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Ural in Media
Russian bike makes local inroads
Sidecar among motorcycle's features
Eyebrows rise as Dave Knopp rolls along on his Ural Patrol between his home in Ava and his job at Orion Bus in Oriskany.
In the first place, there just aren't that many people in Oneida County who commute to work on a motorcycle all winter.
And in the second place, his vehicle is special in the first place.
Knopp, who lives on Flint Town Road in Ava, bought his Russian-made sidecar motorcycle last summer from North Country Cycles. His regular ride, a 1980 Honda Gold Wing, was relegated to his garage.
North Country is co-located with Northern Outfitters on Oriskany Street in Whitesboro.
Gary Kelsey, vice president and chief marketing officer of Irbit Motor Works of America, said North Country, owned by Brad Vrooman, was the top Ural dealership in the U.S. last year. It sold about 22 bikes, he said.
"I absolutely love it," Knopp said of his military-style, olive drab three-wheeler.
But, he conceded, "There are some glitches. It's not the (manufacturing) standard we're accustomed to with Japanese or Harley-Davidson (motorcycles)."
He said he has had issues with the Patrol's wiring and short-lived Russian tires, but altogether, no serious malfunctions -- "if you don't mind tinkering."
And like many bikers, "I tinker," he said.
Knopp puts most of the miles on the Patrol between home and work, but he made a couple of Thruway trips to see his sisters in White Plains last fall and said it ran fine on the open road, although slightly underpowered.
Vrooman -- who also owns one of the great biker names, if you think about it - said the Ural line has its roots in the Great War, as Russians refer to World War II. The state-owned company produced some 10,000 sidecar motorcycles in the war, based on the BMW models used by the German army.
Vrooman said Russian workers in the Ural Mountains city of Irbit also turn out two-wheelers like a heavy-duty retro machine that evokes memories of 1950s Harley-Davidsons. But he said the sidecars are what have caught the imagination of an expanding market across the U.S.
He said he saw his first Ural about a decade ago and became a dealer a couple of years ago.
Sales grew as "people discovered they're ruggedly built sidecars that really look cool," Vrooman said. The three-wheeled offerings range from the relatively luxurious Troyka to the basic Tourist. In between, sidecar fans can find a pair of dual-wheel drive models built for off-roading, the Patrol and the even more militaristic Gear-Up, equipped with a genuine machine gun mount and military shovel.
Sidecars are popular in many parts of the world today as basic transportation, Vrooman said, but in the U.S. they appeal most to baby boomer bikers who want a ride that puts fewer physical demands on their mellowing bodies.
Norman Vrooman, Brad's dad and a biker for half a century, bought his Patrol three years ago. "I hardly drive my car in the summer," the Mohawk resident said. "I go to Wal-Mart and do all the grocery shopping in it.
"It draws a crowd," he said. "It has so much utility, and ... I'm able to take my grandchildren for a ride," he said.
Vrooman still rides two-wheelers. But with the sidecar: "At my age (72), when you stop at the lights you don't have to worry about putting your leg down. You just sit there and relax."
He said the bike "is super-reliable." After 7,000 miles, he said, "The only thing I've had to change is the back tire."
Kelsey was in Daytona, Fla. for Bike Week last week getting the Ural name in front of as many bikers as he could.
"Our goal for 2004 is to really get brand recognition," he said as he checked out the competition along the beach Tuesday.
He said the company has 49 dealers nationwide. Vrooman's North Country Cycles is one of three in the state. The others are in Albion, west of Rochester, and Chestertown, north of Lake George, according to the company Web site.
Sidecar models run $8,000 to $10,000. Two wheelers are $5,000 to $6,000.
Tue, Mar 9, 2004
R. PATRICK CORBETT
The Observer-Dispatch
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