Over the past two months I came extremely close to purchasing a used 2006 Patrol and in doing so I had the chance to learn a lot about them. Needless to say I still want one and plan to purchase one but for me the pricing on the used market has not figured itself out yet so I am patiently waiting, and watching!
Most of the reliability issues are pre 2006. One of the more prevalent issues was that the alternators have a tendency to go bad. Essentially the older the model the more potential issues, nothing terribly bad that makes them unreliable in any way, just maybe some additional maintenance and parts replacement.
One of the great things I gathered about Ural is that they listen and react to consumer feedback. They have made changes each year based on what people are telling them about the bikes. 06 is better than 05 and 07 is better than 06. I don't believe there is much change from 07-08 but 09 is supposed to be full of more good changes. Sorry for the lack of details but specifics can be found on many of the "hack" forums.
Regarding their performance on pavement, the issue is that they have a top speed of 55-75 depending on the model and conditions. The normal is a cruising speed of 55 and top speed f 65. I have heard of some light modifications that can get you up to 75mph though.
As for my earlier comment about the used market pricing, lets take a 2006 Ural Patrol as an example. Insurance and banks value the bike at $4700 in good condition, based on KBB, but everyone seems to be selling them for 6-9K. Over the past year there have been a few sold for 4-5K though.
Regards,
Brian
