Part of the reason I bought a Buell was because my life has become too predictable. Except for the Husqvarna, you stand a good chance of getting where you’re going on my old bikes. And the Buell is not disappointing. Lots of fun stuff is happening as I work on getting the bike back on the road.
It’s such a joy to tinker on a single-carb motorcycle. There are no racks and synchronizing to deal with, you only have to do a thing once instead of four times, but watch out for those aftermarket parts. The kit I bought was okay, but the emulsion tube was not drilled properly. And then I managed to pinch the bowl o-ring. It was cheaper to buy another kit than a single bowl gasket, so I did that. Unfortunately, that kit’s bowl o-ring was too small. No matter how I stretched it, it kept popping out of the bowl groove. I ended up reinstalling the pinched o-ring. It was a futile effort to keep my mechanical standards up.
It wouldn’t be a Harley without baling wire. The choke tube is plastic and was fragile after all these years. The choke knob was falling out of its slot. I broke the tube finger tightening the thing. Wire to the rescue!The accelerator pump plumbing was clogged. I fished a small bit of wire through the passage to clear it.The carb kit emulsion tube (right side) was not drilled correctly. I try to use all the old stuff if possible. So this was no great loss.This brass nozzle sprays fuel from the accelerator pump. Supposedly the tube is removable for cleaning but it seems well stuck and I started to chew it up a bit so I stopped.
I’m a big fan of lithium batteries, so I bought a Vevor brand close in size to the original lead-acid battery. The Vevor was a bit small and the factory battery location is not far from the rear cylinder exhaust header. To help with the heat I wrapped the sides and front with foam, then wrapped gorilla tape around the mess to hold the foam insulation.
It looks a little rough but an insulated battery is a happy battery.
A neat feature on the Vevor is the dual posts (four total). There are positive and negative posts on both sides of the battery; if your cables are in the wrong place, just flip the battery around. I added a spacer on the hook side of the battery strap to keep it tight and a small tube spacer in the bolt side (less threading to do on the hold down bolt), which makes installation 12 seconds faster. When you ride a Buell every second counts. The battery seems secure; hopefully, it will stay put. With the Vevor battery (supposedly 400 cranking amps) in place and the carb back on, I needed to hear the Buell run. The oil tank level was between the high and low marks. The oil looked clean, like it had just been changed.
I removed the spark plugs, put the coke machine key in the ignition, and spun the engine over to clear any excess oil from my previous cylinder lubing. With the sparkplugs back in the cylinder heads I pulled the choke, hit the right turn indicator button, and nothing happened.
Harley handlebar switches are so weird. Pushing the starter button on the inside of the blinker switch worked better, and the Buell fired up in a couple revolutions. The engine popped and farted a few times. Lots of smoke came out the tail pipe but all things considered, it was running good. Then came a loud pop followed by a geyser of oil spewing from the oil tank. The oil broadcast in a 15-foot fan covering the general area with great dollops of thick oil. The spots were viscous, so they stood proud of my clean concrete floor. Except for the spot I was standing. I received a blast of spraying oil that covered my sweater and left a clean, Joe-shaped silhouette on the concrete floor.
My nice, clean floor got its first baptism-by-Harley.My nice, clean floor got its first baptism-by-Harley.My sweater took the brunt of the oil explosion.
What a mess. How long the Buell had been sitting was unknown, but the oil tank must have slowly drained into the crankcase. Some helpful person topped off the tank with fresh oil and I squirted the stuff all over the place. I drained the tank. There must have been a gallon in there if you include the oil on the ground. Once the oil level was correct, I fired the Buell and it settled down to the hit and miss syncopation Harley likes to call idle.
Back to other issues. I didn’t like the way the muffler was held into the bike. The setup relied on the front clamp combined with two rear brackets that bolted up in a parallelogram-like deal. The only thing that held the muffler in place was fastener tension. To achieve a more secure mounting I made a thicker bracket out of mild steel and welded it to the Muffler. Now in order for the muffler to slide back my crappy weld would have to break. Which it just might.
Since I don’t have the equipment to weld stainless steel I made a mild steel bracket for the muffler.The bracket welded to the muffler. Now the muffler can’t work loose and rub the tire.
The rear brake on the Buell was stuck. There were several issues contributing to this problem. The first was the brake pedal. It was bent where the master cylinder pushrod attached in a way that made the rod move dramatically sideways when the brake was applied. I used Harley tool 0-U812 (a big crescent wrench) to adjust the brake pedal. Now the push rod moved in a straight line concentric with the master cylinder.
This replacement rear brake assembly was close but off in meaningful ways. The seller refunded my money and didn’t want me to ship it back.This part of the brake left was bent causing the master cylinder pushrod to go off course.It’s still a little bent but the pushrod articulates correctly now.
The clone master/slave kit I bought on Amazon that was supposed to fit was just off enough to be completely useless, so I decided to rebuild the original stuff.
All the original brake parts cleaned up well. So far no leaks.
The piston inside the master cylinder was stuck but a few raps with a hammer had the piston moving and I dismantled the master/slave. I was having trouble finding seals for the Brembo components, so I cleaned everything and reassembled the brakes.
Bleeding the brakes wasn’t going well. I could get pressure at the banjo bolt on the master cylinder but nothing at the slave. Shooting brake cleaner into the brake line did nothing. The hose was clogged. Out came the battery to access a hose clamp bolt, and I removed the brake line. Removing the brake light switch gave me a mid-point spot to shoot cleaner. The metal brake line was clear, the clog was in the rubber line. I soaked the line in an ultrasonic parts cleaner then worked a 0.30 flux core welding wire through the rubber line. It took a bit of finagling but the wire made it through. Then it was just a matter of soaking with brake cleaner and shuttling the 0.30 wire back and forth until the line was clear. Blowing the lines with compressed air got rid of any stragglers inside the hose. A quick reassembly and I had pressure to the slave. Bleeding the system was a straightforward proposition. The rear brake works.
Next on the list is fixing the kickstand and broken clutch lever.
The saying is “if I was any happier there would be two of me.” The photo above kind of captures the feeling. It’s how I feel every time I visit with the Cycle Garden team in Indio, California.
When I first heard that one of Moe Moore’s custom Moto Guzzi motorcycles went for $40,000 to $50,000, I was shocked. Then I realized a new Harley full dresser inhabited the same realm. Per Google’s AI:
A new top-of-the-line Harley-Davidson (CVO™ model) generally costs between $45,000 and over $50,000 for the 2025/2026 model years, with models like the CVO™ Street Glide® and CVO™ Road Glide® starting around $44,999 to $51,999.
Then the question became: Which one would I prefer owning? That’s a no-brainer. It’s the Guzzi. The one featured in this blog is a case in point. It’s not a stock motorcycle by any stretch of the imagination. But wow, would I ever love to own it! More than a Buell, even.
Before I get into that, though, I need to tell you a little bit about Cycle Garden and what they do, and what I’ve been doing with them.
Moe Moore, head honcho at Cycle Garden. He’s a nice guy. All the folks at Cycle Garden are nice people.
I am in the process of writing a series of How To articles for Motorcycle Classics magazine (and I’m loving every minute of it). I did the first on how to lace a wheel (with help from good friend Kenny Buchanan of Buchanan Spoke and Rim). The next was on drum brake servicing, and it will appear in the March/April issue of Motorcycle Classics (due out any day now). And I have three more that are written and awaiting publication (things have a long lead time in the print publication world). I’m really enjoying the plant visits, the interactions, the photographing, the writing, and the ego-stroking that accompanies seeing each of these pieces in print. I’m especially loving being around the vintage motorcycles. You’ve seen the blogs on Emma Booton’s Triumph. Don’t tell this to the magazine, but seeing the vintage Guzzis at Cycle Garden is so cool I’d almost write those How To pieces for free. I’m especially enjoying hanging around and learning about Guzzi maintenance from Moe, Steve, and Lindsay.
This resto-mod 1974 Guzzi police motorcycle is beyond stunning. I’ll let Moe tell the story on it. There’s a YouTube at the end of this blog in which he does that, but first, a few photos…
Yessir buddy…that is a beautiful motorcycle. The bike is 52 years old this year.The colors are magnificent. Lindsey did the painting. Steve did the engine work.Awesome. Just awesome.
Here’s the promised YouTube. There’s more Moe Moore coming up on the ExNotes blog and in Motorcycle Classics magazine, so as the saying goes…stay tuned!
I have an interest in old or unusual motorcycles, to put it mildly. So it was strange that I never heard of Iconic Motorbikes out of Panorama City, California. My recent Buell Fever led me from online search to online search to Iconic’s website.
Rare, updated Norton still using the old bottom end. Norton has gone through some owners.An un-wrecked, oil-air cooled slabby GSXR.Yamaha Daytona 400. The last of the air-cooled RDs.Super condition Norton. The real deal before the owner shuffle began.MV grocery getters!A cannibalized CBX. Probably with a fortune as is.
It’s a good thing I didn’t find their site earlier or I’d be homeless, living in the streets surrounded by my collection of fantastic motorcycles. Iconic has a lot of cool bikes.
And for Buell’s, they got ’em. Plenty to choose from, and all at reasonable prices. The process works like this: you register to bid on the Iconic website and in no time you’re blowing money on cool motorcycles.
Even MV’s crates are beautiful. I wonder what swag is inside?
The site is set up for auto-bid: you put in your highest offer and Iconic bids for you as your chosen motorcycle’s price rises. This releases you from having to watch the bidding and gives you more time to pour concrete.
In my case all the Buells I bid on went over my budget. Don’t despair if you don’t get your dream bike: Iconic’s website has a section just for you called Buy It Now.
The odd rat-rod at Iconic’s Panorama City location.
Iconic’s Buy It Now section is full of bikes that didn’t make their reserve price on the auction side of the site. That’s where I found my VR1000-esque Buell. You can still make offers in Buy It Now, Iconic will contact the seller with your offer. Or, like me, you pay the asking price and the bike is yours. Most of the bikes in Buy It Now are not outrageously over-valued. There are a few kite-flyers, but you never know. Not all the motorcycles for sale are in Panorama City; some bikes are at other locations around the US.
Once the deal is made you pay Iconic for the bike and go pick it up (at Iconic or the owner’s location), and you’re done. It’s a pretty easy process. Iconic will also ship the motorcycle to wherever you want for an additional cost.
Wall to wall and two stories high. If you can’t find your dream bike in this lot you’re having a nightmare.
I liked Iconic for the huge selection and their extremely detailed reports on the condition of the motorcycles on auction. It’s like having a trusted friend go check on a bike for you like my buddy Deet did when I bought the RD350.
I wasn’t buying a piglet in a poke when I bought the Buell and I am using their list of recommended repairs as a check list while working on getting the ’95 Buell Thunderbolt back on the road.
Iconic’s huge location in a warehouse district of Panorama City, California, is a candyland of motorcycles. There are at least 300 motorcycles stuffed cheek-by-jowl and two floors up, all of them cool. Leave your wallet at home if you visit Iconic or you’ll leave with a bike you didn’t know you wanted.
I give the buying process at Iconic high marks. It’s almost too easy to blow money on motorcycles there, so use their site wisely, my brothers.
I’ve been ordering parts for the Buell as I dismantle the beast for service. I really like the way Erik Buell wrapped his tube frame around the 1200cc V-twin Harley lump. The bike is all engine and actually looks even better with the bodywork removed.
A new carb for $44! Tariffs? Never heard of her.
I’ve got the carb off and apart. It looks pretty clean inside, and the bike probably would have run fine, except for the rubber tip on the float needle. It has a pronounced ridge that may or may not have caused a flooding issue.
The kickstand culprit. This worn area was the locking boss. It’s wiped out so no locking. I may weld it up and relocate the pivot to allow for over-centering (eliminating the lock system).
The Buell has a strange kickstand (another bike with a goofy kick stand; see the Husqvarna kickstand story here on ExhaustNotes). The stand has an elongated mounting hole that allows the stand arm to pivot up and down in addition to the normal fore-aft motion. This extra motion was designed to allow the square pivot end of the stand to drop into a notch cast in the frame mounted, aluminum foot peg/kickstand boss. That’s a mouthful but when you see it it’s easy to grasp the concept. When new this setup made for a locking stand when deployed with the bike’s weight bearing on the stand.
The operative words here are “when new.” On my Buell the notch area inside the kickstand boss is worn out and the stand no longer locks. As built the stand doesn’t over-center and naturally stay in place like normal kickstands. You know where this is going. Fixing the kickstand was on my Buell to-do list. I should have made it job one.
Kickstands break levers. Ask me how I know.
As I was removing the carb (standing on the right side of the bike) the Buell started rolling forward. As it fell left I held onto the frame as best I could but the bike hit the ground hard breaking the clutch lever. The right mirror, which is also a faring mount, took a hard hit and things look a bit off from the cockpit. I have the bike on jackstands now and it’s stabilized.
Jack stands after the horse has left the barn. At least I stopped dropping the bike.
Luckily, I had most of the bodywork removed and the only bits left, the front fender and fairing, are unscathed. $20 will get me two new levers (Harley parts are cheap!) but I think I’ll just weld the broken tip back on. You know, to keep it original.
Back to the carb. The Buell motor is a stock 1995 Sportster mill and there is a huge parts aftermarket serving the Sportster. The carb kit was $13! I can get a complete, clone carburetor with new spark plugs, fuel filter and jet cleaning tool for $44! I know, I know, it’s Chinese but who’s to say the original isn’t Chinese? The Amazon clone carb reviews are positive: just bolt it up and the bike runs great. I bought the kit but that new carb was tempting.
This 1995 Sportster is quite a bit different than my old 1968 Sportster. The bottom end looks similar but everything else is different. What I thought was a pressure feed for oiling the top end seems to be a vent as the hose ends under the battery with the hose end left open to the breeze.
There’s also a rubber grommet with an open hole in the filtered side of the air cleaner. I suspect a crankcase vent hose went there but I’m not sure. As is, the hole allows unfiltered air into the carburetor so that’s not good. I’ll plug the hole or figure out what goes in it.
Plugs look a little sooty. I’ll clean them up and flog the bike to blow out the soot.
I don’t know how long the Buell sat so I pulled the iridium spark plugs (sooty) and squirted some motor oil in the cylinders so the rings don’t have to scrape on dry bores. When I get a battery, I’ll give the motor a spin with the plugs removed to blow out any excess lube.
Apparently, the White Power front forks on the 1995 S2 are different from the following years. I’m having trouble finding fork seals and have emailed White Power directly. No response yet. If I had a 1996 S3 fork seals are everywhere for the damn things.
For me, the rear tire was a little too close to the Buell’s underslung muffler. Like a 1/8″ gap. It looks like the muffler slid back a bit from the header pipe. I loosened the pipe clamp and mounting bolts then beat the muffler forward with a rubber mallet.
Does this tire gap make me look crashed? Not much clearance, Clarence.Hammers and jacks gained quite a bit of clearance. I have no faith in this fix.Buell tools. Anvil and forge not shown.I think the permanent fix is to make these brackets a bit longer so the muffler fits the header better. Then weld the brackets on the muffler side to prevent the parallelogram effect when the bolt clamping inevitably loosens.
A jack under the header pipes pushed the header into a more agreeable position and I tightened the bolts. This beating gained about 3/4″ but I’m sure it won’t hold. The muffler looks like a new one or freshly painted. The angle of the header pipe isn’t quite right. The tail of the muffler needs to drop about 1/4″ which means slightly longer muffler brackets. Once the bike is operational, I may do some exhaust re-engineering.
$30 seems cheap but then I’m approaching the end so I’m risking less.
The rear brake Brembo master cylinder is stuck and will need to come apart along with the rear caliper. Seals for the rear brake components are another hard to find item. I did find a Brembo clone master cylinder/caliper/brake line set up that may fit for $30 so I bought that. Watch for the ExNotes Brembo-clone brake system review.
Wiring straight out of 1960. I love it.
Except for the damage I’m causing by dropping the Buell, it looks to be in good shape. I probably could have poured gas in the thing, popped a battery in and gone for a ride. Who needs a rear brake anyway? I’ll be dismantling the front end soon to measure the fork seals and to give the steering head bearings a shot of grease.
That 6-mile Cyclone (the one I didn’t win) is looking more and more like a steal!
The 1995 Buell Thunderbolt is home safe and dry. It was good to meet up with Berk out in California. He really pulled out the stops: I had my own room, he bought me a bunch of food, took me on a tour of the San Gabriel mountains and helped pick up the Buell from Iconic Motorbikes. I really don’t deserve this much kindness. But I’m not turning it down.
The trip back to New Mexico was uneventful except for a steady rain that fell from Phoenix all the way to Las Cruces, New Mexico. It was nice to be snug and warm in the Toyota. I see why people drive cars.
The Buell in Bay 2 of the shed. CT recently cleaned this area so I’ll have room to work on the bike.
Driving in the rain gives you time to think and I thought about how much longer I’ll be strong enough to suffer the elements on a motorcycle. It was a grey, melancholy ride. The bright orange and black Buell cheered me up whenever I looked in the rear view mirror. I got back home at dark. It started to rain. I left the Buell in the truck.
The rain was drizzling the next day when we unloaded the Buell. It was a slick, wet plastic Toyota bed liner that the front tire slid out of and down the ramp. Luckily CT was there to back me up if the Buell started to tumble. We managed to park the bike in the shed, I dried off the Buell and started examining my prize.
Both Bridgestone Battleaxe tires are unused and still have printing on the tread surface. The date code is from 2015 so 10 years old and never been warmed up. Before you tell me they are dangerous let me cut you off and say I’m running them. There are no cracks or check marks, they have been out of the sunlight, the rubber feels soft. I’m going to risk it.I’ll need to do a little adjusting as the handlebars hit the frame-mount faring. The faring has cut outs for low bars but these higher bars don’t align with the openings.The kickstand leans the bike way over. The stand is worn in the aluminum holder. I’ll need to shim this a bit or possibly put a slight bend in the stand to make the bike sit more upright.Performance Machine spun aluminum wheels are two halves joined at the hub and (I’m guessing) welded inside. A lick of polish should have them looking new.The under-slung muffler is uncomfortably close to the rear tire. Maybe the new drive belt will move the wheel back a bit. If not, I’ll have to make a bit of clearance.The Buell came with a Corbin seat. I don’t understand why this seat is so heavy. It’s like it’s made of lead. My brief time in the saddle seemed ok. Longer road tests to come.The Corbin seat fits the Buell well but the rear, locking latch doesn’t line up. The lever hits the seat too soon. It looks like someone tried to grind a bit of clearance but didn’t do enough. I’ll see what I can do, I’m just glad the seat didn’t blow off on the way home.The rear suspension is pretty stiff. I’m going to take out a bit of preload assuming this is where you adjust preload. With a Buell you can’t be too sure.
Now to start buying stuff for the Buell starting with a battery, seals for the stuck rear brake, fork seals and a fresh drive belt followed by a carb cleaning and a gas tank flush. Hopefully I’ll have a video of the bike running for Buell Fever Part 3.
Eight-cylinder motorcycles are rare. The first was the 1907 Curtiss V8, another early one was the 1950s Moto Guzzi V8 racing bike, there’s the the Chevy V8-powered motorcycles made by Boss Hoss, and the Morbidelli V8. Most recently, there’s the new Chinese Great Wall Souo S2000 GL (it has a 2000cc flat-eight engine).
The Curtiss V8 motorcycle was the first eight-cylinder motorcycle. It dates to 1907. If you want to see an original Curtiss V8, get yourself a ticket to the Smithsonian. If you want to see a reproduction of one of the Curtiss V8s, look no further than Jay Leno’s collection:
The Moto Guzzi V8 was built for the 1955-57 racing season; it was never a street motorcycle. I didn’t know too much about that bike (other than that a drawing of it adorned the cover of Melissa Pearson’s outstanding motorcycle book, The Perfect Vehicle : What It Is About Motorcycles). I found a YouTube video that tells us a bit about the Guzzi V8:
My first exposure to an 8-cylinder motorcycle was the Boss Hoss. I saw these bikes at one of the Laughlin River Runs back in the 1990s. The Boss Hoss company had two or three of these bikes on display in the parking lot outside one of the casinos. I sat on one at lifted it off the sidestand. That was enough for me. I’ll bet that bike weighed a thousand pounds. It was an absurd approach to motorcycling, and my 10 or 15 seconds of stationary seat time convinced I could easily live without one. Somewhere I have a photo my friend Dick Scott took of me on the thing, but I didn’t think enough of the bike to bother looking for it for inclusion in this blog. These bikes go for around $70K (maybe less if you can find one used). Boss Hoss offers these in both a small block Chevy version, and a big block Chevy model. Save your money, folks. But if you want to see more, here’s a video on these ridiculous machines:
The short-lived Morbidelli V8 motorcycle was offered in the mid-1990s. Even though I’d see some of the world’s most exotic sports bikes here in southern California (especially on the Angeles Crest Highway), I’ve never seen one of these bikes in person. To me, the name is of-putting enough, and it was billed as the world’s most expensive motorcycles. Thanks, but I’ll take a pass. I found a YouTube video on the Morbidelli. Check this out:
And finally, there’s the the Chinese Great Wall SOUO S2000 flat eight, a bike that takes the boxer engine concept to octopusian extremes. I’ve never seen one of these, either, but in keeping with my approach to his blog, here’s yet another video:
My take on all of the above? Too much of a good thing is just that: Too much. I’ll never own an 8-cylinder motorcycle, and that’s okay by me.
Missed our other ¿Quantos Pistones? stories? Here they are:
As a kid growing up in the ’50s, I watched a bunch of cowboy movies and TV series. One was The Rifleman, starring Chuck Connor. Unlike most of the TV shows in which the hero carried a Colt 1873 Single Action Army revolver (a “six shooter”), Connor’s character carried a Winchester 1892. The rifles he used recently went up for auction, and the price attained was stratospheric.
The Stringer is a recently released show on Netflix. It tells the story behind a photo most folks my age remember well: The 1972 Vietnam War photograph of a little girl, Phan Thị Kim Phúc, who was severely burned by a napalm bomb dropped by a South Vietnamese aircraft.
The story goes like this: Nguyễn Thành Nghệ is the photographer who actually took the photo. Nghệ was a stringer (a freelance photographer). When he sold the photo to Carl Robinson at the Associated Press, the guy in charge (Horst Faas, who died in 2012) decided to attribute it to Nick Ut, an AP staff photographer. Robinson felt uncomfortable about doing so, but did as he was told. Ut was present at the scene when the photo was taken and willingly accepted credit for the photo, although he had to know he had not taken it.
The photo went on to win the 1973 Pulitzer Prize for Spot News Photography, the World Press Photo award for Photo of the Year, and the George Polk News Photography award. It made Nick Ut’s career.
Carl Robinson went public with what he had been told to do 50 years later (which would be 2022). The Netflix show (The Stringer) presents compelling arguments that Nghệ , not Ut, was the actual photographer. The Associated Press rejects these claims and still attributes the photo to Ut; World Press Photo accepted Nghệ’s authorship and stripped Ut of its award.
Not included in the movie are the details of Phan Thị Kim Phúc’s life after the 1972 napalm bombing. She endured multiple surgeries and great pain in the years after. Ms. Phúc grew up in what become communist Vietnam and subsequently moved to Cuba, where she became a pharmacist and married. While living in Cuba, she was on a flight to Moscow when she left the plane during a stop in Newfoundland and requested political asylum in Canada (which was granted). Today, Ms. Phúc is a Canadian citizen. She leads several international foundations focused on helping children who are war victims.
The Stringer is one of the better shows I’ve seen recently. If you are a Netflix subscriber, it’s one I recommend you not miss.
Minnesota’s Fort Snelling State Park is a subject more worthy of a multi-volume book than a single blog post. The challenge in a blog piece is to hit the high points, so bear with me as I attempt to do so. Sue and I recently visited the Minneapolis/St. Paul area, and Sue found several interesting spots to visit. One of them was Fort Snelling.
The Tower, also known as the Magazine, dominates Fort Snelling. It was used to store gunpowder. It also served as a prison.More information on the Magazine.Inside the magazine. You can take the stairs to the top.A view of Fort Snelling’s barracks and shop area. The house in the center was the commanding officer’s quarters.
Fort Snelling is located where the Minnesota and Mississippi Rivers meet. Here’s a bit of its background and just a few of the significant things that happened there:
Fort Snelling was founded in 1820
The Mdewakanton Dakota Native American people believe that this area is the center of the Earth.
In 1805, Lieutenant Zebulon Pike met with the Mdewakanton Dakota and signed a questionable treaty to purchase the area for the United States. Most historians believe that neither Pike (of Pike’s Peak fame) nor the Native American representatives were authorized to strike such a deal. Pike paid about $200,000 for the area, which consisted of about 155,320 acres, but left the amount blank in the treaty he brought back to Washington. The US Congress changed the amount to $2,000, but didn’t pay the Dakota people in cash. The Government instead provided goods it felt were worth about $2,000.
Lieutenant Colonel Henry Leavenworth built the initial outpost in 1819.
Colonel Josiah Snelling assumed command in 1820 and finished construction; he died in 1827 after being recalled to Washington.
Minnesota’s first post office opened at Fort Snelling in 1827, the same year that Colonel Zachary Taylor assumed command.
Slavery existed at Fort Snelling up until 1857.
Dred Scott (of the Dredd Scott Decision fame) and Harriet Robinson Scott were among slave population at Fort Snelling.
Fort Snelling acted as a concentration camp for the Dakota people before they were sent to Nebraska.
The fort was a primary recruiting station during the Civil War, the Spanish American War, World War I, and World War II.
In 1848, portions of the military reservation were set aside and would become St. Paul.
In 1856 Major Edward Canby became the fort. Canby would go on to become a general, and would hold the dubious distinction the only general killed in the Indian wars. Canby, a Minnesota town, bears his name.
The fort was the primary military base during the Dakota War of 1862.
In 1916, when General John J. Pershing was chasing Pancho Villa in Mexico, Minnesota’s National Guard was activated at Fort Snelling to provide border security.
In 1944, the Army’s Military Intelligence branch operated at Japanese language school at Fort Snelling, which was relocated to its current location in Monterey, California when Fort Snelling was decommissioned in 1946.
Restoration of the old Fort Snelling began in 1957.
Fort Snelling became a National Historic Landmark in 1960.
Fort Snelling State Park opened in 1962. It is Minnesota’s most visited state park.
Here are a few additional photos we grabbed as we wandered through the Fort Snelling grounds.
The Post’s general store (a sutler is a storekeeper who sold food, clothing, personal items, etc., to soldiers at a military camp or post; today it would be called the Post Exchange).Information about early barracks living.Inside an early barracks room.The Commandant’s quarters. You can go inside, too.Early Army gear on display in the Fort Snelling State Park Museum.
There’s an interesting Museum that houses a number of exhibits as you enter Fort Snelling State Park. Our visit was a good one. We opted for the guided tour and it was money well spent. Our tour guide was enthusiastic and made the tour interesting. If you ever pass through the Minneapolis/St. Paul area, Fort Snelling should be on your list of places to visit.
I don’t know much about Urals. I had a chapter devoted to the brand in the Police and Military Motorcycles book because their motorcycles kind of had a military flavor to them, I would see a Ural at the annual Griffith Park sidecar rally here in LA (it belonged to a guy who had swapped an 800cc BMW engine into it), and our good buddy Dan from Colorado had one (I knew Dan from the CSC rides into Baja). I guess the other thing I should mention is that we often sold CSC Mustang seats to Ural owners because the wait for a seat from Ural in Russia often took a year or more. On occasion when I’d hear the latest news about Putin’s military misadventure, I would sometimes wonder how that affected Ural Motorcycles. They were always a super-small niche marque; I reckoned that they probably weren’t selling anything since that stupid war began.
I guess I was right, as an email I recently received from Ural shows. Ural is taking a different tack: They’ve pretty much dropped the Russian-made WWII BMW clones (Ural moved to Kazakhstan, but to me, that’s still Russia), and now they’re hooking up with a Chinese manufacturer to make a smaller sidecar-equipped 500cc twin. They’re calling it the Ural Neo.
The 500cc Ural Neo. Projected list price is “under $15,000.”
Man, talk about stacking the marketing cards against you: A smaller displacement bike, a bike from a Russian (sort of) company, a bike made in China, and catering to the sidecar market (when was the last time you saw a bike in America with a sidecar?). I’m guessing they will be pricey, too, but hey, what do I know?
I have no idea how I made it onto a Ural email list, but here’s the letter from Ural:
Dear Friends,
If you know our history, you know this brand was never built in comfort. The challenges of the last five years and especially the move to Kazakhstan have made the legacy Urals impossible to produce sustainably. This led us to the decision to pause manufacturing of the new legacy models for export markets. It does not, however, mean that Ural is stopping. Instead, we are pulling (yet another) one-eighty in order to keep moving forward. Below is a letter from Ilya (a long read), that explains where we are, how we see the path forward, and the answers to some of your questions and concerns.
For new subscribers – welcome to the community! You caught us amid a big change. If your interest is solely in our legacy machines, please check inventory to find models that are still available at dealers in US, Canada and Australia. If you are interested in sidecars in general, feel free to subscribe to updates on Ural Neo.
For those of you who have followed the story for a while, our customers and supporters, we know this transition is not easy, and we don’t take your trust for granted. We want you to know that every decision we’re making right now is with your experience, your bikes, and your future support in mind.
Thank you for your patience and for sharing your stories, they keep us going every single day.
We wish you and your close ones a happy Thanksgiving and a happy upcoming holiday season!
Stay tuned for new developments.
The Team at Ural
A Letter From Ilya
“Dear Friends,
It’s been a while since our last update. Much of our time was spent on reorganizing the company and evaluating what is possible that would allow Ural to continue into the future. The complex challenges we faced required difficult decisions, sharp turns in direction, and more than a few leaps of faith.
Our recent post on our Facebook page – inviting riders to test-ride the new Ural Neo at one of our dealers – received a lot of attention. As with every mention of Neo, it brought out not only curiosity and support but also strong emotions, questions, and criticism.
We understand where those emotions come from. For most of you, Ural isn’t just a motorcycle – it’s a part of your personal story, the same way it’s a part of ours.
I still struggle to find the right words to describe what happened to Ural when the war began in 2022. The best way to describe it is this: it felt like our factory in Irbit had suddenly exploded. We had to make decision quickly. Some voices suggested stopping altogether, but this thought was dismissed almost immediately. Instead we moved final assembly to Kazakhstan.
This allowed us to continue building bikes. However, operating between two countries – one under sanctions and another with almost no infrastructure for a business like ours – proved to be extremely complicated. By late 2024, it was clear that this setup couldn’t last: we were losing money with every bike we built.
That’s when the idea of a lighter, street-oriented sidecar motorcycle in a different price segment began to take shape. Our original goal was to broaden our lineup and make better use of the infrastructure we still had. At the same time, we were searching for a longer-term solution for legacy bikes: exploring new suppliers, alternative assembly locations, and possible partnerships.
Then, in April 2025, the tariffs hit. Now not only was manufacturing inefficient – selling our motorcycles in our main market, the United States, had become nearly impossible.
Building in China and Staying Ural
When we started looking for ways to continue, we knew exactly what we didn’t want: to become a badge fixed on someone else’s product (and yes, we did have such offers). We wanted partners who understood sidecars and were willing to collaborate.
That search led us to Yingang, a family-owned motorcycle company with decades of experience making sidecar-equipped models for their local market. Their capabilities and willingness to work with us to refine the product made them the right fit.
Together, we began developing what would become the Ural Neo 500 – based on an existing platform, tested and refined with our input and oversight, built to our specifications and quality requirements.
What Ural Neo Is – And What It Isn’t
Ural Neo is not meant to replace our legendary 2WD sidecars. Legacy Urals gave generations of riders the kind of experience no other motorcycle could offer.
Neo is different. It’s modern, light and by far more approachable. It’s designed to bring new riders into the sidecar world, not to take anything away from those who already love it. If the 2WD models were still part of our lineup, Neo wouldn’t compete with them — it would complement them. Instead, it now continues Ural’s story in its own way.
Think of Neo as a bridge between Ural’s past and its future – a way to keep Ural’s name, spirit and know-how alive while we’re reinventing the company for the opportunities and challenges ahead.
Now let’s address some of the big questions.
Is production of classic Ural 2wd bikes stopped permanently?
We call it “put on pause”, which in plain English means we don’t know. What we can say with certainty is that we haven’t written it off entirely. The key for restoring the production, if it ever becomes possible, is to maintain documentation, equipment, tooling and, most importantly, our experienced engineers and skilled workers. We will be doing everything we can for as long as we can to support this infrastructure.
What’s going on at the factory in Irbit?
The Irbit factory is operational, although with a smaller team. Currently the factory is assembling a limited number of bikes for domestic market from existing stock of parts and components, and making spare parts for exports. The factory also performs contract assembly for a local vehicle manufacturer. The team in Irbit continues to work relentlessly to bring more business to the factory.
What’s going on with parts supply?
No sugarcoating here – the situation is tough. It’s hurting our reputation and the hard-earned trust of our dealers and customers. Parts are still coming to the country, but not in quantities or the regularity we need. Mainly it is caused by two factors: limited financing (especially when dealing with suppliers who require large minimum orders) and extremely complex logistics. We’re doing what we can to stabilize the supply chain, but realistically, it won’t improve overnight. The success of the Neo project will play a major role in helping us rebuild a reliable parts flow for all legacy bikes.
Why not move production to the U.S.?
We explored this and many other options, the numbers just don’t work. The replication of the manufacturing infrastructure would require multi-million-dollars investments. Even setting up an assembly in the U.S. is not feasible at this time, as logistical costs, wages and the costs of maintaining the facilities would drive retail prices out of reach for most riders.
Why in China?
China is the largest motorcycle manufacturing base in the world, with a vast ecosystem of specialized suppliers of parts and components. No other place in the world can manufacture sidecar bikes of comparable quality and as affordably priced.
The Neo 500 is built in China because it’s the right choice today, not because it’s the only choice we’ll ever make. As the project grows, we will continue to evaluate where and how future models should be built.
You shouldn’t put the Ural name on anything that isn’t original bike.
That’s exactly why this project is called Ural Neo. It’s a new chapter, and we fully acknowledge the difference. The alternative was losing Ural altogether. We’d rather see the name move forward than carved on a tombstone. We hope you would too.
The main appeal of Ural was its classic look. Without that vintage charm, who’s going to buy your new bike?
We know the Neo’s design and overall direction of the company don’t match what many of our long-time customers expected. But we don’t believe that appeal of the sidecar bikes begins and ends with nostalgia. A new generation of riders is discovering sidecars for different reasons – shared experience, practicality, and curiosity. Ural Neo is built for them – let’s give them a chance to decide if there’s something there.
How is Ural Neo financed? Why Ural is spending money on new project instead of supporting existing customers?
Ural Neo is structured, financed and operating independently from legacy business. A small group of long-term partners and investors – people who believe in the brand and in our team – provided the initial capital to develop, homologate and bring the new model to the market. We’re finalizing an additional funding round to ensure Ural Neo is set for successful launch.
When will we see Ural Neo at dealers?
The EPA/CARB certification unit is already in the country and we’re starting the certification tests in a couple of weeks. Additional demo units will arrive in the US late January – early February, and we’re planning demo-tour for February – April. The first production units are expected to start reaching dealer floors late May. We’ll share timelines and updates as we go.
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We know the past few years have tested everyone’s patience and faith in Ural. But through all the challenges our goal hasn’t changed: to make sure Ural keeps going. Ural Neo doesn’t erase our history – it keeps our story, and yours, alive.”
— Ilya Khait
President, Ural Motorcycles
Will the above approach work for Ural? Hard to say. I think they’ll sail through the EPA/CARB certification process (China’s emissions requirements are tougher than ours). The cost and marketing challenges will the toughest hurdles, I think. Here are a few things they can do based on our success at CSC with the RX3:
Bring in enough spare parts to build the things. That was one of the biggest concerns RX3 buyers had, but it was non-issue. Steve brought in enough spares to cover any need. That quickly put the spare parts issues to bed.
Be enthusiasts, spend a lot of time on the bikes yourself, and blog the hell out of your rides and adventures. A lot of people followed the CSC blog, and that blog sold a lot of bikes.
Offer free online maintenance tutorials for your bikes. CSC did, and it became a strong selling point.
Sponsor a cool ride every year for your customers. We did that at CSC with the Baja rides, and people bought the RX3 bikes just to go on those rides. It was great, it built a real community, and it gained us a lot of coverage.
Keep the price low. People aren’t going to stand in line to pay a premium price to a Russian motorcycle company for a motorcycle made in China. I read that Ural is projecting a list price “under $15,000.” Good luck with that.
Probably the most significant factor and the best advice I can offer is to keep the price low. The second most significant one would be the company rides; they did a lot for us to prove our bikes’ reliability and to quickly build a community. Here’s one of my all-time favorite videos; it’s the one from our very first CSC Baja ride.
If you would like to read more about CSC’s marketing strategies in bringing the RX3 to America, and those sponsored motorcycle rides mentioned above, pick up a copy of 5000 Miles At 8000 RPM. Don’t wait for the movie.
