Ural Yamal Limited Edition

By Scott Araujo

How does this vehicle fit within the scope of this site? It's certainly not a small car. But it also has a bigger engine than the Smart ForTwo and can carry three people instead of just two. I talked to Andy. "If you divide 800ccs by three passengers that's only 266ccs each." "I love that story angle! Really, all blogs should be writing about this thing. It's just that damn cool."

And so we present the Ural Yamal Limited Edition.

If you know anything about adventure motorcycle touring you've probably heard of Ural, a cold war era copy of a BMW sidecar rig from Siberia. They make several models costing from about $10-14k. You can get one wheel drive, two wheel drive, a snazzy retro looking model, and now even a solo bike with no sidecar for less than $8k. With an 800cc boxer twin engine and a chassis that looks more like a tractor than a superbike these things are bulletproof and unstoppable. The only real difference between the one and two wheel drive models is that if you get stuck out there with two wheel drive you're stuck way, way out there.

The Yamal is a limited edition, only fifty will come to the States. It's named after a Russian nuclear powered ice breaker that has actually been to the north pole. The ice breaker is named after the Yamal peninsula in Siberia, an icy strip of land that is mostly permafrost.

In addition to the the usual tough Earles style fork, two wheel drive, and high ground clearance of most off road Ural models, the Yamal has some extra goodies. It has a windscreen and hand guards to protect the driver. The entire vehicle is powder coated flat orange for durability. The bottom of the bike and sidecar are also covered with undercoat to mimic the double hull of it's seagoing inspiration. It has yellow fog lights on the sidecar bumper.

There's no doubt this is one serious off road machine but the makers have a sense of humor. With a nod to the ice breaker the sidecar wears both a toothy graphic drawn straight off the boat's bow and a paddle. The paddle is funny, with the obvious connotation to a certain creek.

In Case of Emergency:

If you are reading this then you wandered out too far, and the ice didn't hold—we're very sorry.

In an effort to make it back alive, you may want to follow these survival tips:

* Abandon all hope — it will help you focus.
* Detach sidecar, jump in, and then paddle like heck.
* Rescue your dog — they're better at finding their way home than you are.
* Should you find yourself sinking, use your seat cushion as a floatation device.

Disclaimer:
Ural cannot be held responsible for global warming.
Water damage not covered under warranty.
This vehicle is not a boat, nor is the paddle or any part of the motorcycle intended to be used as a flotation device.
Survival may be a matter of other factors. Your wife was right, who goes fishing in winter?

Official North American Ural site