URAL Civilian History
The first Urals were exported in 1953, at first mainly to developing countries.In the late 1960s, deliveries to developed countries began,
and since then more and more Urals have appeared on the road on every continent. Urals are a unique combination of price, ageless styling,
and sidecar functionality.
In November 1992, the State-owned factory transformed into Uralmoto Joint Stock Company. Uralmoto was a privatized entity, 40% of which was
divided among management and employees through a grant, 38% of which was sold by auction with privatization vouchers
(which went mostly to management and employees), and 22% of which was retained by the government.
In early 1998, Ural was bought by private Russian interests; it is no longer a State-owned company. (Shortly after the purchase, in 2000,
the government shares were redistributed to investors.) New ownership has brought new management, fresh ideas and production techniques,
modernized design and updated technology, and above all, a commitment to quality control at all points of production. Ural motorcycles have been given a new lease on life. While the outward appearance of the engine retains the look of a classic Ural,quality control techniques and use of better alloying and casting, better engineering tolerances, better paint and chrome, make for a stronger, better bike.Everything good and unique about the old Urals has been maintained, including the inherently balanced design of a horizontally opposed flat twin engine with roller bearings in a solid frame.
The main bike models built in the plant today are the heavy-duty Ural sidecar motorcycles, designed with rough Russian roads in mind, and the custom Wolf.There are many places in Russia where only horses and Ural motorcycles can be used to transport gear where you need it.Ural motorcycles are equipped with four-stroke air-cooled flat-twin engines, a four-speed gearbox with reverse gear, shaft drive, two disc dry clutch,spring shock absorbers, and drum brakes. New solo and sidecar models have been developed recently to better suit the tastes of Western markets.
Ural is the only Russian manufacturer of heavy capacity motorcycles, and one of few manufacturers of sidecar motorcycles in the world.Besides sales of Ural motorcycles on the Russian market, they have also been exported to Australia, Britain, the United States, France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Greece, Norway, Finland, Sweden, Germany, Egypt, Iran, South Africa, Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay, and numerous other countries. Over 3.2 million motorcycles have been delivered since the first M-72 rolled off the production floor.
The future looks bright for Ural, constantly improving its role as versatile and economical form of transport that is fun to ride and easy to maintain. The story is far from over.
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