Has anyone seen one of these things running?

[keysyrider]

[QUOdenTE=Uwe W.;2112]I hope the book is better written than its cover.[/QUOTE]

Gerry Young of Peterborough Cycle Salvage is/was the importer for Ural. Gerry used to be the Husqvarna importer back in the day when Husqvarnas were made in Sweden. The Ural is basically a pre WW II BMW. The plant was located in the Russian occupied side of Germany and the design didn't change much, if at all, over the years. If you want a pre WW II BMW then buy a Ural. Sort of like buying a Royal Enfield today. They are made in India and are an old design that hasn't change much over the years.

[Uwe W.]

The Ural is basically a pre WW II BMW. The plant was located in the Russian occupied side of Germany and the design didn't change much, if at all, over the years. If you want a pre WW II BMW then buy a Ural. Sort of like buying a Royal Enfield today. They are made in India and are an old design that hasn't change much over the years.

I have to disagree. The Royal Enfield models being sold today has been substantially updated over the past several years and is a very different machine to those that were made in the '50s (I detailed those changes in the May 2011 of Mojo as part of my test of the Bullet). Similarly, in more recent years, the Ural has undergone a number of updates to improve its reliability and a current Ural now incorporates many Japanese brand name parts.

I would never equate a Ural (or a Dnepr, or the Chinese equivalent Chang Jiang) to any pre-war BMW. While it's true that the Russians relocated the BMW factory lock, stock, and barrel within their own borders, the workmanship and quality of the materials used to build post-war models wasn't on par with those produced by BMW. I've come across more than one Russian BMW that has been bolstered by its owner with original vintage BMW parts.

A similar phenomenon occurred in the watch making industry. The Russians also "seized" and relocated several high-quality German watch manufacturers and began producing re-badged watches that were almost completely identical in appearance. However, just like with the motorcycles, the Russian made German watches paled in comparison to the originals. Ask any serious collector of BMW motorcycles or Hanhart watches if they would be satisfied with a Russian clone and you'll see what I mean.

[keysyrider]

I have to disagree. The Royal Enfield models being sold today has been substantially updated over the past several years and is a very different machine to those that were made in the '50s (I detailed those changes in the May 2011 of Mojo as part of my test of the Bullet). Similarly, in more recent years, the Ural has undergone a number of updates to improve its reliability and a current Ural now incorporates many Japanese brand name parts.

I would never equate a Ural (or a Dnepr, or the Chinese equivalent Chang Jiang) to any pre-war BMW. While it's true that the Russians relocated the BMW factory lock, stock, and barrel within their own borders, the workmanship and quality of the materials used to build post-war models wasn't on par with those produced by BMW. I've come across more than one Russian BMW that has been bolstered by its owner with original vintage BMW parts.

A similar phenomenon occurred in the watch making industry. The Russians also "seized" and relocated several high-quality German watch manufacturers and began producing re-badged watches that were almost completely identical in appearance. However, just like with the motorcycles, the Russian made German watches paled in comparison to the originals. Ask any serious collector of BMW motorcycles or Hanhart watches if they would be satisfied with a Russian clone and you'll see what I mean.

Guess I should have said "Was" instead of "is". They still have a very long way to go before they anything but a copy of an old relic. But some people like old relics and that's why they are in business. Sort of like that American made relic ha ha.