Ural is Playing Games With the Special Edition Again This Year

What's not to love about these bikes?
Photo by Jun Song. Go check out his awesome blog.

Last year I got maybe a little overly excited about Ural's announcement of a collaboration with Pendleton on a new special edition motorcycle.

Well... They recently announced that there will be a special edition again this year, and it looks like this one is going to be space themed. I have no idea how that translates to Russian sidehacks, but I don't really care, I want to see it and imagine myself attempting to get the exhaust back on armed with nothing but a big hammer and a pack of chewing gum, on the moon.

I realize the special editions are really just the same bikes with a different paint job and maybe a couple extra doodads.  I don't care.  Generally speaking I've been tickled pink by each of them.  So, while I've tried to keep myself calm, the fact is I am excited to see the new bike.

And, like last year, they promised an unveiling on a specific day and then left us all hanging. If you've signed up for the Irbit Informer, the Ural marketing newsletter, then you know that the new special edition was supposed to be unveiled on October 10th.

Well, Ural, I checked back on your site, blog and Twitter all day on the 10th, and got nothing except a (pretty cool) photo of a guy riding in reverse in low light and a coy comment about getting ready for take off.

And then on Saturday morning, I got up and found a new announcement: the new bike will be unveiled this week.  No idea when this week, just "this week."

I don't know if you did this for the announcement of the Yamal as well, Ural, but promising an unveiling and then delaying it has become a pattern.

I'll tell you what, Ural, a teaser campaign is fun, but you really gotta deliver on your promise to unveil the bike when you say you're going to. By all means, build up the launch for a month or two. Hell, start hinting around six months in advance. But if you say I get to see the bike on October 10th, I want to see the new hotness on October 10th.

Otherwise, you're going to get a reputation for being unreliable.

Come on, guys, we're all a-tingle out here.  Let's see that bike already.