Ural is building its most cost-effective motorcycle and sidecar ever
The Ural Neo 500 is built in collaboration with Yingang and is set to cost under £11,000.
The motorcycle and sidecar maker Ural has announced its latest model, the Neo 500. With it, Ural is hoping to buck the trend of expensive sidecar options, thanks to a sub-£11,000 price tag.
It’s a brand-new machine aimed not at hardened adventurers or nostalgia-chasing purists, but at a new generation of riders who want practicality, personality, and a third wheel. All without needing to take out a second mortgage or sell a kidney.
Sidecars are the ultimate niche within a niche. Equal parts retro charm and awkward cornering, they’ve long been the preserve of eccentrics, tinkerers, and the occasional overland romantic. But Ural thinks it’s time for a change. The new Ural 500 is designed to be lighter, more user-friendly, and, crucially, more affordable than anything the company has built before.
Think of it as a sidecar rig that doesn’t require a toolbox, a beard, or a fondness for mechanical Russian roulette. Instead, it’s pitched as a sidecar motorcycle for everyone: commuters, learners, and riders who just want to bring a mate (or a mutt) along for the ride.
At the heart of the Neo 500 is a 446cc water-cooled twin-cylinder engine supplied by Zonsen, a Chinese manufacturer, that should be good for around 35bhp. That may raise a few eyebrows among brand purists, but Ural is clear: this isn’t about just building cheaper, it’s about scaling up. The bike will be assembled by Yingang, Ural’s Chinese manufacturing partner, with Ural providing engineering input and quality control oversight.
The most exciting element of the machine, though, is its price tag. Currently, the most cost-effective bike in the range is the Gear-Up Base, which comes in at a punchy £22,245 OTR. Ural is targeting a price tag under £11,100 for this new model, which is nearly unheard of for a new sidecar setup, let alone one with a factory-backed two-year warranty and water cooling.
Whether you’re after a quirky commuter, a dog-friendly tourer, or just want to experience motorcycling with a passenger who isn’t hanging on for dear life, the 500 might be the gateway sidecar you’ve been waiting for.
Ural says the certification process is due to kick off in Q3 2025, with first deliveries expected by the end of Q1 2026. That’s an ambitious timeline, especially for a bike so different from anything in their current stable. But Ural seems confident, and given the brand’s track record of going its own way (quite literally), it’s hard to imagine the firm failing.
In a world of ever-pricier adventure bikes and identikit commuters, the Ural 500 might just be the most rebellious thing on three wheels, by being refreshingly normal.
You can check out the bike for yourself on the official website.
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Simon (AKA Toad) has been working within the motorcycle industry for more than twelve years, and a member of the motorcyclist family since birth. Growing up around British-built single and twins, it was inevitable that a life on two wheels was on the cards, from a very early age!
