Skip to main content

This coffee shop in a motorcycle sidecar could be the ultimate side hustle

How’s this for a winning combination: your own outdoor business that includes a motorcycle and guarantees an unending supply of fresh coffee. Dallas, Texas-based Oak Cliff Coffee Roasters has a unique way to deliver freshly ground coffee. The company shows up at local events on a converted Ural sidecar motorcycle coffee shop, as cited in Ural’s blog.

Both companies are committed to a single purpose. Founded in 2009, Oak Cliff Coffee Roasters’ commitment is reflected in coffee sourcing, the roasting equipment the company uses, and its roasting practices. Most of the business is wholesale to cafés in Texas. Oak Cliff helps coffee shops acquire and use the best café equipment to use with its roast-dated coffee beans.

On the retail side of the business, Oak Cliff has a fresh-roasted coffee home delivery subscription program.

Oak Cliff Coffee Roasters Subscriptions

In late 2014, Oak Cliff Coffee bought a Ural sidecar motorcycle specifically to construct a mobile espresso shop.

Ural Motorcycles’ commitment to a single business purpose began in 1942 with the company’s first sidecar motorcycle. Ownership has changed in the last 75 years, but Ural has sold more than 3 million motorcycles in that time.

Ural originally produced sidecar motorcycles for military use, but now focuses on what the company defines as “adventure-ready sidecar motorcycles,” with dealerships in many countries including the U.S.

Ural’s sidecar motorcycles are typically used for touring, camping, and road trips. The unique appeal of sidecars isn’t lost on the bikemaker. Most Ural models have pretty straight forward names such as the Sahara, aptly painted the color of desert sand, and the Sportsman Adventurer Camp Wandawega Edition.

The plainest, least expensive, and least equipped Ural sidecar motorcycle model is the M70, with a $16,500 starting price.

In 2015, Ural produced a special edition, called the Dark Force, with the sales call, “Come to the dark side … we’ve got sidecars!” The Dark Force even came with a light saber.

Oak Cliff Coffee’s plan was to convert the bike to what it calls the MotoKofe, Espresso on 3 Wheels. The espresso unit weighs 450 pounds but the Ural’s frame is reportedly sturdy enough to support weight as it moves around the area at speeds up to 50 mph.

The Oak Cliff Coffee Roasters Ural sidecar motorcycle coffee shop even has its own website with more photos and a location schedule so if you’re in Dallas you can check it out.

Bruce Brown
Digital Trends Contributing Editor Bruce Brown is a member of the Smart Homes and Commerce teams. Bruce uses smart devices…
Watch this famous musician fly in a car with wings
watch this famous musician fly in a car with wings aircar

Jean-Michel Jarre is world’s first passenger to take off in KleinVision’s flying AirCar

The legendary French synth musician Jean-Michel Jarre has become the first passenger to take to the skies in Klein Vision’s incredible flying car.

Read more
The Tesla Model Y is at its lowest price yet — but should you buy one?
Tesla Model Y

Despite increased competition in the space, the Tesla Model Y is still one of the best EVs out there. It has access to the best charging network, plus it offers among the best software experiences, as well as a solid range, especially in the longer-range models. And the Model Y is now down to its lowest price yet, meaning that if you were considering getting one, now is probably the time to buy.

The base price of the Tesla Model Y is down to $42,990 at the time of this writing, which represents a pretty huge price cut. That's before any tax incentives too -- and considering the car is eligible for the full $7,500 tax credit, that means you could get it for as low as $35,490.

Read more
Here’s how EVs charge as they drive on a stretch of Michigan road
Tech of the Week Electreon

Charging remains one of the biggest hurdles for mass EV adoption. Public charging infrastructure still isn’t extensive enough to merit driver confidence, and even the fastest chargers still require lengthy stops compared to refueling a gasoline car. But the State of Michigan and Israeli startup Electreon hope to prove that EVs can charge as they drive.

As detailed in a recent CleanTechnica explainer, the Michigan Department of Transportation is demonstrating in-road wireless charging hardware from Electreon on a quarter-mile stretch of 14th Street in Detroit. It’s being billed as the first such roadway in the U.S.

Read more