It’s no use arguing over the almost century-old matter of IMZ-Ural and BMW similarities, and the purpose of this piece is not that of settling old scores. Instead, both BMW and Ural fans should better pay attention to Mikhail’s new bike, even though only a virtual presence.I have to be honest and admit that the first two things which drew my attention were the shell-shaped tanks and the Buell- inspired perimeter brakes. It’s probably close to impossible to create a modern flat-tracker, but Smolyanov has somehow managed to pull through, even though “modern” is not exactly the word I’d use. Instead I’d rather go for “futuristic” or “timeless”, as they’d be closer to the overall feeling.At the heart of the bike we can see a K750 flat twin (boxer) engine, breathing out through slash-cut pipes which would most likely be a truly thundering appearance in the real life. The engine choice is a rather aesthetics-driven one, as the Urals have never been famous for speed or lightweight build. Even though for a racer, choosing such a power unit will make it a sluggish bike, the looks are as cool as it gets.The frame is obviously a custom-built one, as having “racing” and “Ural” in the same sentence doesn’t really make sense unless it’s a negative one. A leaf front suspension is the trademark of any true retro machine, with the bar-end controls and the wide, low-slung handlebar adding to the perfect vintage sight. Cue in leather tank straps and matching seat, white tires to make things even better.However, when it comes to the brakes Smolyanov outdid himself: he created custom caliper mounts which reach to the perimetral rotors, providing a huge stopping force, even though from an engineering perspective, the system may show some lag caused by the leaf suspension design. Still, much better than having no brakes at all, isn’t it? Honestly, I’d so ride this machine on a warm autumn afternoon…