Which way to go?

I have a Ural sidecar rig and while it is great around town, going any distance is all but out of the question due to lack of power, hills and a top speed of 55mph.

I have a 1150RT, power and a top speed of "you'r going to jail, boy". Solo machine.

Rough guesstimates puts hacking out the RT at $5,000 (car & mount) to $15,000 with extras, front end conversion, rear end conversion, paint, labor, travel to and from DMC.

The other thought is to swap in a power plant with more ponies into the Ural and lose reverse. No dollar figure for a engine and fabrication but we all know it will be high.

So I'm asking for input as to how I can hack at higher speed without having to work for another year at a job that has become hell on earth.

You're in a part of the country where your Ural would sell well. It's possible your best option may be start shopping for a used road rig and sell the Ural. You could swap engines in the Ural but HP is only part of the road-going equation--there's also aerodynamics, weather protection, ride height, etc. etc. etc. And, the rig you end up with may have actually declined in value due to the non-standard setup.

The sidecar.com site always has a listing of complete rigs for sale and just recently had a couple of well-equipped BMW rigs cross the page. If I lived where you do, I'd love to have my road rig and something like an F800GS for exploring the local country and regional adventure trips.

Good luck,

GTRider

The RT has enough power to pull a chair, but the plastic is a definite disadvantage.

Depending on what you paid for the Ural outfit, you might either sell the rig, or separate the sidecar and offer the "solo" Ural for sale.

And, rather than use the RT for the power, I'd vote for a GS, or an R, which has the GS engine that accepts GS bash plates. You'd need to build (or buy) suitable subframes to attach a sidecar to any current BMW, but the GS telelever can be altered economically to reduce trail (for easier steering). I'd also vote for a machine with standard (unpowered) brakes, such as the 1150GS Sport.

There are lots of hackers driving GS dual sport rigs around. Coach Ramey Stroud has shipped his GS outfit to Europe for some summertime training/exploring.

pmdave

I have a 1998 Ural 650. It is a blast on backroads and such, but is not a highway machine. I have been following the progress that Ural has been making in terms of power, dependability, build quality, etc.

I think that my 1998 is about on par with 1940's European technology and power, but the new 750 Urals appear to be fairly competent and well built. They are probably up to 1970-1980 standards.

You might consider an upgrade to a new Ural.

If you're looking for a little more performance take a look at these used rigs, not BMW's but,,,,,,,

http://hpsidecars.com/ForSale/ForSale.htm

michaelcurrin said:

If you're looking for a little more performance take a look at these used rigs, not BMW's but,,,,,,,

http://hpsidecars.com/ForSale/ForSale.htm

Click to expand...

The lack of useable power at highway speeds is why I passed on the Ural. I have been criticized for saying so, but if a vehicle of any kind struggles to do the minimum speed limit on the highway then I say it can be a safety issue.
There are a couple of beauts for sale via the link. I especially think the Bandit/Hannigan combo looks to be an absolute steal!

If you like the general function of the Ural outfit, but want a bit more power, an R100 airhead looks the part, with about 20 more HP. The R100 frame needs some reinforcements, and the final drive needs to be swapped for an 11/37, but the stock wheels can be used. The Ural sidecar frame needs to be moved about 2 inches farther away from the bike to allow room for the R head.

However, if you're looking for bang-for-the-buck, the Suzuki 1200 Bandit has power up the yazoo, a sturdy perimeter frame, and chain drive that allows altering the final drive ratio just by swapping sprockets.

I guess what I'm saying is: rather than look for a sidecar for the bike you have in your garage, decide what sort of outfit you want and need, and build it--even if it doesn't have one of those blue and white roundels on the tank.

There are some words of advice about building an outfit in Driving A Sidecar (second edition) available at 800.736.1117

pmdave

As much as I love the retro look of the Ural rig, I have decided it and the RT are going to new owners, when and if they can be found. That will leave me with the R75/5 for a BMW and the Suzuki Burgman 400 for two wheeled transport.
Loosing the UDF will be hard I know, but being able to go faster than 55mph should compensate for that

Now then, here is my plan of attack, after the two machines mentioned above are relocated, a Suzuki Bandit with as yet to be designated sidecar will take their place.

Yes, Sir Dave, I have driven a Bandit sidecar rig and will do something about keeping the right hand under control as this will be the equivalent of going from a Cessna 150 to a F4 Phantom.

And a BIG thank you to all who have responded to my inquiry.

Alan

Yup, the Bandit is an ideal hack puller. Before Pete Larson at Liberty built a
Bandit/EZS Rally combo, I made a trip to a Suzuki dealer to try out a Bandit as a possible. I'd had some experience with a Katana that required about 5,000 RPM and a slipping clutch to get rolling from a stop sign without stalling the motor.

I shifted the Bandit into third gear, and with the throttle at idle the engine pulled away without stalling. IOW, a VERY broad torque curve.

Later, I did a test ride with the MCN staff, me on a Bandit most of the time. Out in the Mojave I thought I had opened up the Bandit, but in retrospect I was at about half throttle at 130 mph.

I subsequently tested Pete's Bandit/EZS Rally, and realized how much power the Bandit had. I also realized that I wouldn't have the restraint to keep from burning rubber and otherwise demonstrating my repressed hoon disposition.

About a year after this picture was taken, someone else tried to stuff it between two immovable trees, after apparently failing to comprehend the importance of hanging off.

pmdave

RedBeemer said:

As much as I love the retro look of the Ural rig, I have decided it and the RT are going to new owners, when and if they can be found...

Click to expand...

Have you looked into the C for dragging a Ural tub around?
I can and do 75+ on the highway but the way this thing is geared do fire roads as well.
Not to mention the need NOT to have to shift around town so much.

It is the only 'Modern' BMW sanctioned a sidecar for.
Worthy of a look.

As for the retro look.
Well that's your call. I hear it is everyday. Four times a day.

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jim_popper/3946983630/" title="Nicholas birthday 09 053 by GrafikFeat, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2655/3946983630_a32bba73f1_o.jpg" width="640" height="480" alt="Nicholas birthday 09 053" /></a>

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jim_popper/5275244825/" title="Doin' a Wheelie... by GrafikFeat, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5003/5275244825_f4c638b894_o.jpg" width="640" height="461" alt="Doin' a Wheelie..." /></a>

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jim_popper/5396131778/" title="Roadside. by GrafikFeat, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4153/5396131778_b4f60b05e9_z.jpg" width="640" height="428" alt="Roadside." /></a>

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jim_popper/5321436225/" title="No Motorized Vehicles. by GrafikFeat, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5122/5321436225_93cf2b6e2a_b.jpg" width="1024" height="685" alt="No Motorized Vehicles." /></a>

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jim_popper/5275227789/" title="Stevens Pass 2010. by GrafikFeat, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5202/5275227789_88a2ace457_b.jpg" width="1024" height="685" alt="Stevens Pass 2010." /></a>

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jim_popper/3915716334/" title="Cari. My Hacked BMW R1200C by GrafikFeat, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2652/3915716334_3b69e1556c_b.jpg" width="1024" height="653" alt="Cari. My Hacked BMW R1200C" /></a>

Mr. GraficFeat,


The only weak argument against the C is that they are not a bike you can just pick up at the local bike shop, so off to the internet to cure that problem.

Your argument for the C also shows that my brain was/is out to lunch or

No argument about your rig being flat out beautiful and hope to make it to your rally in May.

RedBeemer said:

Mr. GraficFeat,
The only weak argument against the C is that they are not a bike you can just pick up at the local bike shop, so off to the internet to cure that problem.

Click to expand...

One can look on the same site also.

As in the MOA FleaMarket.

There are few up here in Seattle too. I'll keep an eye out.