The
BikesUral T 2013
After a year of thinking, research, looking, pricing , asking Q's on various forums - I decided to enter the off-center world of sidecar motorcycles. In April 2017 I came across a bike for sale on Soviet Steeds Black Market page.
And I bought her - 2013 Ural T with 7104 km on the odometer.
After a couple months of practicing solo, and working with Annie to get her used to her new gear, I started taking her on short rides. A harness and short lead, her Doggles (which she pushes off) and the ability to stay until released - all critical.
I installed a windshield, and added some luggage racks on the rear fender and sidecar fender, removed the previous owners decals and got some of my own. I hooked on my old Kuryakyn bag for the dog's gear.
Velma was a little upset because it was a 2013 - a bit superstitious she is. 13 = mala suerte (bad luck) to my Latina wife. I say don't let fear and superstition stand in your way - embrace it & then give it the finger and tell it to F*&@ OFF! So I named her Trece Suertudo - Lucky 13. And I found some decals on the web to poke a finger in the eye of superstition.
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I liked the Dias de Muerte (Day of the Dead) theme - sort of an homage to my wife's familia and to the Grateful Dead. So I searched for a large decal for the sidecar nose. Nada. Then I came across THIS decal and got for the front of the sidecar.
It was made my
BigBangGraphix - I asked if they could make a Sugar Skull
decal at least 12" wide. And she did - cost me a
whopping $14.50 for a custom designed decal. So I got
2. You can find her (and this decal) on Ebay
- Tell Alicia Red sent you.
Now if I can get my custom tonneau
cover from Rick - It will be all mine. 2018 Upgrades and Add-ons
I got the tonneau cover and "door" last fall. We had a bit of an issue with the fit at first, but Rich had me send it back and got it to fit perfect. Quality service - super nice guy. He did an excellent job and the material is first rate.
Contact Rich Maund - Rich's Cycle Upholstery - maunds@verizon.net
 Fabric
door in "Urban Camo"
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| Full tonneau cover in Urban Camo - very
nice craftsmanship and good heavy duty material.
Thanks Rich! |
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I needed a better horn - the Ural horn is weak and timid sounding - I wanted something that would wake folks up.
Something that would make them go "Holy SHIT ! What was that?"
I went with the Hella Dual Trumpets and at 113 decibels - it's louder than the horn on my pickup.
I had to do a little bit of metal fabricating to get the horns to fit where I wanted them. They are mounted right behind the front fender between the frame uprights. Once I removed the old horn - I needed slightly longer strap and a U-bracket that I made from 1/8" aluminum bar stock.
I used the horn harness from Amazon and it hooked up to my existing horn button - here
I ran the wiring under the tank - a little bit of a hassle to do, but looks great.
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 Image
of horns mounted in same spot as original single horn.
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View from
above on the R. side |
 Pic from left side -
they just clear the fender.
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 View
of U bracket from above.
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Luggage Rack
I wanted a small luggage rack that would not cover up the Lucky !3 decal on the nose, but still look good and was functional. I found this one on E-Bay for $35 + $15 for shipping. It fit great and looks good. Thanks Thunderbunny!
Front view of the new nose rack. Not as "beefy" or as big as the Ural one, but it also wasn't $200+. Fit in the exact spot I wanted it & looks great.
Auxiliary Lights -
I wanted more lights for the bike - to see better and BE seen better. So I got these off-road LED's. They came as a pair - 168W LED combo spot & flood light. I also got a different bracket to mount them with so it would be easier to adjust the angle of the lights. And a separate light switch to mount on the handlebars and a lighting harness.
Lights - 168W OffROadTown Spot & flood
Switch - click here
Wiring Harness - here
Brackets - Luumitek Off Road brackets
Top view of lights from Right side of tub.
View from the Right side of tub |
View from the Left side of the tub |
 The
extra bracket - give much more adjustment to the
lights
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 A view of the handlebar switch. I wired them so I can turn them on or off in high or low beam and even with the bike off. That way, I can use them to light up a campsite or to put on hunting gear w/o having to start the bike. |
View with the headlight on -
about 50 feet from building |
View with headlight and new sidecar LED's |
Dora
got some Rex Specs this year - we'll see if she becomes
Hack Dog #2
5/5/18 - Last but not least -
I decided to improve on the nose art.
I wanted to make the roses "pop"
and set off the sugar skull.
A couple hours with the airbrushes and my lacquer paints and I got what I wanted.
Cinco de Mayo seemed like a good day to do the paint work.
My yellow Lab, Annie with her Rex Specs on and ready to go.
Getting the 2 year old Chihuahua used to the sidecar
Annie - "surfing" the step. She loves to ride with her feet on the step and lean into the wind.
Hauling a new ladder out to one of our deer stands.
On Rustic Road #86
I found my 2000 Royal Star Venture in the fall of 2004 on CycleTrader with only 8500 miles on her.
This is how she looked when I bought her in Sept. '04
Cyclegraphics
Makers of
the vinyl flag and eagle
graphics on my Venture
