Gallery: A Ural, From Russia With Love, by Way of Philly
01a-ural
Our favorite clinical neuropsychologist is back with another amazing custom motorcycle, this one based on just about the last bike you'd think anyone would customize. After knocking everyone's socks off with the [Jack Pine](http://hellforleathermagazine.com/tagged/hammarhead-jack-pine/) — his tasty take on the Triumph Scrambler — and then fueling our lust with the [Volta electric Royal Enfield Bullet](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/autopia/2010/05/hammarhead-volta/), James Hammarhead is back with the world's coolest Ural. A Ural?
02single-seat-st-ural
The sT is a new model but, like [everything Ural builds](www.imz-ural.com), it was originally developed when the Russians surreptitiously reverse-engineered the BMW R 71 in 1941. Ural motorcycles are decidedly old-school in their approach and aesthetic, even if they use modern mechanicals. They are straightforward, elemental machines, exactly the [type of motorcycle that appeals to Hammarhead Industries](http://hammarhead.com/manifesto/mission/) of Philadelphia. "My manifesto \[is\] simple, robust bikes that connect with our nostalgic vision of what a motorcycle should be," Hammarhead says. Shortly after the Jack Pine came out, a customer asked about customizing a sidecar rig. Nothing came of it, but Hammarhead started thinking about a Ural, specifically the single-seat sT released early last year. He sent Ural an e-mail suggesting the company send him a bike. Damned if the Ural folks didn't do it.
03matte-black
Hammarhead, a clinical neuropsychologist and expert in fMRI paradigm design when he isn't wrenching on bikes, took everything he liked about the Ural and made it just a bit better on his Solo X. "Even though the sT is basic, I stripped the bike further," he says. "Form follows function, and it also happens to be beautiful." The Ural's makeover included ditching the instrument cluster and installing a headlight "that could swallow all the electrics." The speedometer was mounted on the transmission. Not terribly convenient, but it's a Ural so you're not going fast enough to need it anyway. Handlebars found hanging in the shop got a pair of bar-end LED turn signals. Mirrors? Pfft. The ignition was tucked under the seat, the bulky taillight swapped for a sleek LED, and the wiring tidily tucked into the handlebars. As for the matte-black finish, Hammarhead isn't being trendy. It's a nod to his aesthetics. "I find engines gorgeous and most fuel tanks hideous," he says. "Almost everything looks better matte black."
04high-pipes
The Ural sT is designed to be the ultimate go-anywhere, do-anything bike, and Hammarhead wanted to accentuate that quality. He called Raceway Services and ordered crash bars, a skid plate and those awesome high pipes, which are the bike's most striking feature. Those pipes aren't just for show.
05ford-every-stream
"Small-capacity and low-compression engines will 'suck' water through a submerged exhaust pipe — in theory," Hammarhead says. "I have seen many a Honda Hero 125 ford a stream with low pipes. The key is to rev the engine, lift the front wheel if you can, and do not stall." Anyone who has ridden a Ural knows it is damn-near impossible to lift the front wheel. Even in its stripped-down state, the Solo X weighs 425 pounds. Hence the high pipes. But that created another problem. "So now we have the pipes up high, and the surest way to kill an engine in water — the intake is down low," Hammarhead says. "So to make the pipes work, I had to raise the intakes." No problem. Hammerhead cribbed from the BMW R 75 and Ural M72 motorcycles of the 1940s. He converted the Ural's in-tank toolbox to an airbox for the intake system. "This bike will ford a pretty deep stream," he says confidently.
06solo-x-just-12500
The suspension and engine are pretty much exactly as they were when the bike rolled out of the factory in Russia. Hammarhead added stiffer shock springs to eliminate a high-speed wobble, and the engine got a Power Arc ignition. There's no point making a lot of mods to a 745-cc twin that makes just 40 horsepower. Besides, Hammarhead isn't interested in pavement-peeling power. He's more interested in building simple motorcycles that are elegantly engineered and exquisitely executed. "If performance was my main concern I would not be fucking around with Triumph twins, Royal Enfields and Urals," he says. "I do improve the performance of the bike to make it more usable, but these bikes have limited turning potential. But they can be simpler, more functional and more beautiful." And reasonably priced. The Solo X will set you back just $12,500. Hammarhead plans to build four this year and five next. "This is not an all-out, money-no-object exercise," he says. "I want to make these bikes accessible to folks who share my vision." *Many more [photos over at Hell for Leather](http://hellforleathermagazine.com/2011/02/custom-ural-solo-x-by-hammarhead/).* __See Also:__ - [Putting an Old-School Joules on an Electric Enfield](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/autopia/2010/05/hammarhead-volta/) - [A Motorcycle Inspired by Pompeii and Decay](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/autopia/2010/08/dugally-somma/) - [Custom Motorcycle Is Old School, Art Deco and Oh So Cool](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/autopia/2010/07/art-deco-streamliner-henderson-motorcycle/) - [Kimura Edge, a Ducati *Objet d'Art*](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/autopia/2010/07/kimura-edge/) - [Million-Dollar Motorcycles](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/autopia/2008/11/million-dollar/)
