We put mirrors on Smutyanka this afternoon, and she is now officially road-worthy according to the state of Virginia. We got some that are stable but easily removable, so that when we take her to reenactments, we can remove them easily, along with the modern license plate, luggage rack, etc. I’ll be ordering my helmet tonight, and hopefully it will be here early next week. Then, I can hopefully take the Basic Rider Course next weekend and be ready to ride. Until then, I’m restricted to being Marc’s monkey (sidecar passengers are referred to as “Monkeys”), but that’s not so bad. It’s a little surreal to be that close to the ground, though.
We did finally get some photos (albeit with my iPhone) of us on the bike, though. Here’s one each of me on the bike and Marc on the bike. It’s a good thing there’s a sidecar, because there’s no way in hell my feet would touch the ground on this thing. Marc, on the other hand, is fine. Damn tall people. Anyway, here you go:
That’s great that you got Smutka road-worthy! I’m still working on that with my bike. I’m still not entirely sure what I need due to the odd MOT requirements in the UK, particularly with regards to incorrectly registered bikes of indeterminate vintage. There are advantages to buying a newer steed…
Oh, this one isn’t new. It’s from 1995, which was the first year that Urals were imported to the US.
Is yours a Dnepr, Chang Jiang, or Ural? It looks like a Dnepr or CJ, personally.
1995 is new-ish
compared to nineteen sixty-or-seventy something. Sasha’s a KMZ, so an early Dnepr, though there’s bits from a few bikes on her.
Ah, wow!
We almost bought a 1972 Ural, but I’m glad we didn’t due to the fact that it would likely be rather difficult to get the proper parts.