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Hello from California's gold country

1039 Views 11 Replies 8 Participants Last post by  desibaba, 
Willow Polson
Ay, I'm Willow, a super new rider here from California. My husband used to ride briefly when he was in his 20s in the Santa Cruz area but hasn't in a long time (we're both mid-50s). He just got a new job in Mariposa that requires an hour long commute over a winding mountain road, Highway 49, so he casually mentioned how nice it would be on a motorcycle and I was like OHO YOU DON'T SAY because I've wanted one my entire life but never knew it could be on the table.

WELL. SPOILERS.

Now that he's found that out, it's getting serious, and this morning he was looking at a badass retro design with sidecar (a 2013 Ural) to get us both going, especially since I've never had the opportunity to learn how to operate one -- it uses a Class C license and would get me familiar with the shifting/operation and all that before going solo, which I think is a really good idea. Plus, sidecar!

His main question, and why he asked me to find a motorcycle forum like this (yay for message forums!!) is he hasn't used a sidecar before and has questions about how they'd be on mountain roads with a lot of curves. The Ural website is all about that, but how is it really?

Later on I'd get my own smaller bike (lusting after the Indian personally), but for now that's what we're looking at to start on. I'm relatively short/petite, so I think I'd need something I could lift if I laid it down and otherwise too big for a small gal like myself. I've already got the clothing for it (hence the Belstaff logo, I have a 1960s vintage Trialmaster jacket for starters), and handmade leather bucklestrap jump boots, just missing the bike. LOL

Anyway, blah blah, hello. :smile:
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Critter
Welcome to the forum, I can't help you with the sidecar info other than 2nd hand. We have at least 3 riders here who either have sidecars or had them. One hasn't posted in a while, the other infrequently since he sold the bike with sidecar and the 3rd is here almost every day and probably your best source of information.

Krusty where are you?
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R
Welcome from Arkansas. Don't know squat about Urals or sidecars, but wish you the best of luck. :)
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Willow Polson
Haha, thanks both! Appreciate the warm welcome. Maybe as we go along we can help inform others here! :)
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Offcenter
Welcome to the forum, Willow!
I don't know much about sidecars either, but....
I can tell you about a woman in my club who had a Ural with sidecar.
She had no end of trouble with that thing.
First....
The main bearings in the engine went. (with less than 60,000 miles on it!!!)
Then the ignition system quit.
Then the gas tank leaked.

We told her to jack up the gas cap and put a new bike underneath.
She eventually took our suggestion and now rides a Triumph with sidecar.

Just my two cents, Willow.
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Willow Polson
Hey, I found the thread about those and saw that they're not very good, thanks for the heads up. It's a very cheap price, but that's probably why. We may get it and keep it for a few months to train on, then sell it and get something else. Thanks all.
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hogcowboy
WELCOME ABOARD, and...


Other members do like to know they are welcoming a real person so thanks
for letting us know a little about yourself.:smile: Normally just a few more
posts(count of 3) and the rest of the site will open to you. This is the sites
spambot control. Unfortunately it is needed today. But you have to make 15
posts before you can post pictures. Right or wrong it's considered a privilege
to be able to post pictures. Unless you use Tapatalk which somehow
gets around that restriction.

We are friendly site here. Well, most of us:grin:

I don't think a sidecar rig is the way to go on mountain roads like 49. You would
have to go too slow too often on those right turns where you might "fly" the car.
I'd suggest you both take a safety course and then get a two wheeler for both.
Highway 49 is so much fun to ride except on weekends when everyone heads to
the hills. With two bikes instead of one bike/sidecar, you'll both have a lot of fun.
That way you can get that Indian you are lusting for. Anyway, sidecar are for
very experienced riders that requires a very different approach to riding. It's
different from two wheelers and different from classic trikes. People have been
known to try it and found they made a huge mistake. It's just that different.
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Offcenter
My thoughts are, driving a sidecar rig will not prepare you for riding a motorcycle.
If you want to be motorcycle rider, learn on a motorcycle.
If you want to be a sidecar driver, learn on a sidecar rig.
They are two very different animals.
I'm sure others will agree with me.
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Porky
Welcome to a great forum where we will give you our honest opinions even if it may not be what you want to hear:grin:

The URAL sidehack rig looks good and has many great features but the quality is terrible as is reliability and they are slower than a good running Honda trail 90. The 1 hour mountain trip would become 3 hours. Be afraid, be very afraid:plain:

I had a new 1981 Yamaha XS1100 and had a new URAL sidecar installed and on the Yammie, with probably 100+ HP and legendary reliability, it was fun for both my Wife and I:wink2:

**** You DRIVE a Sidehack and it takes an entire new set of shoulder and back muscles to steer the thing and it can give terrible backaches and shoulder problems to some people; It did so to me:crying:

Sam:nerd:
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Tobacco Road
Willow Polson said:
Hey, I found the thread about those and saw that they're not very good, thanks for the heads up. It's a very cheap price, but that's probably why. We may get it and keep it for a few months to train on, then sell it and get something else. Thanks all.
Click to expand...
Three words. save your money...
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Willow Polson
I got the memo, thanks everyone.
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D
I live in south florida and everything here is so flat. Wish I could someday ride on the cali coast
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