The story of the Irbit Ural range of motorcycles is a long and quite interesting one – but suffice to say that these bikes date back to World War II, with a design that was based on the BMW bikes of the time. And after the war, production continued for the consumer market, with the company falling into private hands after the fall of communism.
And now the bikes are being exported in association with the US-arm of the company. There’s a range of retro-styled motorbikes and sidecars to choose from, all solidly built for the Russian road system and climates, with our favourite being this appropriately-named Retro model (above).
As well as the 1960s styling, the 749cc bike features electric and kick-start, an air-cooled, four-stroke engine and 18-inch chrome spoke wheels amongst other things. Oh yes – and that matching sidecar. Yes, you might look like something of out of a 70s sitcom (George and Mildred or Olive and Arthur off On The Buses), but it’s certainly a head-turner for around $10,000 (£5,000).
Wow… that’s pretty sweet. I’d like to see more motorcycles with sidecars on the road. They bring back that nostalgic feeling.
They’re also pretty good for those who are physically challenged and can’t put both feet down to balance the bike when it’s stopped.