It's kinda a bumpy ride. Suspension isn't that great, hence the spring under the seat. But they are pretty comfortable. The side car adds some characteristics to riding which took me a bit to get used to, especially given that you actually steer to where your going and don't lean as on 2 wheels. Right hand turns at speed are cool, you get to lean well into them like a sailboat. Left hand turns are a bit more fun, especially when you get the side car up in the air and the passenger isn't ready for it. Flying the car, raising the bike onto 2 wheels when in a straight line is also pretty fun. Oh and backing up in reverse gear is different. All in all they drive just like you would expect 70 year old technology would. Flying down the highway at 90kmh id say is about the bravest thing I've done on 3 wheels.
I just got back from a ride to Alaska. On the trip I talked at lunch with a man from Houston on a Ural. He rode it to Prudhoe Bay and was on his way back to Houston on it. Seemed good enough for the Haul road and probably 8 or 9000 highway miles.
met a guy at the shooting range that had one like this. he's been riding dirt bikes for 30+ years and this is his commuter/toy. he says it's been reliable, he bought it in 2010 and has 12k km on his (~8k miles). he does his own maintenance, says parts and knowledge are easy to come by which surprised me. his only big complaint is that you can't really go over 60 mph in it, since it's a short-geared 4 speed and since it has a driveshaft, you can't easily change the final drive like you could if it was just a sprocket. cool bike, I dig it. Image Unavailable, Please Login
You can get a high speed 4th gear if you really need. It's pretty harrowing doing 60 in one of these on the highway with big rigs around you.
wow this thread is still alive. ha I don't know if i'd want to do 60 in one of these things. I have grown quite fond of the morgan 3 wheelers too. A bit too expensive for a toy though.
Just picked up another CJ750, my current one had some engine failure then I found this one locally for the cost of a new engine from China. Nice thing about these bikes, you can practically toss them when you are done. Image Unavailable, Please Login
There is a motorcycle shop in my area that builds them and sells them for 16k plus. They paint them some pretty cool colors. 2014 Ural Gear-Up - Battleship Blue A friend told me this motorcycle shop buys them as a kit and they show up in a large wooden crate for under 2k they build them and paint them in their shop and sell them. Anyone have an idea how to buy them wholesale direct in a crate?
16k ?????? USD? You can buy 5 solos for that, come completely rebuilt. Or 2 with side cars fully decked out for less than 16. That's an insane price. Go to cjsidecar.com Shao is the owner, he is the biggest builder of these bikes in China and supplies most of the smaller guys. He can get original military engine blocks, which are better than the copies, which is what most people get. However even when you get the bike you need to do some work. Setting the carbs, points, valves etc. These are not bikes you can buy and ride like a Yamaha. They need constant maintenance and upkeep. The aftermarket parts like heads and gaskets are of such low quality and tolerances are so poor you need to be prepared. That being said, we are talking 1930's technology. It's very easy to set things, they are rough engines which can run on one cylinder easily, some people don't even know they are. They drip oil, leak exhaust and break down a lot. But for the money I have yet to ride a more fun bike. You can find them for sale on craigslist for a grand or two. Don't get fooled by the fancy paint jobs and shiny chrome, the mechanics are all the same. If you do buy from Shao it's the best you will get, trust me you will be scratching your head when it arrives asking this is the best?
I am in the process of putting a mid-80s BMW 800cc engine into a CJ750 sidecar rig (BMW R80 motor, modified clutch assembly, modified CJ transmission, stock CJ driveshaft/final drive). It would be finished in the next week, or so...but a new front end needs to be sourced because the old one was not disassembled properly before being chromed. The CJ is for a customer. I personally have a 1954 BMW R51/3...which is similar in some ways to the CJ. It's interesting to see the similarities and differences. Saying that the CJ build quality is lacking when compared to the BMW is an understatement. Lots of fun!
There is a guy cj Bob sidecar or something to that effect that specializes in fitting BMW engines to these bikes. I'm sure the power and ride quality would improve beyond what word can express lol I've seen an actual BMW R71 which the CJ and Ural are based off of, the 1932 BMW is light years ahead in quality over the CJ's. It a quite amazing that the Germans had better tooling and metalology tech over what the Chinese are still producing today. Scary almost. I actually almost bought a real R71 for 25k but figured that was more a museum piece. I would like an WWII R75 tho.
Jim Bryant is the BMW/CJ guy in Beijing...Bob has links from his website. Jim is the one who modified the CJ transmission I'm using. When I find/get a new front end, I will get some photos and a riding impression with the BMW power. Another personal bike of mine is a 1958 BMW R50/2 with a later (1977) engine and drivetrain...it has a Ural sidecar attached.
Are you on the Yahoo group? Really interested in your impression with the BMW engine. I heard that the R75 with the powered sidecar is a bit of a dog, that on pavement it's a different beast to drive.
The problem is, I never even saw the bike in its original form...so, my only impression will be vs. the various BMWs I own and have ridden. Not really a fair comparison. The owner will be the real test...I'll keep updating as the project progresses. You don't know of any stateside parts suppliers, do you? As mentioned earlier, I need some front end parts...fork sliders and such.
I don't know if any states side suppliers, but usually if you ask on the Yahoo group there are guys with lots of parts available. Send me a pm with your email, I may have the parts as I'm going to be stripping my old one down.
I don't know much about them, but a close friend has one. I think its a 2006. He is pretty happy with it, though he rides it every Halloween. I'm afraid he is going to get shot one day... LOL Image Unavailable, Please Login
