Introduction

**JerseyBlues** · 09-01-2010, 09:47 PM

Nice forum.

I live in southern NJ and most of my adventuring nowadays is done on the saddle of my Russian sidecar motorcycle. It's a Ural. With 2WD and a reverse gear. No machine gun, though. I pack all I need and camp my way there and back. This August I went 2100 miles touring the back roads, dirt roads and some trails of New England. Last year it was the Great Smokey Mountains.

Scouts, military service (USAF), USAF winter survival training in Fairbanks AK, camping since I was a kid, backpacking a bit, canoe trips, offshore sailing, coastal sailing, 4x4 offroading, enduro racing, and hitchiking as a kid are all part of my past experiences.

I trapped as a kid, hunted small game (but don't remember how to skin what I kill), I can fish and clean and cook what I catch, and I can recognize which kind of fruit is growing in a farmer's orchard.

I can build a fire using any combinations of trioxane, magnesium, matches, dryer lint, Bic lighters, flint and steel, birch bark, arcing of a battery, polished bottom of a Coke can, magnifying glass, and yes, even two sticks.

I currently run my own business selling photo ID card systems. As soon as I hit the lottery, though, I will be moving to TN in a house I'll build with solar power, a french fry oil powered generator in the barn, some fruit trees out back, black raspberry bushes down by the road, a large barn and perhaps a still back up the holler a bit...

A man can dream, can't he?

**Sourdough** · 09-01-2010, 09:57 PM

Hello & Welcome

**klickitat** · 09-01-2010, 10:14 PM

welcome aboard

**canid** · 09-01-2010, 10:16 PM

you're at least the second rider to join in the last few days.

welcome aboard. keep the rubber side down.

**NightShade** · 09-01-2010, 10:19 PM

welcome and enjoy

**crashdive123** · 09-01-2010, 10:47 PM

Hello and welcome. Thank you for your service.

**BENESSE** · 09-01-2010, 11:20 PM

Welcome JB, it's nice to meet you.
I like your dream.

**SARKY** · 09-02-2010, 12:03 AM

Yo jersey, where in jersey are you from? I grew up in North Bergen.
Kinda my dream too except i'm looking at Arizona.

**Rick** · 09-02-2010, 02:53 AM

Welcome home and thanks for your service.

**Camp10** · 09-02-2010, 05:51 AM

Welcome to the forum.

**JerseyBlues** · 09-02-2010, 08:32 AM

Originally Posted by SARKY

Yo jersey, where in jersey are you from? I grew up in North Bergen.
Kinda my dream too except i'm looking at Arizona.

Thanks for all of the welcome replies...I'm waaaay down in south Jersey- exit 2 of the Turnpike, as the joke goes.

I too looked at Arizona, but the political climate, temperature range and tax advantages of TN tipped the scales away from AZ.

I attached a couple of pictures of me and my rig from my recent trip up through New England.

**BENESSE** · 09-02-2010, 08:36 AM

Niiiiice rig, not a bad way to travel. I can see how you can have everything you need right there. Except a dog...maybe.

**JerseyBlues** · 09-02-2010, 08:48 AM

There's definitely room for a dog!

Now you can see why I need to brush up on wilderness survival skills. Riding around remote areas of the country on a somewhat reliable, cantakerous Russian contraption of a motorcycle gives me plenty of opportunity to become lost and/or stranded. With the 2WD (sidecar wheel and pusher wheel) and reverse, it's easy to keep going and then get stuck somewhere way out past where Jesus lost his sandals. "Hey, where does this trail go?" will be my epitaph probably...

**Justin Case** · 09-02-2010, 09:03 AM

Hello and welcome

**canid** · 09-02-2010, 09:07 AM

is that one of the newer ones? it looks like it's got a disk brake up front.

nice rig. i don't know if i could get used to a sidecar, but i can sure see the benefits.

**Old GI** · 09-02-2010, 09:28 AM

Originally Posted by JerseyBlues

Thanks for all of the welcome replies...I'm waaaay down in south Jersey- exit 2 of the Turnpike, as the joke goes.

I too looked at Arizona, but the political climate, temperature range and tax advantages of TN tipped the scales away from AZ.

I attached a couple of pictures of me and my rig from my recent trip up through New England.

Welcome Jersey guy. I grew up in Cologne between Mays Landing and Egg Harbor on the edge of the big swamp. Really nice bike.

**Rick** · 09-02-2010, 09:35 AM

Is there a drive axle to the sidecar wheel? That's a nice looking rig, that's for sure.

**JerseyBlues** · 09-02-2010, 10:03 AM

It's a 2004 Ural Patrol. Engageable sidecar driveshaft to enable fully locked differential between the bike's rear wheel (pusher) and the sidecar wheel. It can go places you would not imagine! It won't turn, per se, when the 2WD is engaged, unless you slide the rear wheels, etc. Makes for a lot of fun in the snow! Good for about 18" of fluffy powder.

It definitely takes some getting used to- it turns to the left differently than it turns to the right, and it doesn't go in a straight line when you want it to. It requires a good amount of upper body strength and a lot of physics lessons to corner well. Sometimes I'm the slowest machine on the road and other times I'm the only machine on the road.

It's a very simple machine and real easy to work on. The Russians stole several Nazi BMW R/75 rigs out of Finland in WWII and reverse engineered them into the Ural. The design hasn't changed, only a few modern upgrades (like the disk brake, electric start and, well, not much else). When the Russians built these originally, they were made so a young farmer right out of the potato fields could take this bike to war and be able to fix it in the mud and snow of eastern Europe. They made over 3 million of them.

To the Russians and the Nazis, this was their Jeep. You see them in almost every WWII movie or documentary. Carries two riflemen and a machinegunner. Same as our Jeep. Although, the three Americans that get stuck in the mud in their Jeep have a harder time pulling out their machine than the Russians or the Germans in the same situation with their sidecar motorcycle. Oh well, we still won anyways.

After the Cold War, in about 1994, USA allowed the Ural to be imported into the USA. It's the only Russian vehicle allowed to be imported to here. They have dealerships spread out across the country and parts are readily available. Also, the Russians are amazing to work with and will bend over backwards to earn your business. These rigs come with an unlimited mileage two year warranty on everything! There are stories of an entire final drive assembly being shipped to a campground to replace a failed unit (that was questionably destroyed while offroading!)- no questions asked. Tires replaced for customers in the middle of a cross country trip for no charge! And so many more.

Russians make good beer too!

And as a disclaimer- I don't get any commission for promoting these rigs...or their beer! It's just good fun and cool stuff!

**Pocomoonskyeyes3** · 09-02-2010, 02:17 PM

Welcome JB! I like your bike and that's coming from someone who Hates Motorcycles!! (too many friends/relatives/acquaintances hurt or killed while riding them) I think your Rig just might be an exception for me!! I didn't even know ANYONE anywhere made anything like that.

Here's a Survival tip for ya'..... Just make sure if you have any Twinkies or Bacon that Rick gets some!!! And no matter what, do NOT mention the word T-H-O-N-...... Gee I can't type the next letter or Rick will gross us all out with a picture of THAT ..... THING he likes grossing us out with!!!

Oh and if anyone ever does post that word..... The next time you see Rick post.... Just dash as fast as you can right past his post.... Your eyes MIGHT be spared!! Trust me your stomach will thank you greatly!!!

If you are as smart as I think you are, you'll figure it out.... There's a couple of clues there if you look!!