Mick Payne takes a look at a recent build from F2 Motorcycles which marries a Royal Enfield with a Ural sidecar. [STANDFIRST]
David Angel of F2 Motorcycles is perhaps best known as the importer of Velorex sidecars, but there are a large number of enthusiasts for whom he is the ‘go-to’ source for all things Ural. Indeed, the F2 in the name of his company refers to the flat twin layout of the bike.
“Honda bought out the F6 [the naked version of the Gold Wing] so I assumed the F would come to represent a flat engine, but sadly they named it the Valkyrie in the UK” says David.
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A recent build combined his love of Ural and his sidecar fitting skills, as he told me. “A customer came to me recently wanting an outfit that would give a family member with limited mobility easier access than a Velorex might offer, along with the possibility to modify the steel body over time”.
The result turned out to be a Ural sidecar mounted to the customer’s Royal Enfield 650 Classic. “This isn’t quite as easy as it seems,” added David. “As we had a few NOS UK-spec Ural sidecars, that is what was decided upon – but it involved a fair amount of work”. As he explained, Ural don’t make a universal fitting and, not surprisingly, the sidecar is made to fit a Ural – and a Ural only. “But after much cutting, welding and general fabrication we had the chassis converted to use our universal Velorex fittings”.
Although David has fitted chairs to the 650 Interceptor before, the Classic frame is different, lacking the strong double cradle beneath the engine. “After a little head scratching, we fabricated a small neat subframe at the rear and a reinforced plate mount for the front, all connected using high tensile bolts right through the engine mounts connecting left and right hand sides. It all bolted up well and as is our normal practice, we used a five-point fitting kit”.
He is pleased with the way it rides, too; “We spaced the sidecar well away from the bike as there is a plan to hinge the front of the sidecar body to allow even easier access. This slightly wider track, along with the reasonably weighty all-steel Ural sidecar, makes it very stable indeed, even when empty”.
F2 isn’t really a fan of steering dampers so the Classic does without. “They make the steering heavier and an experienced sidecar rider will lean forward to put a bit of weight on the bars to counter a low speed wobble. This will immediately stop it on a well set up outfit”.
In addition to the aforementioned subframe he had to find a way to override the side stand switch. “This is a simple circuit that lies to the ECU, telling it that firstly that the side stand is still fitted, and secondly that it is in the up position. Why do manufacturers keep complicating matters? You can no longer just unplug a side stand switch and bridge the terminals!”
The sidecar is not braked as David feels that for a modern bike with decent brakes and ABS the addition of one just adds unnecessary complexity. Nor is the bike changed in any way, because “The gearing feels about right, so we left it standard”.
I did ask David if this was the customer’s first outfit and this was his answer. “Yes, it is. It’s been a special build for us with a few unexpected twists and turns, but we stuck to the original timeframe and budget. We hope the whole family get to enjoy it and, as always, that it brings them joy”. Let’s indeed hope they do.
