I sold my much loved '15 Ural CT and have taken delivery of a '19 Ural Ranger.
I thought I might share my experience so far and although I have only put 300kms on the clock, I must say I'm impressed with the upgrades. She definitely has a lot more getup and go. I'm not sure how many more "rampaging ponies" they have stuffed into the engine but it is VERY noticeable.
The gearbox is a revelation, not one false neutral and the shifts are solid and positive. Yes there's still a "clunk" but I was used to the "grind...clunk" of my CT. The symphony of the Ural gearbox is much like that of my '15 BMW GS, which I might add is sold as it got little to no use after the CT arrived!!
The suspension has changed and will get a good workout in the coming weeks. I noticed a big difference riding on our wonderful country roads. Far less moaning, groaning and thumping through pot holes.
The waving speedo needle is no more, replaced by a very fancy new speedo with no more MPH indicators. It features a digital readout for which there are a number of pages dedicated to in the user manual. I will read it one day! One thing that isn't on there and there are provisions for is a rev counter.
The fuel filter is gone from the right hand side of the tank and is no longer included in the service kit. The new fuel pump and it's associated bits now reside inside the petrol tank...so I am told. When you switch on the ignition the pump primes and then turns off. On the CT it would just continue until you started the bike. It starts very easily BUT can be a little lumpy until it warms up. I start her and let her run for a couple of minutes before taking off and then there is no problem.
I prefer the tractor seat so I have replaced the bench seat. They have made changes under the seat and you now have good access to the battery. BUT there is a mass of wires under the seat and above the battery and I mean a MASS. They have attempted to tidy the wires up and have done an excellent job of making it look like something from the 1930's!!! Never mind, it all adds to the "character" of the Ural. The tractor seat attachment points have been moved. I like my tractor seat so I had to fabricate a plate and attach the seat to that and then to the frame. Looks fine and I will soon paint it and nobody will be the wiser.
So, do I think I made the right decision? Very much so. I feel the changes are significant and thus far I can't find any negatives. I loved my CT and it is a damn fine machine, but Ural have done and excellent job with this new model. I don't regret my decision one bit and I'm looking forward very much to my future adventures.
