2021 Ural Gear Up Geo First Ride

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Fun for you and a friend: The 2021 Ural Gear Up Geo smooths out the ride with upgraded Nitron shocks. (Jeff Allen/)

My first pickup, acquired when I was just 16, was a single-cab 1971 Chevy C10. It was old, it was loud, but it always ran, no matter what. My dad had kept it around for taking junk to the dump and hauling whatever was too dirty or smelly to be around his nice truck, so it had multiple colors of primer and paint; overall I’d say it was an orangish camo. Despite the looks, the smell of unburned hydrocarbons mixed with burned oil that stuck to you after driving it, and the general weirdness, I loved it.

And so did everyone else. It was legendary at my high school for being the truck that brought smiles to anyone who saw it or rode in it, probably because I drove it like I was The Fall Guy. “Monster Truck,” as we called it, was my first love. There have been a few great motorized loves since then, but none since has hit me in the feels quite like Monster Truck. Until, that is, the 2021 Ural Gear Up Geo.

This latest limited-edition Ural does less than usual to play up the old-school Russian sidecar vibe. Instead, the Gear Up Geo plays it a bit wild with upgraded Nitron suspension, a windshield, extra racks, a skid plate, and an off-road-only exhaust. There are burly Heidenau K 37 dual sport tires, a RotoPaX fuel container, and a mount for your cellphone. It also wears an orange camo paint scheme, hand masked and painted, which means each of the 20 available examples of the limited-edition Geo is unique. Unless you’re ripping through a snow-covered pumpkin patch, it’s hard to miss this three-wheeler.

Only 20 examples of the Gear Up Geo are available. (Jeff Allen/)

Powered by an air-cooled 749cc pushrod boxer with 41 hp and a minimal sprinkling of modern niceties such as fuel injection, the Gear Up Geo feels vintage in a good way. You can hear the pushrods and rocker arms doing their thing. Fueling, especially on start up, is not what you would call refined. Sometimes the battery feels like it’s on its last leg, though the engine always kicks off. It’s a coin flip whether or not the check engine light will be on. But the G.U.G. runs every time. And every time is a good time.

A 749cc boxer gives the Ural Gear Up Geo a vintage feel, mostly in the right way. (Jeff Allen/)

As long, that is, as you take your time. Just enjoy the ride. It’s not fast, but it’s quick enough from between intersections to stay out of the way of most anything with more wheels than you. During light-to-light rips, you pay more attention to the heel/toe shifter than anything else. Shifts, only three possible in total, must be made deliberately and sternly when blasting to 65 mph. This Ural will go faster than that, up to around 80, but not one single bit of the Ural is happy at that speed; the engine feels like it will throw a rod at any second, and the chassis is busier than usual. Stay in the slow lane. Nod and wave at all the people taking photos. You are your own little parade; consider filling the sidecar with candy and tossing it to pedestrians. Enjoy the vibe.

Five fully adjustable Nitron shocks are the standout feature on the limited-edition Gear Up Geo. (Jeff Allen/)

You’ll have plenty of time to do so. Fuel economy for the Geo during our testing was 37.3 mpg over 500 mixed-usage miles on freeways, backroads, and off-road trails. That gives the standard 5-gallon tank a range of 186.5 miles, but don’t forget the extra 1.5 gallons in the RotoPaX mounted on the sidecar. That will get you 56 miles farther down the road for a total range of 242.5 miles.

Mark Hoyer, Cycle World’s indefatigable boss, once described riding a Ural as wrestling a seizure-prone three-legged bear drunk on vodka. That’s apt. Normal motorcycle physics do not apply here, but oh man are there plenty of physics. When turning left you push against the sidecar wheel, causing understeer, while the steering becomes as heavy as that Russian bear. At least it feels stable; going right, on the other hand, is a balancing act. Traction from two tires bearing most of the motorcycle’s weight make the left side of the motorcycle much lighter than it is, which in turn makes the sidecar lift into the air if you turn too sharply for your speed. It’s fun when you want to fly the car, but you must always be aware of the forces in play. It helps to have a passenger, in my case a 50-pound Australian cattle dog named Gracie.

Having some weight in the sidecar helps with stability in right-hand corners. (Jeff Allen/)

With a total of five fully adjustable Nitron shocks on the leading-link front suspension, swingarm, and sidecar, the ride is much improved over a standard Gear Up. Small bumps are soaked up without a shudder through the chassis and large bumps don’t upset the bear cart. Bottoming resistance is greatly improved, which is beneficial on and off-road. On the street the G.U.G. is composed as a three-wheel Russian motorcycle can be. Off-road it’s a blast—a handful, but a blast nonetheless.

Suspension action is greatly improved on the Geo on and off-road. (Jeff Allen/)

Engage the two-wheel-drive lever (yes, 2WD!) to lock the rear wheel to the sidecar wheel via a shaft and you have plenty of drive in the sand and loose dirt. Snow and mud, I assume, would also be no problem, though our dry California summer didn’t afford us the opportunity. Blasting right-handed berms are possible with a brake slide followed by a wide-open throttle and a clutch dump. When going left, though, just take your time, lest you end up on your side with an angry passenger. If you get stuck, no worries; just throw the Geo in reverse and back right on out with both rear tires pulling you out of whatever you have gotten into.

Not only is the Geo a fun diversion for the weekend, it’s useful in everyday life. The trunk has plenty of space for a week’s worth of groceries and the sidecar can carry several cases of water or other beverages, plus bulk bags of food for your Australian cattle dog.

Work or play, the Ural Gear Up Geo is a good time. Gracie prefers play. (Jeff Allen/)

The ergonomics of the Gear Up Geo are plenty comfortable. The reach to the bars is easy and allows for plenty of leverage to scrub your way through stubborn left-hand turns. Seat-to-footpeg distance is relaxed and was not too cramped for my 5-foot-10 frame; seat height is a nonissue in terms of inseam reach as you never have to put your feet down. An adjustable windscreen has been fitted to the Geo model, where it keeps the wind off your chest and keeps buffering to a minimum at highway cruising speeds. There are accommodations for a passenger on the rear of the motorcycle; according to my wife, the seating position is comfortable enough for short rides. Gracie gets the sidecar when it’s the three of us, but my wife also reports that the side car seat is comfortable and padded well enough for extended travel.

Ural finally switched to disc brakes as of 2016, and stopping power from the four-piston Brembo caliper up front is strong. At the rear a single-piston HB Big Bore caliper is linked to a Brembo single-piston unit on the sidecar; both offer plenty of power with excellent feel and modulation, though the lever travel is quite long. And ABS, you ask? Just like traction control, it’s not an option.

It may not be fast, but the Ural Gear Up Geo sure is fun. And that’s what it’s all about, isn’t it? (Jeff Allen/)

I spent a few weeks with the Ural and I found myself absolutely loving every minute on it. Not every motorcycle blows your mind; some burrow into your heart. In this way, the Ural is much like my old pickup; it’s not the best if you’re measuring outright performance, but if you want to have a good time, few things in life are better than a Gear Up Geo.

2021 Ural Gear Up Geo Specifications

MSRP:	$26,999
Engine:	Air-cooled, 4-stroke OHV boxer twin
Displacement:	749cc
Bore x Stroke:	78.0 x 78.0mm
Compression Ratio:	8.6:1
Transmission/Final Drive:	4-speed/shaft
Claimed Horsepower:	41 hp @ 5,500 rpm
Claimed Torque:	42 lb.-ft. @ 4,300 rpm
Fuel System:	Keihin EFI
Clutch:	Dry, double disc
Frame:	Tubular steel
Front Suspension:	IMZ leading link fork, Nitron fully adjustable shocks
Rear Suspension:	Swingarm, Nitron fully adjustable shocks
Sidecar Suspension:	Swingarm, Nitron fully adjustable shocks
Front Brake:	Brembo 4-piston caliper, 295mm floating disc
Rear Brake:	HB 1-piston floating caliper, 256mm disc
Sidecar Brake:	2-piston Brembo caliper, 245mm floating disc
Wheels, Front/Rear:	Aluminum; 19 x 2.15 in.
Tires, Front/Rear:	Heidenau K 37; 4.0 x 19 in,
Wheelbase:	57.9 in.
Ground Clearance:	6.8 in.
Seat Height:	32.0 in.
Fuel Capacity:	5.0 gal.
Claimed Dry Weight:	730 lb.
Availability:	Now
Contact:	ural.com

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