When motorcycle sales are dropping, you wouldn’t expect retro sidecar rigs to see sales growth, but that’s exactly what happened to Ural in 2011.
The motorcycle industry is all doom and gloom talk these days, with many dealers unable to clear out showrooms. But in this climate, Ural managed to see 39 per cent growth last year.
If you think that’s astounding, consider this: Ural actually managed this feat in 2010 as well. And, when the company brought the M70 anniversary model late last year, they sold them all out in two weeks. Two weeks!
Of course, Ural’s numbers may be growing, but they’re never likely to challenge Japan’s Big Four for overall market share. Still, it’s nice to see that somebody’s doing well and selling bikes, even if the industry is in a bit of a slump, as a whole.
[…] the biggest factor, though, are current industry trends. Brands formerly seen as niche marques have seen great growth in the last couple years, while the Japanese brands that once had numbers to […]
Why is it that I like this Ural (or any sidecar outfit) so much more than the dreaded and hated (by me) trike?
Having been a former trike rider there are two main reasons I prefer my sidecar:
1. My wife now has a low step-over: No-more climbing.
2. We get to enjoy the ride side-by-side.
It’s almost like going down the road hand-in hand.
I never hated my trike, can still readily admit they are inherently safer than a hack (especially for inexperienced riders). But kids in minivans will hang out of their windows waving whenever I ride-by (sometimes their Moms, too!). Reactions like that I never got while on my trike. Even people who don’t like motorcycles will sometimes smile at a passing sidecar rig, especially an old-school design like my Ural T. Maybe they remember that Andy Griffith episode, the one where Barney got a sidecar rig for patrolling Mayberry. THAT made everybody smile.
I, too would love to see the solo unit in competition with the Enfields.
Ive got a 2008 Gear up. It is rock solid and reliable with 13000 on the clock.Â
This company makes most of their parts in house (not all though) and you can swap parts from early to late models. They just keep focusing on things that need fixing.Â
Good on the company for keeping its production going. Id buy one of their solo bikes if we could get them in Canada.Â
Not surprising – at the January motorcycle supershow there was quite a bit of interest in the Urals (and since HD stopped making factory sidecar rigs in favour of trikes, Ural is pretty much the only thing that comes as a sidecar – add in the retro look and the off roading and they fill a slot that no other machine really does in quite the same way. (At least without putting together a custom sidecar rig)