snow . In the early 1940 ’ s the Ural factory was moved from Moscow to the town of Irbit in the Ural Mountains . This was to locate the factory out of range of German bombers .
The Ural riders in 972 Breakdowns chose the older carburettor , drum braked , 650cc bikes for their ride . A wise choice as they could source spare parts easily as they travelled across Russia . There is quite a history to these bikes .
Back in the 1970 ’ s a car dealer in Sydney who imported 650cc Urals ( then known as Cossacks ) and with a price of $ 650 advertised them as a motorbike for one dollar per cc . The bikes sold in the 1970 ’ s had a reputation for poor reliability and were sold with a complimentary supply of spare parts that included pistons .
Over the years there have been significant improvements to the Ural sidecars with improved bearings , gears , crankshafts , brakes , and better-quality paint . Features of the current models include a spare wheel , stainless steel mufflers , jerry can and a shovel .
Some significant changes have been increasing capacity from 650cc to 750cc , disc brakes all round and the introduction of EFI in 2014 . A major change was a new motor with more horsepower in 2019 . The 2019 upgrades included more precise fuel injection , upgraded pistons , cooling and oil circulation . Now in 2022 we have a Ural 2wd Gear Up model available in Australia . Previously the 2wd option was only available in right had drive countries where the sidecar is mounted on the right-hand side of the bike .
In the future Urals are likely to be electric . Ural has already developed a prototype all electric machine . This will be an interesting sidecar with batteries , no clutch or gear shifter and an even torque band for quick acceleration . The Ural has never been a retro reproduction . It is a bike that has been in continuous manufacture and has evolved over the years .
After the riders in 972 Breakdowns had pushed , pulled , floated , and towed their Urals across Russia the final stages of riding were through Alaska and Canada to New York . These stages seem like a bit of luxury on the bitumen roads .
Recommended as a celebration of this year ’ s 80th anniversary of the production of the Ural sidecar 972 Breakdowns is a movie that is a must watch , make sure you have your popcorn ready .
Available on DVD through www . leavinghomefunktion . com / en / home / 972 Breakdowns is originally in German language but now also includes English overdub as well as English subtitles . The DVD includes bonus material that offers an insight in the creation of the animations and music plus the artistic route map .
STEVE DWIGHT
TRAVERSE 99