UDF

My husband owns a Ural. That's not a mountain, it's a motorbike. This bike comes from Russia, still looks like the 1930s BMW it was originally based on, and has a sidecar.

The bike may look old and vintage, but in reality it's a 2008 model. Some of the components have changed since the Russians stole and copied those 1930 designs, but overall it is the same bike. It doesn't go fast, it isn't streamlined, it isn't even fuel efficient. It's an awesome ride, though, a great way to move slowly past the scenery and take advantage of the open air.

The advantages of the sidecar are many. It's way more comfortable to sit there for a long ride than it is on the back of a bike. There's a larger profile, so drivers of other vehicles are more likely to see it on the road. There's storage as it has a trunk as well as luggage racks, not to mention the extra space in the sidecar if needed. It's also a lot easier to find in parking lots - it's the vehicle everyone is standing around pointing at.

The storage is really amazing. We've used it to go to farmer's markets in the summer. With a cooler strapped to the luggage rack, we have picked up a week's worth of food as well as sundries from grocery stores. That's with me in the sidecar, and I didn't end up with a lap full of bags. A case of twelve beer from a local brewer who uses 500 ml bottles will fit in the trunk with room to spare.

When we picked up the bike, we were warned by the dealership about something called Ural Distraction Factor, or UDF for short. UDF is the additional 20 minutes you have to add if you're making a run to the grocery store to explain to several people the history of the bike, the mechanics of the bike, and the fact that no, really, it's not vintage.

My sister demonstrating UDF with the help of my nephew.

It's happened often enough that even I have the patter down, and it's not even my bike. 

My husband has been riding it all winter. It's been the second car. It gets him to work, and out for running small (we've stopped calling them quick) errands. It can be chilly, but snowmobile gear helps a lot.

I've been asked what it feels like to ride in the sidecar. It's pretty low, and very close to traffic. It's an awful lot like sitting in a child's chair and getting pushed out into the road. It can be nerve wracking on busy streets, but for the most part feels pretty safe. 

In the last year we've put a lot of kilometres on the bike, riding it across the province on one long weekend. We were out again today, enjoying the good weather that presented itself, although it was still bit chilly. This summer proves to hold many more adventures. They'll all be good… as long as we remember to factor in the UDF.