 Did You Know? Union mopeds often used Sachs two‑stroke engines.

Universal (Switzerland) [Defunct – Swiss Engineering]

Universal Motorcycles

Years Active: 1928–1959

Notable Models: Universal 500 OHC

Universal was a Swiss motorcycle manufacturer producing high‑quality machines with advanced engineering.
They built OHV and OHC singles and twins, competing with European rivals in the interwar and postwar years.
Universal closed in 1959, but their bikes remain prized by collectors.

💡 Did You Know? Universal motorcycles were sometimes nicknamed “the Swiss Norton.”

Urbet (Spain) [Active – Electric Motorcycles]

Urbet

Years Active: 2016–present

Notable Models: Urbet Ego, Urbet Lora

Urbet is a Spanish electric motorcycle manufacturer focused on urban mobility and lightweight electric sportbikes.
Their designs combine futuristic styling with practical commuting range.
Urbet represents Spain’s growing EV motorcycle industry.

💡 Did You Know? The Urbet Lora is styled like a café racer but fully electric.

URS (Germany) [Defunct – Racing Specials]

URS

Years Active: 1960s–1970s

Notable Models: URS 500 GP Racer

URS was a German racing motorcycle project created by Helmut Fath, a world champion sidecar racer.
The URS 500 four‑cylinder engine was highly advanced and competed in Grand Prix racing.
Though never a mass‑production brand, URS left a strong legacy in racing history.

💡 Did You Know? Helmut Fath’s URS engine powered him to the 1968 Sidecar World Championship.

 

Ultra Harley Clone, uses S&S engines
Ural Russian, built in a factory near Moscow in the 1930s with help from the Germans. Then up scaled after the Soviets captured the BMW factory in Eisenach Germany and moved the machinery to a factory in Irbit USSR. Still building modern and retro looking motorcycles today.
IMZ-Ural is the only Russian manufacturer of heavy duty motorcycles and one of few manufacturers of side-car motorcycles in the world. IMZ-Ural is a conglomerate of companies producing and selling classic motorcycles both singles and side-car combinations.

The story of IMZ-Ural begins late in 1939, a secret meeting was held in the Defence Ministry of USSR and the matter under discussion was what a model of motorcycles was going to be the most suitable for Soviet Armed Forces. After long discussion the BMW R71 motorcycle was found to match the requirements most closely and 5 motorcycles of the kind were secretly bought in Sweden. Everything about the bike was reversed engineered and early in 1941 the first trial samples of M-72 motorcycles were shown to Marshall Stalin and decision was taken to produce them.

Nazi invasion was so fast that Soviet Government had to move the Factory from Moscow to Irbit, a little town on the edge of Siberia, an important Trade and Fair centre in Russia before Revolution of 1917. On October 25, 1942 the first batch of Motorcycles went to the front and during WWII totally 9799 motorcycles were delivered to the front for reconnaissance detachments and mobile troops. After the WWII the Factory was further developed and in 1950 the Number 30000 motorcycle was produced, and totally more than 3 million motorcycles mainly with side-car have been produced since.

There are a lot of places in Russia where only horses and URAL motorcycles can be used to gear-up where you need it. The export history of URALs started in 1953, mainly to developing countries first, including Governmental Authorities of various countries. But starting late in the 1980s deliveries started to developed countries and more and more URALs are there on the roads of all continents. URALs are a unique combination of price, classic styling and side-car, just like my “daddy’s bike”.

In the beginning of 1998 the business was bought by private Russian interest and it is no longer state property, bringing new ideas, new investments, new management, new production techniques, new design, technology and above all quality control of incoming, in-process and finished products.

Where other competitors have stopped production or are stuck in a rut of old models, IMZ have been given a new lease of life, with new models and an engine that benefits the standards required by the sporting and leisure rider of modern times. Whilst the outward appearance of the engine is the same as before, quality control techniques have use of better alloying and casting, better engineering tolerances, better paint and chrome whilst retaining the advantage of continuity with the inherently balanced design of a horizontally opposed flat twin engine with roller bearings in a solid frame.
URS Germany, 1960’s racers designed by Helmut Fath