How Ural motorcycles are assembled

Many with whom I talked about this trip to the small Ural town of Irbit were surprised that Ural motorcycles are still alive, assembled and sold. Somehow this brand has sunk into oblivion in recent years. Completely forgotten. And he is alive, in general, even healthy and sells well, and to the West. I walked around the assembly shop and found out how everything is there.

Let's start with the facade. It is difficult to identify the once giant plant in this gray building. The stele with the motorcycle is hard to see from the road because of the neglected public garden. There are no signboards. Most of the building, which was once the plant management, is leased for shops, shops, cafes. The pink doors in the background are the entrance through which almost no one passes.

The Ural motorcycle factory employs just over a hundred people. For comparison: in the Soviet years there were 10 thousand workers.

Strictly speaking, it would be more correct to call these motorcycles Ural than Ural. Because most of the components in them are imported. Motorcycle connoisseurs are sure to shake their heads meaningfully when they see a list of brands that supply components to Irbit. Marzocchi telescopic forks, Sachs shocks, Denso alternator, Yuasa battery, Ducati ignition, SKF bearings, Herzog gears, NAK cuffs, Brembo disc brakes, electronic fuel injection based on Bosch and Delphi components. In general, full stuffing by motorcycle standards.

From our Soviet here: pipes for the frame, casting for the engine and sheets for the stroller.

The Ural motorcycle is in many ways the most and only one in the world. Fingers crossed: the only all-season, frost-proof motorcycle.

The only serial motorcycle with a sidecar.

The only all-wheel drive motorcycle. Yes, this happens too. If you climbed into the impassable, you can hard connect the wheel on the wheelchair. In this mode, the motorcycle can only go straight, but it will take you out of any mess.

The guys from the factory said that they regularly go on motorcycles to forests and mountains, get to the Dyatlov Pass, and 110 km / h calmly goes along the Ural highway.

The machine tools at the plant are mostly Soviet, but there are also new ones - for example, this laser cutter.

The paint shop is mostly run by women. Men work on welding, cutting and assembling. One hard worker can serve 10 machines. The work is unhurried, because the norm is 5 motorcycles a day. In Soviet times, there were two workers behind each machine, they worked in two shifts. The enterprise produced 10,000 pieces of equipment per year.

Work at the plant is valued. 25,000 rubles in Irbit are not lying on the road.

The company produces about 1000 motorcycles a year. 99% are exported. They work on a prepaid basis. Dealers collect orders - in a few weeks the buyer receives his "Ural". In Russia, they are bought by rich people who are covered with nostalgia. In the West - fans of harsh military and lovers to climb into the wilds. In terms of cross-country ability, the Ural is out of competition. Enduro, motorcycle crossovers and similar equipment cannot oppose anything. Only an ATV or a buggy can give a fight.

In Russia, "Ural" can be bought only in three places. In the US, there is a dealer in almost every state, in some - two. Motorcycles undergo rigorous testing annually in the US and Europe to meet environmental and safety regulations. All tests "Ural" passes.

By and large, there are only two Ural models. They differ only in appearance. One is retro, the other is more modern. The structure is all identical. But more than 60 coloring options.

The assembly is slipway, which ensures high quality.

The assembly shop surprised with its thoughtfulness. All on the shelves, boxes. Everything is clear.

This is where the clutch is assembled.

And it will soon be a motor.

designs for many years. And by and large, the modern Ural is just a deeply modernized version of the BMW motorcycle prototype of the 40s. But I'll tell the story in another post.

The skeleton is overgrown with intestines.

Here they are, Brembo brakes. Who is in the subject, he will understand