1995 Ural Solo, Authorized US import, Ural America, Lo miles, Original, NICE!

This is a 1995 Ural Solo also known as a Ural Soloist. It?ˆ™s an early model USA export solo model. kick start only. 650cc. CDI electronic ignition. telescopic forks. Before that. they were either imported gray-market through Canada  as Ural-Cossack or thru the UK with the Dnepr model via Neval Motorcycles. The USA sanctioned the USSR after Soviet invasion of Afghanistan so Russian bikes could not be brought in from the USSR but some were brought in from England as Nevals in the early 80s or late 70s complete with troublesome British SU carburetors. The Nevals were said to be assembled in the UK to get around US import laws! Right.

Back then I edited a grass-roots newsletter called the Hammer & Cycle. Our club was the Red Menace Motorcycle Register. This was for folks that had bikes built in the Communist block. I posted a copy of our last newsletter on archive. org. For a while. I even had a small parts outlet. ie. parts left over from Red Star Cycle Supply in Oklahoma. Those parts eventually went to Saskatchewan. I have nothing left but a few pieces of communist advertising literature . most of it unrelated to this particular bike. i. e. for Junak. Pannonia. WSK. etc. . but all of which will go with this bike. O. K. so you get a small collection of Communist motorcycle sales literature with your vintage Russian bike.

Today. you have a fully authorized Ural distributer. many Internet resources and the North American Russian Motorcycle Association club. Times are better! The community is much larger today! This is not one of those old gray market bikes but one directly brought in by Bob Gerend of Ural America in the beginning of sanctioned Urals in the USA. You know. the Berlin wall came down and Russia became free (at least for a while before Putin). investment came in. etc. This bike has a full US EPA sticker and 17 digit VIN.  

I interviewed Bob for my newsletter as these were first imported. I met him at the bike Expo in NYC. These Urals were built with better chrome. better finish. telescopic forks. front drum brakes. Mikuni style carburetors. CDI electronic ignition and were very much improved that the old USSR version. I believe what Bob said. as the chrome and paint on this bike are still very good after almost 20 years. (See pics) 

This bike rides like a BMW or Guzzi from the late 60s or early 70s. lt has a claimed top speed of near 80 mph but I've never flogged it.  It starts fine. one or two kicks. It runs great and still looks like new.  

A true solo differs from the sidecar model in that it has upswept mufflers. no reverse. a taller gear ratio and no sidecar lug. There is a blanking piece where the sidecar lug could go. so I believe a sidecar could be added. but there is no reverse. The hand lever on the right side of the transmission is akin to a jockey shift. you can rock it through the gears by hand or easily find neutral. There are probably some other differences likely in the rake and trail. and I don't know about the newest Solos. IMZ-ural. com does not list the Solo for 2014 but it was listed for 2013. so it's kind of a rare bike. I've read they sell less than 20 per year and mostly now on special order!

The Ural Solo?ˆ™s 15 minutes of fame came in the second edition of Ghost Rider. Spirit of Vengeance. Monreau gets his tires shot out on a Ural. He goes off a cliff but still manages to shoot the bad guy as he falls. Classic!

This Ural will definitely put a smile on your face and get lots of waves from passers-by. It looks great. Unlike the Ural solo recently offered for sale here on eBay. this one is wholly complete with both side covers and it has not been repainted. The paint is original. All chrome is good.  

 The bike originally came from Mike?ˆ™s Cycle in Waynesboro. Tennessee and I bought it in Florida. so I am not the original owner. Title is clear and in my name. It has only 11. 55 kilometers or 7. 80 miles. The speedometer shows both miles and kilometers per mile but the odometer reads in kilometers. so that's 7180 miles.

I?ˆ™m selling it because I have too many bikes. I tend to collect them. This is one of my fun bikes which is not too historically significant. so it goes on eBay to make room. This is listed at a fixed price but feel free to make an offer. or come see it beforehand. etc. . also for sale locally. Thanks for looking.  

Also published at eBay.com