Perhaps the most recognizable among domestic motorcycles, of course, is the Ural. In the economically difficult times of the Soviet Union, for families who could not afford to have a car, which was a luxury, they chose the Ural motorcycle. And for good reason, because its 4-stroke engine is the easiest to repair and unpretentious to maintain. Nowadays, Ural motorcycle tuning is developing among customizers who give this model a second life. Many especially loved the sound of this boxer engine. Well, now we’ll find out how to do tuning of a Ural motorcycle with our own hands.
There are a great many areas of tuning the Ural motorcycle. From high-quality restoration and revival of the legend, to incredible transformation into a cool chopper. It’s important to immediately understand what you want, decide on a style, and not put everything on the motorcycle. Whether it is converting a sport bike or a chopper, first of all you need to take care of the technical condition of the engine and improve its characteristics. After all, this is the main part of the motorcycle. Most often, problems with original carburetors are annoying, which are not able to ensure high-quality synchronous operation of the cylinders, thereby even reducing the engine's life. They must be immediately replaced with imported carburetors. The second problem is ignition. The cam-type mechanism often fails and the contacts burn out. Here it is simply necessary to replace it with a contactless ignition system with a Hall sensor. Loss of compression in the cylinders is also an eternal disease that can be solved by replacing the rings with modern automobile ones with a set of oil scraper rings, as well as cleaning the valves from carbon deposits and grinding them in. Check the condition of the flywheel pins, the holes of the intermediate discs and the thickness of the clutch discs. Often the fingers are worn out, the disc holes are broken, and the clutch is worn out. To modernize this unit, you can install reinforced springs, replace the slider bearing with a large number of balls, or even better, a needle bearing. Don't forget to lighten the flywheel by 1-1.5 kg. This will give a noticeable improvement in speed gain. Installing an aluminum pan on a Ural motorcycle will also be no less useful.
You can read more about Ural motorcycle engine tuning: detailed information here.
Let's move on to the external tuning of the Urals. Now that the motor is in proper shape and condition, decide on the direction. Let's look at examples of model tuning from simple to complex.
History of the Ural motorcycle
97% of all domestic Ural motorcycles are exported to many countries around the world. And only three percent are sold in Russia.
Time moves inexorably forward.
And with its course, everything in our lives changes. But for more than seventy years the Ural motorcycle has remained unchanged. You will not be able to feel all the pride in the domestic Irbitsky motorcycle plant if you have not sat behind the wheel of this motorcycle. Since 1957, the plant has been producing motorcycles and delighting its customers with their excellent quality. The range of Ural motorcycles is constantly expanding. And there is no better motorcycle among domestic motorcycles today. These motorcycles are popular not only in the territory of the former Soviet Union. Our motorcycle is known in the countries of America and Europe, Australia and Africa. Residents of Iraq and Iran love the Urals.
Since 1960, the plant has been tuning its motorcycles. Most of the parts have been modernized. The tuning model of Ural motorcycles has raised the bar for the quality of these products. Together with foreign partners, the range of motorcycles is constantly being improved.
Tuning the Ural motorcycle has made this equipment very expensive, and only true fans can afford to buy it. Eighty percent of motorcycles are produced with a cradle. The plant produces not only road models. There are models designed for cross-country and road racing competitions. Back in Soviet times, models that were intended for patrol were modernized. Instead of cradles, they are equipped with a machine gun and a launcher carrier.
The history of the Ural motorcycle is very rich. This motorcycle has become a classic. Great respect for the people who assemble this equipment, and pride in our industry.
Additional engine modifications
In addition to the above methods of tuning a Ural motorcycle, there are several more secrets. It is possible to install a crankshaft from the K 750 on the Ural engine, which will increase the cylinder stroke to 78mm.
Thus, it is possible to significantly increase the working volume of the Ural engine. It's quite difficult to find, but it's worth it. Another problem with the motorcycle is the tight response to the throttle and slow acceleration. The reason for this is that the flywheel is too heavy, the weight of which is designed for riding with a stroller and for transporting heavy objects.
According to the drawing, it is possible to reduce its weight by a couple of kilograms. Due to the weight reduction, the inertia of the crankshaft will decrease, and the acceleration dynamics will significantly increase. To fully realize the power on the road, the gears of the gearbox must be replaced with 9 or 10 pairs. In conclusion, we would like to note that tuning the Ural motorcycle engine is justified only for racing purposes; for everyday use, such an engine will have a short resource and significant fuel consumption.
Do-it-yourself Ural motorcycle tuning
If you own a Ural motorcycle, but its appearance does not suit you, and you constantly look at foreign handsome men, do not despair. You can improve your vehicle. Most often, they buy a domestic motorcycle just for the shell, and everything else is redone.
Tuning the Ural will take you a lot of time, but it is a very exciting process, and the result will exceed all your expectations.
Before you get started, check out all the proposed upgrades and photos of motorcycles on the Internet.
Having decided, you can begin work. First we redo the rear part of the frame.
- The pendulum needs to be expanded.
- Cut off the seat tubes.
- We weld curved pipes with a diameter of 28 mm, no less. This is not only a beautiful decor, it is also a headscarf amplifier.
- To make the suspension softer, the rear shock absorbers need to be installed at an angle.
- When you put the wide rear wheel in place, make sure that the rubber coupling works without distortion.
- The footrests need to be moved forward, it will be more comfortable for your legs.
- The frame needs to be lengthened by ten centimeters.
- The engine moves backwards.
Perhaps in this case the landing will be incorrect. But for every motorist it is different, individual.
After completing all the work, select a workpiece, perhaps from a stroller, for the rear wing. If you want it to be deeper, you can cut plates from it and butt weld it to the wing.
Let's start working on the tank:
- Use a grinder to remove the glove compartment.
- You also remove the neck and tunnel.
- A wedge is used to cut the top of the tank.
- The two halves are welded at the back. And the neck and tunnel are welded.
- To keep everything sealed, use epoxy resin.
Now we work with the seat:
- You need to cut the base from two-millimeter steel.
- Place thin foam rubber under it.
- The finished structure can be covered with either suede or leather.
The steering wheel needs to be made simple. Everything is cut from a single piece of metal. This is the handle, clutch lever, brakes. For the mirror stand, cut blanks from eight-mm steel. You can buy a housing for a mirror in a store or make it yourself in the form of a sphere.
Silencers are located on the right side.
- Weld the left exhaust pipe without bending it.
- The right pipe remains standard, but it needs to be shortened a little at the top so that the leg does not melt.
- The seams are cleaned, polished and chrome plated.
- To get a chopper sound, you can insert valve springs from a car into the mufflers.
Engines in the Urals can be boosted. When working properly, its power increases to forty-two horsepower.
Ural tuning video
I want to share the story of my first long trip on a Soviet motorcycle in 2015, which became an unforgettable adventure for me.
Before this, there was a long process of overhauling the Ural, including rebuilding the engine, painting the frame and all the cladding, but that’s another story, and I won’t go into it. After running in the engine, not without problems, I decided to go on a motorcycle to the festival, which took place at the Otrada estate in the Tarussky district of the Kaluga region. The distance from home to the place is almost 600 km, and this seemed to me a very big and serious test. My old friend Oleg agreed to accompany me on this adventure, who really wanted to listen to Cockroaches and Mongol Shuudan live at the festival. We left Belgorod on the night from Thursday to Friday and drove merrily along the M-2 highway to the sound of the wind and the pleasant sound of a freshly rebuilt boxer engine. Before Kursk, a traffic police patrol caught up with us, whose “chandelier” I did not immediately notice in the mirrors, because they pressed close, and I only saw the headlights in the mirrors. The traffic cops were so surprised by our adventure that they didn’t even check the documents properly) After Kursk, it started to rain heavily, and markings had not yet been applied to the fresh asphalt, so it became very difficult to navigate the road. I also didn’t want to stop and wait out the rain, because on a cool night the chance of getting there without overheating was much higher. I was very afraid of this - during the break-in stage, my engine seized a couple of times due to overheating. An additional difficulty was that the flow of water from under the wheels of the overtaken trucks completely flooded the spark plug cap of the right cylinder, after which the engine began to malfunction, and the truck had to overtake us again. I think the truckers swore a lot at these moments. Before leaving, I slept a little during the day after the night shift, but Oleg found the night vigils a burden. We met the dawn in the Tula region, where the M-2 highway turns into a highway, and then the rain approximately stopped. At one of the stops for minor needs, we were greatly impressed by a graceful deer, which cheerfully galloped across a wide road, already busy in the morning, 10 meters from us. With dawn, my friend stopped fighting sleep, but the iron horse began to feel worse as the air temperature rose. I should have reduced the cruising speed from 100-105 to 90 km/h, but I wanted to quickly drive the remaining 80 kilometers to the place, pitch a tent and relax at the base. This desire ultimately played a cruel joke. A little before reaching the turn to Serpukhov, the engine suddenly jammed up the hill... We've arrived! During the run-in, the seizures were less significant, and after some time the cooled engine could continue to work, but not this time. There is nothing to do, we decide to drive to the place on one cylinder. When we hobbled to Serpukhov, clouds of thick bluish smoke poured out from under the valve cover gasket of the dead left cylinder. Drivers of cars stopped nearby at a traffic light started filming this show on their phones) Fun! (but not for us) We left the motorcycle somewhere in the city center, and we went by public transport to a motorcycle parts store, bought gaskets for the valve covers so that oil would not leak out of it. By this time, our mutual friend Artem drove up to Serpukhov on a Yamaha XT660X, who was also heading to the festival, but left later than us, so as not to wait for the lagging Ural on the track later. Oleg moved to Artem, and I slowly, with frequent stops (and it was already pretty hot outside), drove on one cylinder to the place. The traffic cop who stopped me before entering the base, and then the guy who accepted the entry fee, widened their eyes when they saw that the candle was not screwed into the cylinder, and my left shoe was all covered in oil. “You are entitled to a prize for the will to win,” I heard from the organizers upon entry. Sorry it was a joke)
I have been to several festivals before, but this one is still the brightest and most interesting for me. Our company was joined by Alexey and his wife Yulia, who also came from Belgorod on the Intruder, and two girls Artem knew from Lipetsk.
Of course, it was not possible to completely relax at the festival; my head was busy with thoughts about repairs. When I removed the cylinder in the morning, I discovered a melted piston. I've seen burnt ones before, but I haven't seen melted ones.
The complexity of the situation was that the piston was bored to fit VAZ pistons for 92 gasoline, and it was not possible to simply change the piston - it was modified by a turner before installation. It was necessary to change the entire piston, or at least the left cylinder assembly with piston and pin. In the morning, Artem and I drove to Serpukhov to buy the necessary spare parts for repairs, but the piston parts were Chinese, and at some astronomical price (I don’t remember now, but my financial situation at that time could not allow such expenses). Local motorcyclists also failed to find a used one. On Sunday morning I already had to be at work. I didn’t want to leave the motorcycle, in which I had invested a lot of effort, money and mental energy, so I decided to go home on Saturday morning on one live cylinder, relying on my favorite chance. The girls drew me a sign on a piece of cardboard asking for help, which was attached over the license plate. In response to my doubts about this decision, the guys replied that in your position no one would pay attention to it.
Yesterday's heat gave way to cloudy weather with occasional rain. This gave me a little hope that the remaining living cylinder would not die and would be able to take me home. At first everything went quite well, but after leaving the M-2 the engine increasingly began to lose traction and require stops to cool down. After about 70 kilometers I was stopped at a traffic police checkpoint. The inspector first asked why I stopped a kilometer in front of the checkpoint, thought that I was looking for a detour (and I was just letting the engine cool down), then announced that he was forced to issue me a fine for driving with the headlights off, after which he went to fill out my documents protocol, and at that time, without making unnecessary movements, I tore off the cardboard from the license plate with the inscription “Broken”))) It’s good that he didn’t notice it, apparently he was surprised by the state of my transport. Having received my documents and a decree for 500 rubles back, I asked the inspector to help me, namely to stop a truck with Belgorod or Kursk license plates so that my horse could be taken closer to home. Before this, I tried many times to brake the truck myself while the engine was cooling down, but I hardly saw any fellow countrymen on the trucks, and even they didn’t want to stop. And then, as if by magic, a couple of minutes later a Hyundai truck with a thermal booth appeared, returning empty from Moscow to Belgorod - bingo! The driver agreed to take my horse on board for some monetary reward. There were three of us loading - me, the driver and the traffic cop) Due to the lack of any parts in the thermal booth to which the Ural could be attached, I climbed inside, laid out a rug for myself and rested my feet on the motorcycle, placed on the side stand, because it was big there is a risk of breaking it on bumps and when making right turns. Delighted with my salvation, I was driving in a dark iron booth in a great mood until I decided to plug my phone charger into the cigarette lighter on the steering wheel. At that moment, the truck bounced violently on a bump, and the motorcycle collapsed - the step broke. Because of the roar, the driver stopped to check if everything was okay. After that, I was already riding a horse, holding it with my feet in a puddle of oil spilled under my feet. I will say, it was another rodeo that lasted about 8 hours - the truck was moving slowly. In such a situation, time moved even slower. You think to yourself that half an hour has definitely passed, you check - 5 minutes! Those were very long hours. I have never received such a load on my legs in any training or competition, either before or after that night))) holding a heavy motorcycle, every now and then trying to fall on its side when turning the truck, while resting on the floor slippery from oil, was very difficult. At the same time, I could not put the motorcycle on its side - the driver almost got hit when he saw a little oil spilled on the floor of the booth. I got to the house from the turn off the highway in tow, a friend came to the rescue and dragged me to the garage. Yes, the first mini-long-haul trip turned out to be full of mistakes and difficulties, but aren’t they the parents of experience) Now, when they ask me if I’m afraid that the motorcycle will break while traveling, I remember this story) No, I’m not afraid!
PS Added a video as an example of the operation of the Urals in recent years)))
Chopper from the Urals
Choppers became popular in post-war America. In order to somehow stand out among the faceless masses, the mobilized Americans came up with the following. They decided to remove everything unnecessary from their motorcycles.
It all started with the massive wings. Most motorcyclists have completely given up on these parts. To reduce the weight of the motorcycle, the tank was made minimally capacious. They also abandoned the double seat. On motorcycles they left a single seat on springs. The handlebars for choppers were made high.
You can make a chopper from the Urals. To do this, you need to find a spoked and narrow rear wheel. The tires should be size 130-150. No need for a larger one. The wheel size will determine where the rear of the frame needs to be changed. Two welded v-frames will replace the standard swingarm.
For a seat, a standard “frog” from a rare model, for example, the K-750, would look great. It is imperative to raise the “spine” part of the frame. The part of the frame that goes down to the engine from the steering column is padded with spacers to make it look longer.
With a telescopic fork, the feathers can be cooked to make them longer, or they can be completely remade. Extended stays will require the installation of an additional crossbar. This will give the structure the necessary rigidity. The front wheel must be larger than the standard one, but thin. Front brakes are not needed.
Mirrors and turn signals are removed - they are not used in choppers. Muffler - only with direct flow. The footpegs need to be moved forward - this is not discussed. Thus, having completed all the necessary work, you will turn your Ural into a stunning chopper.
Motorcycle ignition systems are designed to ignite the working mixture in the engine cylinders. On the Ural motorcycle the system is constantly being modernized. Mechanical ignition has its disadvantages and significant ones. The Ekaterinburg company proposed electronic ignition for the Ural motorcycle, which was accepted by the manufacturer.
Inner harmony
Many owners start tuning the Urals to improve the technical characteristics of the motorcycle. Despite some orthodoxy in the design of the engine and gearbox, there is room for improvement here. The following steps can be taken:
- Installation of crankshaft (crank) support bearings, the quality of which is better than standard ones. It is not recommended to reduce the size of the support necks themselves. After all, this removes the heat-treated layer and reduces the strength of the critical elements.
- Reduced weight of pistons and connecting rods. Excess mass of these parts leads to an increase in the moment of inertia and a decrease in engine power. Even simply by removing the casting flash, you can significantly reduce the weight and increase the effective output of the power unit.
- Alignment and grinding of inlet and outlet channels. Grinding in valves. Such procedures will improve the filling of the cylinders with the combustible mixture.
- Manufacturing a new camshaft with a different cam profile, allowing the valve timing to be changed. This is a complex engine tuning that requires special knowledge.
- Installation of new carburetors. A well-proven measure that allows you to get rid of failure during acceleration, which is characteristic of all IMZ models without exception.
This is due to the fact that the manufacturer equips the equipment with variable-discharge carburetors, which are poorly suited for four-stroke motorcycle engines. You can get rid of this by equipping the motorcycle with suitable constant-vacuum carburetors. Both Mikuni and Keihin have such models. To optimize operation, the flow area of the nozzles will need to be adjusted. Ideally, such modifications are carried out on a special stand. In the absence of one, one has to be content with fitting in road conditions. After such engine modernization, the Ural will accelerate much more confidently. - Replacing standard air filters with others that have similar throughput but less resistance.
- Installation of inertial boost. This will only work if you purchase components from a reputable manufacturer. There are often low-quality or even non-functional components on the market.
- Manufacturing of new gearbox gears. Despite the relative labor intensity, this motorcycle tuning is more than justified. Original gears are often not of high quality and not only make it difficult to change gears, but also make noise during operation.
- Installation of alloy wheels. Such modernization is not always justified. A cast wheel, if it is not spoked, will look ridiculous on a classic.
4×4 Test drive of SUVs video review of the best representatives
Whether you make all the upgrades, or just some, in any case, tuning the Ural motorcycle engine will be completely justified.
Tuning the Ural motorcycle in the photo
Complex modifications
It is not difficult to guess that this category does not include external changes. But the internal ones are quite enough. Carrying out tuning with their own hands, some owners make adjustments to the design of the motorcycle that are prohibited by law.
- Installation of new mufflers. Despite its apparent simplicity, such modernization requires documentary approval. Otherwise, you will not be able to officially pass the technical inspection.
- Frame modification. Having an impact on the strength of the structure, such tuning for the Ural motorcycle requires preliminary calculations, the results of which are confirmed by specialists.
- Making changes to the brake system. In this case, problems during technical inspection will not be limited to. For unauthorized alteration of brakes, the law does not even provide for a fine, but a real sentence. If you are tuning a Ural motorcycle with your own hands and decide to replace the brake drums with more efficient discs, you must coordinate such changes with IMZ representatives, having received documented permission from them.
Ural Hercules - factory Ural tricycle
The Irbit Motorcycle Plant has released a three-wheeled modification in its model range for transporting cargo up to 500 kg. The model is called “Hercules” and moves well both on city roads and off-road. The sides of the tricycle are also removable and this allows it not to be limited in the size of the cargo it transports. Hercules is a truck that does not require a category “C” license.
Ural Hercules
Technical characteristics of the Hercules tricycle:
- Dimensions: 335x150x115 cm
- Ground clearance: 185 mm
- Weight: 500 kg
- Fuel tank capacity: 19 l
- Maximum speed: 70 km/h
- Engine capacity: 750 cc
- Power: 45 hp
- Engine type: opposed 4-stroke with two cylinders
- Generator: 500 W
- Electrical: 12 V
- Transmission: 4-speed, with reverse gear
- Tires: 6.45 and 13 inches
