2014 Ural Gaucho Rambler

With nothing more than their horse, a knife, and a poncho, the cowboys of the Americas, or gauchos as there known elsewhere, rambled through the country, living off the land, taking each day as it came, always on a journey towards the sunset. The rebel spirit of the gaucho is very much in the heart and soul of each Ural. Taking to the road, with no specific goal in mind is something every rider longs for…

Introducing the 2013 American West-inspired limited edition Ural Gaucho Rambler, a motorcycle created in collaboration with Pendleton Woolen Mills.

This year’s limited edition Ural is a wistful homage to a past age. The color is new, chosen by Pendleton, and we named it Pacific Blue. The bike comes with sunburned canvas upholstery and a “Journey West” blanket by Pendleton. The Gaucho Rambler is equipped with Ural’s legendary 2wd capability to overcome adverse terrains. This is a bike ready for the long road and the spiritual journey devoid of stuff. No need to pack, no need to prepare, there’s nothing to do but go.

Ural and Pendleton are two companies which at different points in time ventured out to find home in the American West. Both endured, persevered and all the while managed to preserve their authenticity. This year Pendleton’s anniversary celebrates 150 years of American made textiles and Ural marks its 20th in the US. Paying homage to our beginnings and the pioneering spirit is what connects the two brands and inspired this collaboration.

“For West is where we all plan to go some day. It is where you go when the land gives out and the old-field pines encroach. It is where you go when you get the letter saying: Flee, all is discovered. It is where you go when you look down at the blade in your hand and the blood on it. It is where you go when you are told that you are a bubble on the tide of empire. It is where you go when you hear that thar’s gold in them-thar hills. It is where you go to grow up with the country. It is where you go to spend your old age. Or it is just where you go.”
—Robert Penn Warren

Mechanically, the Gaucho is the same as the Patrol. That model uses a 749cc air-cooled Boxer Twin that’s rated at 40 horsepower. The frame and chassis numbers are purpose-built for the sidecar, and there’s a lever to switch from one to two-wheel drive. Although it’s built in Russia, it uses a host of high-quality components from Germany, Japan and Italy like Brembo brake calipers, Keihin carburetors and Sachs suspension to enhance performance and reliability. All in, the rig weighs a claimed 705 pounds with the 5-gallon tank empty.

I asked Ural USA Marketing Director Jon Bekefy if the Gaucho was Ural’s way of going after the Hipsters, a group that seems to crave authenticity, eschewing technology and performance in exchange for a more “real” experience. Jon told me the Gaucho was more inspired by Ural’s cross-marketing at events catering to outdoor enthusiasts. “We’re looking for a younger market, people comfortable with the outdoors.” Ural participated with Pendleton Woolen Mills, which puts on the Pendleton Round-Up, a 100-year-old Rodeo and cowboy event held in Pendleton, Oregon. “The hipsters totally weren’t there,” Jon told me. “It was cowboys and rodeo people.”

Ural doesn’t want to pander to hipsters anway—”marketing to trends is dangerous.” Ural wants permanent customers, so it markets to “movements or shared markets” like ranchers and outdoor enthusiasts.

Ural Gaucho Rambler L.E.