the problem with Urals is not the age of a bike you gonna buy but quality of production in general. parts are cheap but not always easy to find. be ready to fix it yourself or at least try to study the construction to understand what you need in case of total stop - a new cilinder head or just pistons. be ready to go under 100km/h ALWAYS (that will be a real mental problem when you reach european part of the country especially Msk and further). be ready to permanent oil leaks. be ready to overheating ( that's why you should not buy a brand-new one - first 1500 km it heates like hell and you can't load it).
but tires are cheap and one set will bring you to europe .
sorry, not europe but Russia's border - it could be a problem to exit the country with a letter of attrney. as i know the must be a special note in the leter reading you can take the vehicle across the border. it does work with russian citizens riding russia-registerd bikes but in your case i'm not sure. you'd better ask the question to custom officers in Vladik when coming in. if not allowed to cross the border the shortest way will be to Baltic states - there you'll be able to sell Ural to locals at the border and enter EU on your feet
and - in Vladik it's much easier to buy a japanese bike then russian one. we say Primorye (Vladik region) is not Russia -or just absoutely another Russia.

begining of august it's not summer in siberia - it's start of fall. be ready to 0 C night temperatures as you enter inner continent.

Thanks for the advice, motobelka.
Below 100 km/h and a bit of oil leaking is ok. New cylinder and pistons is of course not what I am hoping for.
Guess I will have to see what is on the market in Vladik. But right now sitting in a comfortable hotel in Hong Kong, I would like the 100% Russian experience with a Ural.

you wanna - you gonna
what you need right now is to find uncustomised Ural in vladik. may be with a side-car.
do not plan to take heaps of things - you won't go into taiga for a month, all the way you'll be on a big lively highway. for siberia you'll need cash, then cards will do. of course it's an adventure, but mostly for you mind, there is no armed partizans (guerillas) and non-passable jungles.
as we russian say - behave simple and people will like you.

We'll have 2 BMW GS'ers in Vladivostok this August 14th. We're dreading the shipping expense and logistics of getting them back to Canada/England. Let me know if you're interested in swinging some deal. I know the logistics of a sale by foreigners is supposed to be difficult though.

Cheers, Mike

what cc&mileage&year? what countries are the bikes thru?

Hey Mike, BMW GS... I have a weak spot for those. But I hope to be gone from Vladik by 14 August, so I can not promise anything. Miss the boxers though. Enjoy your trip. Mathias.

No worries Mathias, the more I think about it, the worse idea it seems. For one thing I can't guarantee the condition of my bike when it gets to Vlad. It's already having some small problems here in the Stans and the road after Chita could really beat it up.

We're going to try to ship to North America, but failing that will put them on the train to Moscow and eventually ride them back to their home in England.

That's cool that your leaving Vlad at that time. It would be awesome to see you on the road outside Vlad as you begin your trip and we finish ours. Will try to gather good advice about what you can expect ahead.

Cheers, Mike