Yikes! Trikes!

[brownie0486]

How much time do you have? My Gear Up (2018) will do 70 MPH on a flat road with no head wind. I don’t think cruising above 60 for any extended period is a good idea. Throw in a grade or head wind and the top speed drops accordingly. I rode mine to Coeur D’Alene (320 Miles) and was able to maintain 55-60 except going up Lookout and Fourth Of July passes where 45 in third gear was top speed. I was heavily loaded for camping and it was moderately warm. Annie’s Gear Up (2019) is the first year of a substantial upgrade. New fuel injection, redesigned heads, larger fins on the jugs and some other changes. Hers supposedly has 45 HP compared to my 40 and it seems it does. Her’s can pull away from me on a grade and seems more comfortable cruising at 60-65. Ural has been making steady upgrades over the past several years. You can see their progress over time here: http://www.crawfordsales.info/?page_id=54. The newer the better in my opinion and I suggest not getting the 2 wheel drive version unless you plan to do some serious off-roading or ride in snow. In my two years with my Gear Up I have used 2wheel drive only a handful of times and all were in snow in the Rockies. The 1 wheel drive model is less expensive and is sprung softer (the Gear Up is like a buck-board).

On both of our Urals we had some initial reliability issues. On mine the parking brake cable failed and the ignition switch was replaced in the first 1k miles. I got an O2 sensor fault code but the code cleared and the bike ran well before I installed the new sensor. For the past 4K+ miles it has performed without a hitch. Annie’s speedometer module failed and there was a need to rewire a part of the ignition (her bike was the first year of a new wiring loom). Hers has also been trouble free since those initial faults. All was replaced under warranty. Mine has a 36 month warranty which was extended to 42 due to the pandemic: the normal warranty is 24 months but I got an extra year as a sales promotion. Annie’s warranty is 24 months extended to 30. The choice of dealer is important. There are some well known excellent dealers and some stinkers. I bought from Raceway in Salem, OR. I always deal with the owner, he is exceptionally responsive, helps me diagnose problems via phone or text and sends me warranty parts via express mail. Could not be happier with Raceway. The basic mechanical maintenance on a Ural is very simple. It is essentially like maintaining an airhead but without the carbs to fiddle with.

I would love to be able to take an extended trip in the Ural. Traveling on back roads would be in their sweet spot.

Thanks for the information, much appreciated

[k1200lt00]

I have a 14 Ural that is fun to drive, but it not a highway rig in my book. It likes the secondary roads better. As far as 2 wheel drive unless you do a lot of rough off road I don't think you need it. I also have two other rigs I use for travel long distance.

[ebiss9]

A friend of mine bought my old R1100RT. As it turns out, his balance is not what it once was. That being said, he is considering converting to a trike. I cannot seem to find anybody who deals with trike conversion kits for that bike. Any help would be most appreciated.

Best,

3hawks

Hannigan only makes trike kits for BMW models, R1150RT, K1200LT and K1600GT. I had my 2006 K1200LT, which I purchased new, converted to a Hannigan trike in 2012. It's been one of the most reliable motorcycle's I've ever owned.

[81twins]

This may be of little interest because of location however there is a 2002 R1150RT with a Hannigan conversion for sale on the Alberta Kijiji site. If I recall it has about 70000 km (42000) miles and he is asking 13500. Cdn. which should be about 11000. usd. The owner has purchased a new one and is selling this one.