Ural is here to offer you the ultra-lux sidecar setup you didn’t even know you needed. The new Gear Up Expedition has just been announced for North America (at dealers now, the marketeers say).
Ural has been re-launching its lineup ever since changing its base of operations from Russia (where it had been in production since World War II) to Kazakhstan. The company’s leadership is based on the US, and has been for several years. With these changes in management and production come new models aimed at flash and luxury instead of the old bare-bones Soviet-era sidecar setups.
The Gear Up Expedition offers a series of upgrades over the base and mid-level models, coming with a wide range of accessories pre-installed, as well as flashy paint:
Straight from the factory the Expedition comes with everything a rider and a passenger may need to travel to the edge of the world and back. On top of the standard Gear Up’s already respectable loadout, the Expedition comes with more luggage space, tougher bike and sidecar protection, matching windshields, upgraded suspension, and more.
“Upgraded suspension” means a change from Sachs components (on the Gear Up Base and Standard models) to new Nitron shocks.
However, the engine and brakes appear to be the same as the other models, which is unsurprising. OEMs hate changing anything that would overly complicate production, or require extra attention from regulators.
So, the other changes are limited to paint (Colza Field in green/yellow, Ember Flame in terracotta/silver, and Polar Dawn in blue/orange) and accessories such as luggage racks, extra accessory lights, and so on. Much of this package can be added to Ural’s other bikes at extra expense, but on the Expedition, it comes standard.
You’ll pay a lot for this pre-farkling treatment. Asking price in Canada? We face an MSRP of $42,100, and that’s before shipping and assembly fees, and taxes. Better start saving!
If I ever won the lottery there would be a Ural in the garage just because, well you know…