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My buddy is the salesman at our local Honda shop and for some reason, they began to service and sell the Ural. I had been talking about wanting to try one and they happened to have one on the show room floor on Saturday morning. So I took it for a ride.
What a completely different experience.
I've ridden motorcycles for so long, the idea of having to STEER the bike through a corner took a while to figure out. The steering damper that was fitted to the bike did a great job of eliminating the oscillations as we went down the road.
In all, we did a 15 mile circuit. Some freeway but mostly back roads. At 60 mph, in 4th gear, the throttle is darn near flat out pegged. The engine is not revving overly much, it is just the weight of the machine, combined with the aerodynamics and the power output of the engine means it will struggle to maintain interstate speeds. Best to keep this to the back-roads.
But on the back roads? The thing is a blast to ride!!!! The handling takes some getting used to and you have to slow WAY down in a corner, especially a left hander (has anyone here ever flown the chair?) Slowing it is not a problem, thanks to the Brembo disc brakes. In all, it was an incredibly fun ride. I need to get my wife over there to take a ride while they still have one in stock. I think she'll have as much fun as I did.
Is it a perfect motorcycle? No. Will it do what I want with it? Absolutely. I can see having A LOT of fun - take-your-time - kind of rides with this machine.
Now the question becomes, do I add a 5th motorcycle to the garage, or do I sell a few and pick up a 2005 Corvette that was just traded in at the dealership where my wife works?
What a completely different experience.
I've ridden motorcycles for so long, the idea of having to STEER the bike through a corner took a while to figure out. The steering damper that was fitted to the bike did a great job of eliminating the oscillations as we went down the road.
In all, we did a 15 mile circuit. Some freeway but mostly back roads. At 60 mph, in 4th gear, the throttle is darn near flat out pegged. The engine is not revving overly much, it is just the weight of the machine, combined with the aerodynamics and the power output of the engine means it will struggle to maintain interstate speeds. Best to keep this to the back-roads.
But on the back roads? The thing is a blast to ride!!!! The handling takes some getting used to and you have to slow WAY down in a corner, especially a left hander (has anyone here ever flown the chair?) Slowing it is not a problem, thanks to the Brembo disc brakes. In all, it was an incredibly fun ride. I need to get my wife over there to take a ride while they still have one in stock. I think she'll have as much fun as I did.
Is it a perfect motorcycle? No. Will it do what I want with it? Absolutely. I can see having A LOT of fun - take-your-time - kind of rides with this machine.
Now the question becomes, do I add a 5th motorcycle to the garage, or do I sell a few and pick up a 2005 Corvette that was just traded in at the dealership where my wife works?