[Moto]updated Ranger brings 2WD to countries that drive on the left

[Ale X Erfan]

 

HOMENEWSNEW BIKES

New year, New Ural: updated Ranger brings 2WD to countries that drive on the left
Published: Today 09:41
Updated: Today 10:09
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2021 Ural Ranger2021 Ural Ranger
 
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Ural have updated their venerable sidecar outfit with a new Euro5 engine securing its future for years to come, while also introducing a first for a left-handed sidecar: selectable two-wheel drive.

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Two-wheel drive is nothing new for Ural, their po[CENSORED]r off-road capable Ranger has had it for years but until recently it’s only been available for the right-handed bikes which aren’t much use for UK riders.

Chiefly it’s because the drive for the third wheel comes off the end of the driveshaft, just like the rear wheel of a traditional shaft driven motorcycle. On a right-handed outfit, the third wheel sits on the outside of the bevel box (the item that converts the rotational motion of the shaft into forward motion of the wheel).

That meant that left-handed cars couldn’t get the drive because the third wheel was effectively on the ‘wrong’ side of the bevel box. There’s also the honest reality that most of the world drives on the other side of the road to us, so we can’t really blame them for not developing it until now.

However, with the investment required for updated to Euro5, Ural thought it was time that folks in the UK got a piece of two-wheel drive action.

2021 Ural Ranger in 2WD

For the most part you ride around in one-wheel drive like a conventional bike but if the going gets very tough, such as deep mud or sand where there’s poor traction, it’s simply a case of flipping a lever and off you go. And if you really can't make it through, there's a reverse gear for beating a hasty retreat, too.

As part of this redesign, Ural also worked on the wheels with the result being that all three on the outfit are now the same. That means you can carry one spare which can fit in any of the three positions, so should you get a puncture it’s a 20-minute job to swap one and get back on the road. Nifty. 

The Ural uses a Euro5 compliant 745cc air-cooled boxer-twin engine that's good for 65mph cruising. The sidecar is obviously a seat for a passenger, but also has an 82-litre trunk, LED fog lights, a luggage rack, spare wheel, jerry can and even a shovel!

Plans are afoot to expand the dealer network into the UK, but in the meantime the outfit will be available from an Irish dealer when it arrives later in 2021 for around £16,740.