Ural Russian Motorcycles: Have you had good experiences off-road with the side car and the bike in general?

YES...

definitely. i have an 06 ural gear up. has the two wheel drive and the nobby tires and etc. i have driven through 8 inches of mud with one wheel driving. i drove through a couple snowstorms this winter before they plowed away all the fun.

top speed i have reached is about 60-65 so i don't take it on the highway but back roads and gravel roads are no problem at all. the paint [camouflage in my case] isn't the best quality after putting it through so much but it's easy to take care of if you don't wax it at all. [just get some primer green and touch it up.] oh yeah i took it through some minor sand too and did really well.

it's a totally different experience driving one that's for sure. i'd recommend it of you like staying off the highways and going down back roads and trails. i have heard that if you jet it and modify the intake and exhaust you can get it up to 85 or so no problem but i want to kee it stock so i haven't done that.

maintenance is no problem it was made to work on and everything is easy to get to. the dealer i bought from usually has the oil filters and stuff in stock. that's the only part i've had to really get. the thing is built like a tank.

edit: i forgot to mention about the transmission. it's an unsynchronized transmission. if you have ridden bikes before and gotten used to the smooth shifting at any speed you'll have to relearn shifting a little bit to enjoy riding the bike. [if you've ever driven a semi you'll understand better what i mean]. my bike shifts well at: 2nd at 10 mph, 3rd at 25 mph and 4 at 40- 42 mph. to properly shift you have to have the engine speed and rpms matching for the gears to mesh. also you have to be firm on lever no gentle pushing it'll grind the gears. same thing if your engine speed and travel speed aren't right you'll hear the gears grind. it'll pop into gear but it can't be good for the trans. it's not a racing bike it's setup to haul loads [it weighs 2000 pounds if i recall, and can carry 800 more], and get through mud snow and sand. if you need more info or have specific questions you can email me and i'll try to answer.