Improperly tightened spokes may lead to cracked rims and crashes, but this recall will replace all wheels on affected bikes.
On June 16, 2022, Irbit Motorworks of America, Inc. issued a safety recall for all 2012 through 2017 Ural sidecar motorcycles, including the Gear Up, Tourist, Patrol, Retro, and cT models. The issue is improperly tightened wheel spokes, which may damage the rims, cause wheel lock-up, and could potentially lead to a crash.
According to Irbit Motorworks of America, an estimated 3,250 total motorcycles are affected by this recall. Here is the individual breakdown of numbers (both VIN and number involved) by model:
| Model Name | Number Involved | VIN Range | Production Dates |
| 2012-2017 Ural Gear Up | 1,759 | X8JMH0373CU221231 through X8JMH037XHU227910 (non-sequential) | September 15, 2011 through September 20, 2017 |
| 2012-2015 Ural Tourist (T) | 297 | X8JMH0373CU221245 through X8JMH0374FU224756 (non-sequential) | September 15, 2011 through November 26, 2014 |
| 2012-2017 Ural Patrol (T) | 667 | X8JMH0377CU221233 through X8JMH0376HU227872 (non-sequential) | September 15, 2011 through September 12, 2017 |
| 2012-2017 Ural Retro | 269 | X8JMH0361CU221235 through X8JMH0368HU227864 (non-sequential) | September 15, 2011 through September 12, 2017 |
| 2015-2017 Ural cT | 258 | X8JMH0375FU224801 through X8JMH0371HU227861 (non-sequential) | December 16, 2014 through September 12, 2017 |
The issue came to light as Irbit began investigating National Highway Traffic Safety Administration complaints regarding cracked and/or defective wheel rims. There was a previous recall, NHTSA campaign number 13V-507, for some wheel rims—but these particular complaints were outside the scope of that recall.
Upon investigation, Irbit says that a potential defect may exist for all wheels supplied to Irbit by the wheel manufacturer ComStar between September 15, 2011 and October 3, 2017. Since that time, Irbit notes that both its assembly procedures and quality control inspection procedures have changed at the factory. In 2018, Irbit’s aluminum wheel supplier also changed.
Irbit’s recall service to address this issue will involve complete replacement of all wheel rims—front, rear, sidecar, and spare—on all Ural motorcycles produced between September 15, 2011 and October 3, 2017. All recall service and parts replacement will be performed free of charged by authorized Ural dealers.
This includes the aluminum wheel rims, spokes, tubes, and rim strips. The replacement wheels have been manufactured by Italcerchio S.R.L., and have exceeded all of Irbit’s quality inspection requirements. This recall excludes any rims that were previously replaced under warranty, and/or under the earlier NHTSA recall 13V-507.
Irbit will notify dealers about this recall via email and postal letters sent via USPS. Dealer notifications are scheduled to occur between July 15, 2022 and July 31, 2022. Affected owners will also be notified between August 1, 2022 and August 15, 2022. Owners may contact Irbit Customer Service at 1-425-702-8484. Additionally, owners may contact the NHTSA Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153) or go to www.nhtsa.gov. NHTSA’s campaign number for this recall is 22V-431.
