By James Grahame
Ural motorcycles are direct descendants of the venerable BMW R71. Prior to WWII, the Germans gave blueprints and casting molds for the design to the Russians, who promptly turned around and manufactured thousands of them for the Red Army. The Irbit Motorcycles Works has been producing updated versions ever since.
The new 2WD Ural Patrol T is a sport utility motorcycle with the world’s only on-demand 2WD sidecar drive shaft that would put a Lada Niva to shame. It even features a reverse gear to back out of tough spots in a hurry. The bike features a 749cc air-cooled 4-cycle opposed twin cylinder engine, Herzog gears, Brembo brakes and Domino controls. There's even a storage compartment in the sidecar for spare ammunition gear and tools.
Every Ural bike is still hand-assembled in Irbit, Russia and is simple to maintain. As the company proudly declares, there's nothing that can't be fixed with a hammer and sickle. Available for $12,399 at a sport utility motorcycle dealership near you.
