Sidecars Are About Fun! - John Rooth (aka Roothy)

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John Rooth, better known to many as Roothy, recently took our 2024 Ural Gear Up Sahara for a spin with brother Nick.

Roothy shares his brief encounter in his column “Strooth!”, an editorial in a recent issue of Australian Motorcycle News (AMCN) #Vol.74 No.19

“Are sidecars relevant in 2025? Sidecars were first bolted to motorcycles as a low-cost alternative for hauling the family around. Then when cars were reduced to little plastic appliances, running an outfit wasn’t something done to save a quid.”

“Riding an outfit is different, and for a lot of folks that’s more than enough. They can also be incredibly capable off-road if they’re built to purpose, with plenty of clearance and potential for the passenger to chuck his weight around.

So, the right outfit is the ultimate adventure machine!”

“Urals are the pinnacle of sidecar design and engineering and offer a totally unique method of getting around that’s loaded with adventure.”

Beffy's Zig Zag Adventures on Igor

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Our loose “Plan A” was to leave Tasmania to participate in the Ural Rally at Bathurst, then take a slow path towards Cape York encountering as many dirt roads as possible, then head home via the Great Central Road through WA and SA.

A visit with Uralee and Princess, who gave us a place to park, enjoy refreshments, laughter and a walking tour of the area, came to our rescue providing us with a highly decorated silver teaspoon as we failed to pack this essential item.

Jake and Simone assisted in teaching us the fine art of traversing land slips and bog holes. A most memorable adventure that has raised my Ural handling to a high regard amongst motor bikers that we have met (when they see the video). I have also learnt how to do oil changes after being stuck in a water hole for some time.

 
 

The Bathurst Rally was a truly memorable event with great rides, rekindling of old acquaintances and meeting of the newbies. Tackling the Bridle Track was a huge achievement for all. With the forecast of heavy rain and flooding, our adventure north required a more urgent departure, but not before we were blessed with special gifts from Bob and Sue, a handmade pen and a small wooden bowl.

Rain and floods forced the change to “Plan B”, which had not been formulated, it just grew from suggestions and necessity. The journey far north was now not an option.

A side trip to Ural HQ for supplies and a visit to the legendary Jon and Vicki Taylor, who regaled us with the history of their journey of importing Urals which was a treat. We then planned an impromptu visit to a couple, Bobsie and Wheels, in Yamba.

What a blast this visit ended up being. I was issued with my “L’s” from Bobsie, learner, lunatic or loser? You can make up your own minds there! They gave us tips and tricks for maintenance, camping with a sidecar, weekly food prep and general good laughter. We explored the area on bikes, fought off water beasts at flooded crossings, and made good use of the sidecar’s ability to carry supplies home from the beverage store.

 

Wheels and Bobsie provided us with a 7 day motorbike adventure in the Victorian High Country that we took on with great enthusiasm. Dirt roads, corrugations as deep as a newly furrowed pasture, potholes that nearly reached China and all of this, predominately to ourselves. Jindabyne to Delegate, Delegate to Buchan, Buchan to Omeo, Omeo to Jindabyne. Oh how glorious these roads were to explore some beautiful country. We then moved camp to Omeo where we explored dirt roads to Dargo and return. The next day Omeo, Mitta Mitta, Mount Beauty, Omeo. The autumn colours were a sheer delight along with the alpine vegetation and views. Victorians, you have a wonderful area as your backyard.

Along this journey we have had some great advice on road conditions from Forestry, locals and other Ural riders especially Pokey..thanks mate. Oh yeah, loads of UDF moments everywhere. Today I was hiking a hill and a fellow hiker, passing in the opposite direction mentioned she has seen another sidecar in WA with ‘New Zealand’ on their luggage..Andi and Ellen from NZ. Take home message..we are seen by many that we don’t even know.

In three and a half months Igor has run beautifully , except when submerged, has clocked over 8 thousand kilometres, and is now due for some new tread.

Words by Beffy (Beth) Cooke. Photos by Beffy and husband Phil (riding two wheels).

Many thanks for sharing some of your adventures with us!

Ural Rally Bathurst Autumn 2025

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Lee reports on their recent ride:

“Jon Taylor, original owner of Ural Australia, had run a few adventure rides in the early years and UA still continue to do so annually.  It is a long run from the Southern states to Uralla to take part and this had Norm Orchard (SA) thinking we should do something similar down South or at least occasionally a little closer for us Mexicans.

Fifteen years later our Ural owners group ride (organised by a couple of dedicated and passionate Ural owners, independent of Ural Australia) was based in Bathurst this Autumn 2025 and we had an amazing roll call of  seventeen Urals from five states attend our five days of touring. Geoff and Robyn were our local hosts, Geoff doing an incredible job of mapping the roads and checking the routes with Robyn in the preceding weeks. They even filled an enormous hole in a causeway with rocks.  This holed causeway has provided considerable grief recently with broken wheels and bones for numerous solo riders and vehicles.

Following a few booking alterations everyone other than our hosts were accommodated at the caravan park in cabins, caravans and motor homes with most staying for seven or eight days.  The weather held up beautifully for our five ride days and each day was a wonderful experience of Bathurst and surrounds with a great mix of sealed and unsealed roads and the odd “track” for a bit of adventure.

Of course we did the iconic Bridle Track to Hill End.

As well as a lap of that ‘other’ track, Mount Panorama. One lady (Dea) was beside herself with the lap of the mount and wanted to go back every day…… Probably unbeknown to most attendees, we also travelled the original Bathurst race track….The Vale Circuit……this was considered so wild ….it forced the move to Mount Panorama.  

All being located together made the mandatory happy hour each day following the ride a huge success.. Our group of thirty five took control of the camp kitchen with much snacking, re-hydrating and some dinner cooking while the incessant chat, stories and laughter helped keep others away.

Morning teas and picnic lunches were mainly in the countryside,  parks or by a pleasant stream…….you can’t get a quick coffee for thirty five in a cafe. 

We had a book launch, a birthday celebration and a great time.

We were ably accompanied by two support vehicles (Norm, now retired from riding) and Stephen and Sue.  Neither were required for any breakdowns but both became taxis, providing a rest on a few occasions for my Princess and others.”

Ural Australia HQ would like to thank Lee for putting together this summary of what we’ve heard was a fantastic week of Ural riding, adventures and comradery, and for his assistance in organising the ride, along with the hard work of Geoff and Robyn!

Thanks also to roaming photographer from Tasmania (Phil) who was riding his solo in preference to risking his life with wife Beffy (sorry Beff) our only female rider this time. 

Holiday Riding Adventures

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As we move full steam into 2025, we’d like to take a moment to thank you for being a part of the Ural story.

Whether it’s your love for the open road or the bush, the joy you share with the world inspires us every day.

Here’s to another year of adventuring together and exploring new destinations.

Vadar in the sidecar heading south as they begin their journey to Tasmania and across to the west - ben

A day out in the High Country Foothills around Briagolong Vic, our backyard - Jake and Simone

out in the Bathurst region and got caught in this amazing storm. 4" of water across the road traffic reduced to 70klm and the Ural ploughed on regardless. Never missed a beat - Henry

New to sidecar biking. Loving it. Riding most days now instead of car! So much room for groceries and stuff! Got it for Nahla & me. She’s an older girl so much easier getting into sidecar than on back of bike I had - Julie

full steam ahead for 2025. This week we are doing the pre-delivery assembly and registration of a very nicely kitted out Ural sidecar outfit. Trev's experience as a sidecar racer really shines when it comes to setting these magnificent all road adventure machines up to deliver their best in the middle of nowhere - Surfside Motorcycle Garage

Great day, up back of killabakh reserve with Addo - Troy

It’s handy to carry a chainsaw when getting off the beaten track!

#urallife - Glenn and Troy (Photo: Glenn Addison)

Ride safe and enjoy the ride!

The team at Ural Australia

Seasons Greetings and Holiday Schedule

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With 2024 drawing to a close, we’d like to thank you for your support during the last twelve months.  It's been quite a year and we’re looking forward to what 2025 may bring.

We’re excited to have just received a new shipment of bikes with some still available in a range of colours and options so contact us or your local dealer to find out more.

We will be closing 4.30pm this Friday 20th December and will re-open with shorter trading hours Thursday 2nd and Friday 3rd January 2025. Emails and phone calls will be monitored periodically during this period.  We’ll reopen with normal trading hours from Monday 6th January.

All orders and enquiries received during our closure will be processed once we're back.

Many thanks once again.

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy and Prosperous New Year filled with many riding adventures!

Enjoy the Festive Season!

Ural Gear Up Review “Let’s Do the Time Warp Again”

"Thumbs up, kids waving, you're not alone for long. License loss to speeding is not an issue either, thrashing a Ural all day over 100kph is just missing the point, like a Postie bike or canal boat you are in your own little bubble, take your time and smell the roses. The only negative is you aren't going to be filtering in traffic on this."

Read this Gear Up Review written by Richard Beatty, one of the crew at our WA dealership, Retro Moto Co, who borrowed their Ural demonstrator to go to a bike camping meetup. Richard was a writer for a few motorcycle magazines back in the day…

2024 Ural Adventure Ride Roundup

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Our 2024 Ural Adventure Ride was a three-day ride held the weekend of 13th, 14th, 15th September.

It was an absolutely fantastic weekend, a gathering of like-minded people keen to share a weekend of great riding, fun and comraderie!

Our friend Greg from Rocky Creek Designs has put together some great video footage from all three days of the ride.

If you enjoyed this footage, you can stay up to date with all the latest Ural news by subscribing to our Newsletter

2024 Ural Adventure Ride

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Our 2024 Ural Adventure Ride was a three-day ride held the weekend of 13th, 14th, 15th September.

It was an absolutely fantastic weekend, a gathering of like-minded people keen to share a weekend of great riding, fun and comraderie!

Friday morning saw 34 Urals gather at Ural Australia HQ in Uralla where they rode off to enjoy a sunny day of riding with morning tea in the local village of Kingstown and a lunch stop at the pub in Bundarra.

The ride took us past Copeton Dam where water views were enjoyed by all before riding on towards Inverell, our destination for Friday and Saturday night.

Saturday’s ride saw 35 Urals gather for a wonderful day’s riding organized by local Ural owners Wayne and Kris who had some great roads in store for us.  The morning ride took us through an old tin mining area where technical skills were called on with all enjoying the challenge! 

Morning tea stop was in the beautiful setting of Joseph Mills Park where everyone gathered and shared stories.

Pindari Dam was our lunch stop before riding north to check out Macintyre Falls.

Skies were clear and the air clean and crisp as we left Inverell Sunday morning to ride east towards our morning tea stop at Ben Lomond, quite a bit cooler due to the higher altitude.

Beautiful roads and lush green countryside were perfect for Sunday’s ride with a lunch stop in Guyra before returning to Uralla in the afternoon.

Another great weekend riding and so a huge thanks must go to our ride organisers, Jon Taylor, Wayne and Kris Young, with support from Greg Jansen of Rocky Creek Designs, along with our photographer and videographer, Glenn Addison, for such a fantastic weekend of Ural riding spent with friends reunited and new friends made. 

“Had a great weekend with great people , thanks to all for putting up with crazy drones and extra dust so we could get the shots ” Glenn

“Thanks for an awesome weekend up around Inverell!  Never having been on a ride like that, I was surprised at how enjoyable it all was!  Looking forward to 2025!”  Mick

“Thank you all again for organising the ride again and for your support and camaraderie experienced by us as part of the Ural ‘pack’.  Already looking forward to next year’s event.” Yeena

A great bunch of people, great riding and, as always, wonderful comradery shared as we rode and adventured together!

New Sydney Dealer Announced

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We’re pleased to announce we’ve recently appointed a new Ural dealer in Sydney, Surfside Motorcycle Garage at Brookvale!

Surfside’s main focus has always been to be Sydney’s premier high performance classic motorcycle workshop with a passion for rides, social activity and adventure!

Trev and Rob are “The Real Deal” and say selling new things is always fun.  With some recent changes within the business, they’re super keen to keep selling something really cool so when the opportunity presented itself to sell Ural sidecar motorcycles, they grabbed it.

Surfside is now a decade old successful business partnership and prides itself on being an old school motorcycle garage in the modern world.  Trev is a uniquely gifted motorcycle mechanic, sidecar racer, ex TAFE instructor and shrewd businessman.

Surfside has extensive experience with Urals having been servicing them regularly for the last 10 years or so.  They recognise the build quality of the new models is superb, even out of sight compared to earlier models.

“83 years of design and technology improvements make for a very engaging and very individual motorcycle. We are pleased to have the knowledge and skills to make sure these interesting and very enjoyable motorcycles are kept in top operating condition.”

With a new 2023 Gear Up 2WD model in Lima Green on the floor, they’re very keen to show it off to you, perhaps even take you for a ride in it!

If you’d like to learn more about Urals and sidecar riding, give Trev or Rob a call or drop in and check them out!

Riding a Sidecar: the first 500 km

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Skol Wiggins, Oz Bike magazine, takes our 2023 Ural Gear Up Sahara for a ride with his best mate in the chair.

“Riding a sidecar requires a new skill-set, and for some people, it’s a big challenge.

But… if you do persevere, you’re in for a lot of fun.

And, more importantly, you can take your dog with you whenever you go for a ride.

How cool is that!”

“Riding the Ural is like riding a horse with a mind of its own,” I said to myself, but I was determined to learn to control it.

Back to the Drawing Board!

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As you can imagine, in the last two years we’ve been totally consumed by the most vital daily business matters. Well, we have good news. In cooperation with O.M.I. Srl an Italian engineering company and aRacer SpeedTek, a Taiwanese specialist in engine management systems, we started a big project to develop and implement some long overdue changes to our motorcycle. Please don’t get too excited just yet, the changes won’t come to life tomorrow. However, we do hope you’ll like it when the time comes 😊

If you have questions or suggestions, feel free to share, we’ll pass it on to our international team of engineers.

Disclaimer: this is a computer-generated image. It may or may not represent the actual development.  

TWO YEARS LATER - A NOTE FROM ILYA

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Hans Christian Andersen, famous Danish author of fairy tales once wrote  "When we get to the end of the story, we shall know more than we do now..."

Our story is far from the end, but what do we know now, two years after the war broke out and we realised that the only way to continue is to leave our birthplace behind.

Well, we definitely know more now than we did then.

We know now that nothing is going to be the same, that the old ways of doing things are no more, and that we need to reimagine and rebuild the company pretty much from scratch. 

That Kazakhstan is not the final destination but only a stop. That we will be losing friends, partners and even team members along the way. That the reality can be even more complicated than the most pessimistic forecasts..

That nobody is going to give us a break just because we’re nice, and that every day and every minute we have to continue to come up with the proof that the world is a better place with Ural in it. 
 
And that, as always, all depends on us.

What we can also tell you now, two years later, is that we continue doing our absolute best, and have absolutely no plans to quit.

Yes, it’s difficult, yes, we make mistakes sometimes, but Ural is here, all key people are here, bikes and parts have been built and shipped, and new development is in the works.

With cooler weather here, let’s get out and enjoy life and the thrill of the road ahead. Let’s multiply the adventure by sharing it with friends or family members.

Please remember, that your smiles and stories are what gives us the strength and motivation to move forward. This is what we work for and we promise to keep it this way!


Ilya and the Team at Ural

Christmas Greetings and Holiday Schedule

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With 2023 drawing to a close, we’d like to thank you for your support during the last twelve months.  It's been quite a year and we're excited to move into 2024 full throttle with our next batch of bikes arriving late January.  There are still bikes available in a range of colours and options so contact us or your local dealer to find out more.

Our office is now closed for the holiday period and will re-open Wednesday 3rd January with normal trading hours. 
During our closure, emails and phone calls will be monitored periodically.  
All orders and enquiries received during our closure will be processed once we're back.

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Enjoy the Festive Season!

New Christmas Special Ride Report

Enjoy a good laugh and adventure from the British Isles as much as we did! 

Walcha Motorcycle Rally 2023

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The 2023 Walcha Motorcycle Rally was a great weekend! Perfect weather, a variety of rides on some great tracks as well as lots of Rally events based in and around the small town of Walcha, located in the beautiful high country of the New England area of NSW.

Sidecar riders, in particular, Ural riders were treated to three different rides over three days, all very well organised by Jon Taylor. What a great playground for mates on Urals.

And who could resist a splash in some water!

Each ride took in winding country roads with spectacular places to stop and enjoy the view.

A Rally organised multi-bike gymkhana demonstrated the ability of the sidecar outfit.

Many visitors dropped by our stand for a chat and to check out the new Urals.  The early model BMW created plenty of interest.

Great times with great people at the Walcha Motorcycle Rally.

A special thanks to all those who joined in the fun and shared photos.

2023 Ural Adventure Ride

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Our 2023 Ural Adventure Ride was a three-day ride held the weekend of 8th, 9th, 10th September.

We did something a little different this year and based our ride out of one location with day rides each day exploring the beautiful and varied countryside around Port Macquarie.

Eager riders and their sidecar passengers gathered Friday morning, ready for the first day’s ride.  Maps were handed out and friendly chatter shared as all were excited for the day ahead.

Leaving the bustling city for the day, the group travelled along country roads enjoying the wide-open spaces with all the bikes lined up to enjoy a spectacular view before venturing onto our lunch stop.  One rider had brought along his much adored K9 friend, Chloe, as his companion in the chair. 

Saturday morning saw a sunny start to the day as our enthusiastic riders gathered to board the ferry across the Hastings River, all aboard bar three Urals who waited patiently for the next one.

Two options were on offer for riders this morning.  One was a leisurely ride north from Port Macquarie while the other group were offered the opportunity to test the Ural’s ability, along with riders 2WD skills, through some sandy tracks up an incline.  A real hoot for those keen to give it a go!

Uralists regrouped in the cute little tidy town of Gladstone for a mid-morning stop along the river, with one rider taking the opportunity for a quick nap.  We then ventured on through the forest, amongst the stunning trees, up to our lunch spot. 

Picnic lunches were consumed whilst overlooking the coast and beaches below before winding our way down the steep track, onto the freeway and back into town.

 

Sunday morning, we gathered again and prepared for the final day.  With much conversation shared about the ride so far, all were keen for another day riding together, exploring the hinterland of the Hastings region.

Winding roads and beautiful countryside were enjoyed with a morning tea stop at Hannam Vale Reserve. 

A climb up the mountain took us to our lunch stop, then back down again for a ride along the beach!

Smiling faces and happy people!

Another great weekend riding and so a huge thanks must go to our ride organiser, Greg Jansen (with his wife Janice) of Rocky Creek Designs, along with Port Macquarie local, Glenn Addison, for organising such a fantastic weekend of Ural riding spent with friends reunited and new friends made.  A great bunch of people, great riding and, as always, wonderful comradery shared as we rode together!

Be sure to check out Greg’s YouTube video for a view from the rider’s seat:

Many thanks to all those who contributed photos

Small Steps Make Steady Progress

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“Small Steps Result in a Motor That’s Thoroughly Modern.”
— Australian Motorcyclist Magazine

A decade of small steps for Ural results in a motor that’s thoroughly modern - the company has been able to adopt improved engineering techniques, leading to better alloying, casting, and tighter component tolerances, meaning claimed increases in quality, durability and reliability.

New For 2023

Crankcase:

  • All new casting, improved design, precise machining

  • Redesigned two-piece front bearing housing, bolt-on oil squirter

  • Rubber gasket for reliable seal between the case and the rear bearing housing

  • Starter cover and crank position sensor adapter are integrated with crankcase casting

  • Screw-in inspection plug

Roller Tappets:

  • Eliminates outdated and  inconsistent process of manufacturing of the old style flat head tappets in-house

  • Increases reliability and durability due to reduction of wear of the tappet rollers and camshaft lobes

  • Allows for more consistent valve clearance adjustment

 CV-joints sidecar driveshaft:

  • U-joints are replaced with the CV-joints

  • Smoother rotation at all angles

  • Increased reliability and service intervals

July Special Limited Time Only

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Ural Gear Up 2WD July Special

*Offer available for a limited time only and ends 31st July.

The first shipment of 2023 Urals is arriving at our shores in a couple of weeks. We are excited to finally deliver the pre-ordered units to our customers who’ve been patiently waiting to start riding.

As a token of appreciation, we are introducing a special promotion for the month of July.

Free 3rd year extended warranty ($1,250 value) with the purchase of a new 2023 Ural and/or with deposit on a new forward order (November arrival) if the model of your choice is not available on the current shipment.

Only a handful of units still available in July arrival including the following colours:

Terracotta Satin, Slate Grey (above)

Ural Gear Up Outback Orange

Outback Orange (above)

International Klein Blue (above image shows special project made by our partners in the US with optional green accent trim)

Ural Big River Ride

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A group of friends gathered for a weekend riding Ural together in the Big River region of northeast NSW.

What better way to share the adventure than on a Ural motorbike with sidecar.

After a short run down the freeway, we were soon on forest trails heading for the morning tea stop.

A visit to the historic railway station in the next village saw us all line up on the railway platform waving the Ural flag.

 

More winding country roads were enjoyed before our lunch stop.

The afternoon run home took us up into the hills where glimpses of the Pacific could be seen.

We headed for the beach the following morning, enjoying the spectacular scenery along the coastline.

From there, we rode inland to meander along the local creek on our way to lunch.

 

Such a great weekend and perfect way to share good times with friends!

Friends Sharing the Adventure

King Charles III Coronation: Sidecar Seating Reserved

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French TF1 secured a couple of Urals to cover the Coronation of King Charles III on May 6th!

We will be posting updates on our social media channels, do tune in!

Big thanks to  Rob and Zayne at Gusto Motorbikes and Mike at TheSidecarGuysLondon for assisting with logistics, driving, filming and most of all for representing Ural with all their heart and top level effort.