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The Irbit Informer
August 2004 | Vol 1: Issue 4
Welcome to the Irbit Informer! This informal monthly publication is designed to
keep you, the Ural customer, informed about what's happening with us here at
Irbit MotorWorks Of America (Redmond, USA), at the factory in Irbit and
with Urals in general. Things are happening with the company at a much faster
than typical Ural speed, so watch for your monthly issue and stay "informed".
Urals at 2004 Black Dog Rally
The Black Dog AMA/Suzuki National Rally was held in the Mt. Hood National
Forest near ZigZag, Oregon the weekend of July 9th-11th.
This was the very first year that a sidecar-specific "class" was included in
the traditionally two-wheel, dual-sport event. A total of 199 riders left the
start on Saturday, with 6 Urals among them, to attack the challenging 300 mile,
2-day course! The course descriptions/classifications as given by the Black Dog
organizers and used during the rally were:
A: DIFFICULT [advanced] - plenty of challenging trail that
requires advanced trail techniques. Aggressive knobbies highly suggested.
B: MODERATE [normal] - moderate or mild trail skills required.
Larger single-cylinder or two-up bikes should easily traverse these sections.
Generally passable by an advanced Jeep/driver combo. Regular dualsport tires
are acceptable.
The course was EVERYTHING described above and more, MUCH more! This was the
most challenging riding I have ever done in over 40 years of motorcycling. I
would not have been able to complete it had I not been piloting my Ural. Across
rocks (actually small boulders in places), rivers, brush and downed trees, up
extreme hills and down again, through the mud, sand and dirt, I struggled to
hold "DevoDeco" on course as my navigator (my brother Bubba) strained to hold
on period! With the exception of dumping my rig over on top of me while
negotiating an extreme downhill, boulder-strewn trail, we survived with no
damage or major mishaps.
ALL of the Urals ran flawlessly! A combination of Patrols, a Gear-Up, a Deco
Classic, a BC-75 and a Troyka ranging in ages from 1997 to 2004's amazed many
of the two-wheelers as we exchanged passes and dust clouds for two days. While
some of our sidecar rigs did lose a few parts, being ripped away by rocks,
wash-boards and a spill or two, it was quite apparent that our Urals were up to
the challenge.
At the end of Sunday, after 300 miles and two days, the top 10 finishers were
announced at the awards ceremony. Of those top ten finishers, Urals took #4, #6
& #10 positions!!
IMWA would like to express our thanks to Vernon "The Red Menace" Wade and Tom
Niemela for making the sidecar class a part of the Black Dog.
Thanks again to all and see you at The Black Dog in 2005!
Get more info on the rally and dual-sport riding at:
http://www.blackdogdualsport.com
http://www.imz-ural.com/community/newsletterpics/n04_01.jpg
http://www.imz-ural.com/community/newsletterpics/n04_02.jpg
IMZ News
Well, the "Traveling Twelve" have returned from their two-week sojourn to
Russia! A wonderful time was had by all.
During our visit at the factory, everyone was treated to a few surprises. The
"Ural Scrambler" prototype was unveiled! What a bike it is too! With the
factories history of off-road racing and sidecar dirt bike experience, they
have brought back a sidecar bike that is truly meant for serious off road
riding, whether on the forest trails or at the racetrack! This bike sports a
"monkey" friendly sidecar platform, complete with pillion seat (with storage
underneath), strategically placed grab-bars for aggressive "monkeying",
leading-link front suspension with high fender and knobby tires all around. The
controls are basic, no headlamp, turn signals or fancy chrome. We were all
taken for a spin by Chief Designer, Alexander Strokin, who displayed the
Scramblers quick torque, speed and agility. What a ride it was! Look forward to
more on this new model in the not-to-distant future.
After our amazement with the Scrambler, we were all allowed to ride the new
fuel-injected bike. Wow! Talk about performance improvement! Great response
from the moment you twist the throttle, with power that is uncommon for our
bikes. With the removal of the carburetors, foot room is no longer an issue at
all. As the factory looks forward to the impending EPA standard changes, they
are clearly on-track with the Bosch fuel-injection system. Expected release
date is 2006.
Just when we thought we had seen it all, out they bring another bike equipped
with the new timing belt system. our minds were blown! As each of us test rode
it, everyone was amazed at the lack of noise coming from the engine. This bodes
well for the none-to-soon demise of the infamous timing gear/alternator system.
Another expected release date of 2006.
All-in-all, the factory dazzled us with their significant strides in foresight
and attacking and solving the major issues that have plagued the bikes for so
long.
We were also able to see many of the 650 "Iraq" bikes being assembled
side-by-side of the U.S. and European bikes. Standing alongside their more
colorful counterparts, the "Iraqi Grays" in the final assembly shop gave sharp
contrast between the markets.
New Ural Reflective Vests and Accessories
If you have not yet seen the new reflective vests on the accessories page of
the website, take a look at
http://www.imz-ural.com/accessories. These orange safety vests have the
"IMZ" logo on the front vest pocket and the IMWA website address along with
"it's a Ural" across the back. These are not only great for safety, but are
very cool UDF grabbers too.
A few of the other hot, new accessories you will find there are Camo tire and
seat covers (perfect for Gear-Up or Patrol), headlight protector and chrome
parking brake handle that will look great on any Ural, as well as a sissy bar
for your Wolf. How about dressing up your hack with a nice chrome nose rack and
light protector!
**A quick note to all of the 188 (!!!) volunteers that are participating in
the "Ural Emissary" program. We will be providing you with feedback/results of
your efforts periodically as we gather and analyze the results. We want you
informed!
That's it for this issue. Look for the September issue that will feature a lot
more about the "Traveling Twelve's" Russian adventure and their experience at
the seventh annual Russian Motorcycle Faire. We're all still recovering!
Still want to remind everyone that I would like all of you to feel free to
contribute to our monthly "Irbit Informer" with ride stories, events attended,
awards won or any stories that you think your fellow FoilHeads would be
interested in. Please submit them no later than the 20th of each month to me at
gary@imz-ural.com.
Enjoy the Ride!
Gary "it's a Ural" Kelsey
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