The rule of three
It’s hard to imagine three wheels on BMW’S adventure to-do list, but let’s be open-minded…
Yes, this new special edition from Ural is one of the coolest ways to cart the other half, kids, dog etc to the pub (remember those?). But it’s far more than that. The air-cooled 750cc twin is a genuine alternative to an adventure bike, that is, if you want to go on a proper adventure.
Think about it. On tarmac, the disadvantage of sidecars is they don’t lean over and therefore aren’t as exciting as bikes, and you can’t filter. But on dirt, you don’t really lean over that much anyway (not on purpose), there’s no traffic, and it’s a distinct advantage not being able to topple over. Plus, with two-wheel drive engaged, Ural’s Geo is a doddle to slide.
‘It will go virtually anywhere,’ says Rob Macdonald, who runs Ural adventure centre in Portugal. ‘We rode the ACT (Portugal’s superb 800-mile trail running north-south) with Ténérés, GS Adventures and Africa Twins, and went at the same pace on the Ural. The difference being we could do it with two people and we didn’t fall off.’ The base bike is the Ural Ranger, but with a sump guard, high level exhaust, Nitron shocks, spare wheel, foldable shovel, jerry can and of course a paintjob that allows rescuers to spot it if you do happen to stick it into some undergrowth. ‘It’s the tailored off-road additions that make this bike remarkable,’ says Rob. ‘The Geo is not a pig with lipstick on. It’s a little bit over the top, I’ll admit, but it’s a genuinely special machine.’
But who do Ural think will spend £20,000 on the sidecar equivalent of a popart Land Rover Defender?
‘The target is someone with a partner and maybe a young family who has either experience of adventure motorcycling or wants to get into it,’ says Rob. ‘The idea is to offer a vehicle that can give them the taste of adventure they couldn’t get on a regular two-wheel motorcycle.’