Can an Ural be honestly described as "all new"?
Serious fun, dressed for success |
Prior to December, Ural did a great job of getting me all excited about a certain special edition, and I already had a bit of a thing for these bikes anyway. And then they started tempting me with low, low closeout prices on the 2013 models.
Last chance at a low price on the last year of a model? Tempting, because I don't buy the first year of anything. It's not that I don't want the latest and greatest, it's that I'd rather let someone else find out about the bugs that are going to crop up with a new model of anything.
Cutting edge is fun, but "works consistently" is pretty damn cool too.
Once again, I find myself asking if an Ural can really be described as "cutting edge."
But I digress, let's see some of those sexy new numbers for the new Ural!
Are you ready for some hot, raw data? |
The engine displacement has stayed the same (749cc), but they have somehow managed to wring a whopping extra one horsepower out of that power plant, bringing it up to a blistering 41 HP on tap for 2014.
They've made a fairly serious increase in the amount of torque available at a slightly lower RPM, it now makes a stump-pulling 42 ft-lbs at 4300 RPM. It's lost 9 pounds, dry weight.. It gets better gas mileage (31 - 37 MPG claimed). Oh, and it has real brakes now: discs on all three wheels.
And for the biggie: the recommended maximum cruising speed has gone from an already smoking fast 65 MPH to a street-scorching 70 MPH.
Phew.
I'm not buying one, but I am going to be keeping my ear to the ground for reports on how these updated machines treat their new owners.
[Photo and Model Comparison Chart swiped from Ural's website]
8 comments:
I'd get one if it wasn't so $$$$$! Seems high but I'm a cheapskate.
It's retro new ... looks the same as the old, but it's new ... Retro. It does seem to be in a niche of it's own.
And ina few years they'll have ABS (or Ural will pull out of the European market entirely).
Richard M - They're definitely not cheap. They're about in line with some of the bigger Harley-Davidsons, price-wise.
VStar Lady - It's really almost identical to the old bike, just with some nice tweaks. They definitely have their own niche - I'm not aware of anyone else mass-producing a similar bike.
Chris Cope - I suspect they'll have ABS rather than pull out of the market. Which will be interesting. If they add ABS, what other high-tech features might they add?
Love the vintage look of them. If I had extra cash I'd buy one, there is something so enticing about them.
Fuel ignition should be an improvement on startups.
Dar - I'd love to have one in the stable, but they are kind of expensive and I don't know if I'd really like one as my only bike.
Steve - Yeah, EFI should be a major improvement in general.
I loved mine, but sold it awhile back. The looks really don't change, the price has gone up since my buy, but I'm glad they made some improvements for a better ride. I got neck aches a lot...LOL, but did ride it a lot too. It was loads of fun.
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