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Our Ural Sidecar Motorcycle: The Fun Begins

Wilkinson Brothers and Their Ural Sidecar

Well, we finally did it. We got ourselves a sidecar motorycle. Not long after the purchase, we were ‘flying the chair’ and cruising the streets in our our new-to-us 2010 Ural “Red October” sidecar motorcycle. Just a quick heads-up: you’ll probably be seeing this machine in many of our future pics n’ posts; we can’t stay off of it. This is gonna be fun…

Wilkinson Brothers: Ural Sidecar

Our graphic design biz is celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2013, so what did we do to celebrate? We added a Russian-built, 750cc sidecar to our fleet. We’ve been eyeballing Urals for a decade, watching the company improve the innards and upgrade their motorcycles’ performance along the way. Aside from the positive mechanical evolution, it’s the vintage looks and nostalgic qualities of this mostly-metal rig that oozes cool.

Corey Wilkinson : Ural Sidecar
Corey inspects the large trunk space outside the Wilkinson Bros/Good Spark Garage world HQ.

We’ve been met with the expected gawks, questions and comments from onlookers. It’s fun. It’s what we’ve been doing for years when we spotted sidecar motorcycles in the wild. Our kids love it, too. (I currently have a waiting list for who gets to ride next.) For both adults and kids, the passenger experience could be likened to riding in an amusement park ride.

Casey Wilkinson : Ural Sidecar
Casey parking his his fellow boxer (1972 BMW R75/5) next to the Ural.

As lifelong two-wheeled motorcyclists, controlling the sidecar required adaptation; no surprises there. Or maybe the surprise was how quick and easy it was to manage. It’s fun learning the new body inputs required to ride smooth or the inputs to throw it around. It’s also neat that running errands and going for ice cream can be a blast on something that has beast-of-burden origins.

Wilkinson Brothers' Ural Red October Sidecar

This is just the beginning of what we anticipate to be a fun chapter in our motorcycle travels. We don’t have any plans to explore South America, no plans to ride deep into Alaska, but we don’t think adventures have to cover umpteen miles or span many months to be epic. Stay tuned as we share more about our Ural experience.

This Post Has 18 Comments
  1. Very nice. I expect we’ll see some “graphic design” upgrades to all that open space on the bike, eh?

    Urals are the crack cocaine of motorcycling. Once you’ve tried it, you can’t quit.

    Cheers,

    Dan K.

    1. Hey, Dan. It will be “branded” for sure. Stay tuned 😉

      UPDATE: Check out the pics and video of the Wilkinson Bros Ural Sidecar Motorcycle branding!

  2. Makes no dif if you head’en to Winnemucca or Winnipeg …..life’s a lot more fun on a sidecar rig. And even more excit’n on one of them there uraly hack’s…I’m so excited for you boys I’m gonna get on my R3 / hedingham rig and go git me a Moonburger bright and early in the morn’n to celebrate your new acquisition…yea doggies. anyway enjoy with the kiddo’s and family and can’t wait to put a eyeball on that rascal.

  3. Saw your post over at the collective. Two full grown men sharing a Ural.
    Uh, lets see how that works out. My bet is on the guy with the beard. The other one will soon be on the hunt for his own. Love the RO. Like my GU. I do dual sport riding but not into the extreme. But I can get my redneck backside stuck in some really interesting places. Learned how to do the sand pit walkout. Not telling you anything you are not figuring out already,
    These things are fun. I am with you, I have no desire to do a RTW trip. But there are places within two hours that can be a harry as what one can find in third world placed.
    But with cell service!
    Again, welcome, and see you at the collective!
    dbigkahunna

    1. Thanks for stopping by, dbigkahunna. Yes, the sharing will be a challenge/problem, but since we work together, there are many opportunities to switch or trade. Sounds like you’re having fun on your GU; we’re totally tracking with you on finding adventure within reach. Plenty to explore without needing a passport. Take care. -corey at GSG

  4. The top photo makes me wish i had a sidecar rig and a twin brother. That is going to be great bike to film segments with. You should bring it out to the Rolling Bones run in order to properly document the ride.

    1. Adam, you’d love the utility and fun of the Ural. And a twin brother comes in handy from time to time, too, but they’re harder to come by later in life. 🙂 We’ll have this at Rockers Reunion for sure; using it as a camera-vehicle makes total sense.

  5. Congrats!

    I’ve been eyeing the Gear-Up models for a while. My garage has a big empty spot, unfortunately, so does my wallet. Looking forward to more Ural posts!

  6. I need a poster of that shot at the top with both of you in it for my garage. That is awesome!

  7. Good luck with the Ural guys. I always fancied one myself to keep my Panther and sidecar company. Sidecars are the best form of transport going. Keep it shiny side up…………Dave.

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