Each year for the last decade, Russian sidecar manufacturer, Ural Motorcycles, has introduced a special edition rig. It’s an endeavor pointed as much at core devotees, as it is a way of reminding the remaining 99.99% of riders that the 80-year-old brand is still kicking. 

This year’s bid is the fantastically garish Limited Edition GEO, built on the brand’s Gear Up model, which features on-demand 2-wheel drive. The base rig is well-proven as a robust, tractor-like machine capable of slow-traveling the globe, and this 2021 variant, limited to 20 units, adds wild paint and a handful of adventure—minded component upgrades and accessories. 

But as someone with a similarly odd Russian-built sidecar in the garage — a Dnepr, the military cousin of the Ural, I feel inclined to first flesh out the advantages of riding a fresh-off-the-line World War II-era motorcycle and sidecar in the first place. Firstly, while you do lose the advantage of maneuvering with a more slight profile, an off-road sidecar adds a ton of stability, and the Ural provides 2-wheel drive as well as a reverse gear. 

And sure, with a concerted effort you can tip one over, but you can’t just fall off. The Ural’s post war-era mechanicals make it easy to work on when it breaks down, which it very well might, but what an advantage that the sidehack setup provides a trunk to hold a horde of spare bits and kit, not to mention space for not one, but two passengers, one of which should be goggle-wearing canine whenever possible.

This new GEO edition, with its impossible-to-miss hand-painted camouflage design, offers several extras for the adventure-minded rider. While the base model comes standard with a universal spare wheel, additional luggage racks, LED auxiliary lighting, power outlets and foldable utility shovel, the GEO adds a fairing and hand guards for the rider, plus the two cargo racks on the sidecar.

Other upgrades for the GEO include adjustable Nitron suspension, a RotopaX fuel container to boost range offered by the 5-gallon main tank, a GPS mount, knobby Heidenau tires and a high pipe GPR exhaust system, which is listed as optional since it’s technically legal for off-highway use only. But then who will know? When the cop pulls you over he or she will likely be too enchanted by the Ural’s extreme vibe to question the legality of the pipe.  

And I can attest that when you’re piloting a retro Russian sidecar the fascination from onlookers will be plentiful, and usually end in love/hate opinions. Something akin to owning a hairless cat instead of a normal, fluffy one. 

In the performance department, the Gear Up and GEO are powered by Ural’s 750cc boxer-style twin, which produces around 41 horsepower and 42 foot pounds of torque. Power is managed via shaft drive and four forward gears plus reverse, with the front wheel of the bike and sidecar the wheel wearing Brembo brakes. 

The Limited Edition GEO has just become available for a rather steep asking price of $26,999 ($34,499 in Canada), though with over 70 dealers in the U.S. alone and only 20 units available world wide it’s hard to know where you might see one in person.

In the meantime, if you’re interested in trying a Ural sidecar rig on for size, the company has fostered several partnerships that rent units out of cities like New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Houston. 

Author: Jamie Elvidge

Jamie has been a motorcycle journalist for more than 30 years, testing the entire range of bikes for the major print magazines and specializing in adventure-travel related stories. To date she’s written and supplied photography for articles describing what it’s like to ride in all 50 states and 43 foreign countries, receiving two Lowell Thomas Society of American Travel Writer’s Awards along the way. Her most-challenging adventure yet has been riding in the 2018 GS Trophy in Mongolia as Team AusAmerica’s embedded journalist.