Jan - Cossack Owners Club

COSSACK OWNERS’ CLUB
HORIZONTAL NEWS
JANUARY 2014
www.cossackownersclub.co.uk
RADIO HORIZONTAL
Happy New Year! New year — New ideas. So here is one
that our indefatigable Hon Sec, Tony Jones, has come up
with.
“I would like to suggest that we have an annual Cossack Day
ride out. The general idea would be to encourage some
Soviet motorcycles out onto the road to meet up at various
points around the country. I would suggest that the meeting
points be somewhere where the riders can get a coffee and
a butty and where they can just have a chinwag about bikes.
The ride out to the meeting point would be enough for
most people but if a member wants to arrange on onward
road trip then that would be fine. ”
URAL IN CHINA
Ural USA announces: “Earlier in October we signed a
distribution agreement with a company that will handle
Ural sales in China. We are very excited about our new
partner Yiqi Shao (he goes by Alex in the English
speaking world). Alex is a sidecar enthusiast and has
been successfully restoring and selling CJ sidecars in
China as well as organizing sidecar adventure tours.
"Consumers in China are ready for a quality product.
There is huge potential and we plan to waste not a
moment to get the product to the market" Alex. Here's the showroom in Shanghai waiting for
new Urals to arrive in spring of 2014. If you’re
interested in Ural tours in China then drop Alex a line:
alexyiqi@gmail.com
In the Committee we think this is a great idea. The ride
need not be that far; it will encourage sociability; and it
doesn’t involve camping! Tony already has a destination in
mind for the north-west; Phil and Gina Inman will propose
something Midlands-ish; and I will come up with something
for Yorks/Lincs. But three destinations do not cover the
country. And so we ask: would anyone else like to propose a
venue near where they live? Come on, it’s only an afternoon’s
ride!
We’ll come up with a date early in the New Year. If you
would be prepared to name a venue and be there on the day
then please email Tony on cossack@blueyonder.co.uk
We’re on
our way...
...to the
Annual
Cossack Day!
AND A BIG HELLO TO...
Stephen J Wood, Hertford. (Looking for a Ural.)
Daniel Nemeth. Bristol. (KMZ K750)
Chris James. Barry. (1945 Ural M72)
Welcome to the Cossack Owners’ Club! We hope you
enjoy your stay and that it is a long one. Check out our
excellent website, send me lots of copy, take part in
the Annual Cossack Day and have a good time!
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SPOTLIGHT ON...
This month the new member spotlight falls on Giles Evans from Wolverhampton.
“Attached should be a photo or two of me getting the Ural a little muddy. The photo's are a bit dark I'm afraid, we
got carried away with playing and nearly forgot to take them.
I bought the bike predictably off ebay during October this
year. It is a 1970 vintage permanent 2-wheel drive with reverse
gear right hand chair combination. The chap I bought it from
was eastern European and had rebuilt it from the ground up
including a very tasty paint-job. He had also managed to get it
registered properly too 8 years ago when he imported it.
Today was the first time I've managed to get it running since
buying it (although the seller drove it onto my trailer so I knew
it was possible!) it needing a new 6v battery fitting to give
enough ooomph to get it to fire, followed by much stamping on
the kick starter and petrol fumes smells. The charge light
refuses to go out though so I'll need to investigate that soon.
I'm married with 2 boys, 8 and 10. Although I have been looking
for a good 2-wheel drive Ural for some time I guess it is still a
mid-life crisis thing that I've bought it. I love bikes, and have an Africa Twin and a cafe racer R800 BMW for the
road and a TTR250 for trail riding, but wanted something so I can inflict the misery - I mean share the joys of
motorcycling with my family. For this the Ural should excel!
Plans include a 3-up trail riding trip with friends over Christmas and camping trips and days out with the family,
possibly with a ride to the D-day commemorations in June. Giles”
LETTER
Hello Peter,
It does seem a great shame that the Cossack Owners Club
cannot support and congratulate the factory on their
achievement of getting what is basically an old design
through the latest round of emission standards. Not only
have they done this, but they have spent two years ensuring
that the end product is better, more power, more torque,
better brakes, and better build quality. The only absolute
certainty for the future of Ural as a motorcycle factory is
that if they do not comply with emissions legislation they
will not be able to sell in the EU, the USA, Australia, and in
time any other market. Failure to comply would almost
certainly mean the closure of the factory and then the
Cossack Owners Club really would have cause to print "RIP
Ural". It is wonderful that some members of the C.O.C. wish
to run and restore older vehicles with carburettors and
Mr Russian Motorcycles. Nev Mason's very unusual full
even points. These people should be encouraged, but look to life story. £12.95 from nevmasonbooks.com/
the future as well. The future will happen, with or without
your support.
NEW CLEAR SUBS
David Angel, F2 Motorcycles Ltd
At the 2013 AGM in August it was agreed to raise the
(What members think? End or beginning? Write in! Pyotr.) subscription rates to the club by £1.00 across the board
effective January 2014. This means : Single UK
Membership becomes £18.00 – Paypal £19.00. Family
Membership becomes £19.00 – Paypal £20.00. Non-UK
Membership becomes £21.00 – Paypal £22.00. It was also
agreed to offer a £2.50 discount at their next renewal to
those club members who opt to have the newsletter sent
by email. This is simply to reflect the savings to the club
brought about by email despatch rather than using Royal
Mail. Gina Inman. Membership Secretary
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LETTER FROM DENMARK
(Here’s the backstory. This summer Mrs B and I were staying in an altogether delightful hostel in eastern Denmark
when a fellow hosteller asked about the combo. He told me that his friend had one. I sniffed copy! A couple of
emails on return and the very wonderful Klaus Jansson had sent me the following. Remember! He’s writing in a foreign
language and he isn’t even a member of the CoC. Has that got you reaching for your pen …?)
Hello Peter
Here is the story of me and my Ural 650 from 1999.
I purchased the motorcycle in the southern part of Denmark last November. I had agreed with the seller that I would
collect it on an auto trailer, but such was impossible to find. Therefore, I drove it home myself. It was a cold evening.
The temperature was about 9 degrees Celsius. Although I earlier in the week
had tested the machine and thought it was fairly okay, it behaved really lousy
when I came out on the highway. It was very unpredictable and lurched from
side to side. The light I could not trust. The 100 kilometers home seemed
endless as I dared maximum speed of 80 km per hour. But I had formed me a
good idea of what needed to be repaired on the motorcycle.
Briefly about myself. I have always been interested in motorcycles and have
unceasingly had one or more motorcycles since I was 16 years old.
I eventually owned a variety of
motorcycles. My first was a NSU Super Lux from 1954. Then a MZ ETZ
250 , was bored up to 300 ccm. It ran great. Hereafter an Ariel VH from
1954. I still own it. Otherwise, I had briefly a Royal Enfield India of 500
ccm. I was disappointed with it and sold it rapidly on. Finally I fancy a
sidecar motorcycle. Since I have two sons, 5 and 7 years, I've always
wanted to introduce them into my own hobby of motorcycles. Therefore I
thought a sidecar motorcycle was a fine idea.
I repair my own motorcycles, since it is actually where I find the greatest
satisfaction. Last winter I seriously addressed the problems of the motorcycle. I soon found out that the motorcycle instability was due to the rear wheel bearing was destroyed. I chose as
an experiment to convert it to maintenance-free ball bearing. This was done by making a few extra spacers. An easy
task. Finally I changed the spark plugs and other lubricating oils and the motorcycle was ready for the Spring. I have
this year completed 4500 km without any problems. But that does not mean that there is room for improvement.
The things I'm going to rebuild this winter are as follows:
H4 bulb in the headlight.
Convert all wheel bearings for ball bearings.
Control the ball bearings in the generator.
Modern brake lining on the brake shoes.
Cleaning carburetors. It can`t idle.
Switch output seal in the gearbox. It´s leaking gearbox oil.
Checking the rims. There are a few crooked rims.
I'm pretty happy with the bike and hope I can make it even better. I
hope one day that I get to use it for longer trips. Possibly to motorcycle rallies around Europe.
Peter, I hope this was what you had in mind when you asked me to write a text about my motorcycle .
I will always be available if you need further information.
Finally, remember that English is not my native language. Therefore, it is probably best if you edit it before you print
it in your magazine.
(Klaus. Your English is wonderful. You are wonderful. Your country is wonderful. And your partner — whom I have
never met but I know exists because she is on the email address — is also, I am absolutely sure, also wonderful.
Thank you so much for taking the time and trouble to write this for us. Peter)
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THAT 2014 URAL
(The following is taken from the website of Ural USA It has been edited to fit the space available but you can see
the full text and more pictures at : http://www.imz-ural.com/blog/ )
“Our company is known for listening closely to customer feedback, and as such Ural has implemented a large number
of changes and upgrades over the years. We at Ural felt that the concept of a complete factory produced sidecar
motorcycle has even bigger potential than what our previous models were able to deliver. So we began working on this
project two years ago. The idea was to introduce a number of more advanced technical and functional features, while
still maintaining Ural’s classic look, ruggedness and unpretentious character.
The four main areas we focused on were: Engine performance; Handling; Braking; Overall Fit and Finish
ENGINE
Prior to 2014 all models of Ural motorcycles had been manufactured with carburetors. Carburetion allowed the user
to make adjustments and accommodate different riding styles when necessary. While this is considered to be an
advantage by some motorcycle enthusiasts, the benefits of EFI system are undeniable. Even though Ural could have
continued with carburetion for a few more years, we decided it’s time to switch to EFI if we are to grow the brand
and expand our customer base.
2014 Urals feature the new standalone fuel injection system. This system has been developed specifically for Ural by
ElectroJet, Inc., a Michigan-based engineering company, using components by Bosch and Delphi. We completed the
package with an all new air box and an improved cam profile. The engine now comes with redesigned front cover
integrating a standard spin-on oil filter. A new wire harness incorporates all new requirements for EFI utilizing high
quality weather tight connectors. The dashboard was redesigned to include fuel level warning and engine management
indicator lamps
BRAKES
Since 2003 Ural motorcycles have utilized Brembo
hydraulic disc brakes on the front wheel, and drum brakes
for both the rear and sidecar wheels. The drum brakes
required the rider to apply more force to the brake
pedal. Also this configuration required more frequent
maintenance and adjustment. Beginning in 2014 Urals will
feature disc brakes on all three wheels. The rear wheel
utilizes a big bore integrated floating caliper by HB (Hayes
Brakes) and a 256 mm solid NG rotor. The caliper also
incorporates the mechanical parking brake feature. The
sidecar wheel is equipped with a two-piston Brembo caliper
and a 245 mm NG floating rotor. Both rear calipers are
operated by their own Brembo master cylinders. The new system provides dramatically increased stopping power
while requiring less rider effort. During the development of the rear disc brakes we completely redesigned all wheel
hubs. They now utilize standard sealed bearings with additional protective dust seals. The rear hubs no longer utilize
cast-in drive splines. They are now equipped with replaceable hardened bolt-on spline flanges. The rear wheel hubs
will no longer need to be replaced due to worn drive splines.
STEERING
The current Urals utilize a mechanical friction type steering damper. This simple design, while adjustable, doesn’t
provide consistent handling under different riding situations. Thus the motorcycle requires constant rider input. The
new system incorporates an 18-position adjustable hydraulic damper. The damper specifications were carefully
selected for use on our sidecar motorcycles and confirmed after extensive on- and off- road testing. In conjunction
with the development of the steering damper we also incorporated newly designed upper and lower triple clamps
(bridges). These bridges are now made from forged aluminum alloy which is both stronger and lighter. Additionally
the upper clamp incorporates handlebar mounts. Fork legs are now secured with pinch bolts in place of the original
factory tapered upper mount.
APPEARANCE
In addition to all the performance improvement the motorcycle has undergone a substantial makeover. The classic
look of the Ural has been preserved but well refined. Some of the improvements include new kneepads and badges on
the gas tank, improved preformed hoses for fuel lines, breather and reservoirs. The new dashboard with modern
indicator lamps is more aesthetically pleasing and at the same time better follows the contour of the headlight and
the upper triple clamp.”
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