Ural Sidecar

This plug-in sidecar motorcycle comes as a major surprise.

Is there anything cooler than a motorcycle with a sidecar? No. The answer is no.

Occasionally, we come across a technology that has just kind of been forgotten about. Take this Ural motorcycle. It runs on a substance called wood gas, which is the byproduct of incomplete combustion of carbon products like wood, hence it's name. The fuel goes through a process called gasification in a wood-gas generator to produce combustible hydrogen and carbon monoxide. So basically, you're burning wood to produce fuel.

The Midwest was hit by an intense snow storm earlier this week, and while the conditions may have been more appropriate for a snowmobile than most cars, at least one person found it acceptable weather in which to ride a motorcycle. Granted, this wasn't your typical motorcycle. Instead, it was a two-passenger, two-wheel-drive Ural being ridden along the snow-covered Interstate 65 in Indianapolis.

We're in love with the Ural line. The bare-bones bikes have a rugged, no-fuss appeal, but they're also pricey. There's good reason for that: most of Ural's products are hand-built by master craftsmen. Take the video below as proof. Visitors to the Irbit, Russia facility responsible for constructing the bikes recently got to see just what goes into stitching a sideca

Ural, the Russian motorcycle company that specializes in sidecars, has never been known for groundbreaking designs that blaze a trail through electronic gadgetry or super lightweight composites on the way to the most technologically advanced motorcycles possible.

Ural Patrol T and Red October - Click above for high-res image gallery

2009 Ural T sidecar motorcycle – Click above for high-res image gallery

Ural T sidecar motorcycle - Click above for a high-res image gallery

Ural Gzhel sidecar motorcycle – Click above for image gallery

Those of you considering a motorcycle for its undeniable visceral thrills, or even its fuel savings, should consider another option which could add a bit more practicality to your new two-wheeler: the sidecar. Sure, you'll lose out on some performance -- both in a straight line and in the twisty bits -- but you'll easily make that up when the coolness factor is counted in. What, you don't think sidecars are cool? How wrong you are, and oobject has fifteen bits of Jeremy Korzeniewski