The retro appeal is what interested Tom Lynott, an American businessman who went to Russia in the early 1990s hoping to set up a potato-processing venture but who came home selling Urals. He started importing the motorcycles in 1994. So Mr. Lynott had subsequent shipments of the bikes rebuilt after they came off the boat, replacing Russian carburetors with Japanese ones, doing other upgrades and tightening bolts. The Russians, though they still use old machinery, have since introduced more-modern manufacturing techniques. And the latest models actually come with a three-year warranty.
Buyers say they are pretty reliable.
An Early Import Ms. Cole's bike is one of the early imports and shows it, with at least three different shades of factory-original red paint on various parts. Her gas cap leaks after every fill-up. Peeling paint from inside the tank clogs the gas filters. But repair advice is only a few clicks away, and a lot of the parts she needs can be had at a hardware store. I've had more fun with it than with any other big-boy toy that I have.