ural x alternative dairy co sidecar coffee machine
CAFFEINE & GASOLINE MACHINE:
Ural sidecars are typically used for touring and cruising – but when The Alternative Dairy Co, an offshoot of the Sanitarium brand, came to Gasoline, they were looking for an alternative solution to bring their new range of barista plant-based milks to market.
Given Australia’s advanced coffee culture, it is surprising that a coffee machine mounted on a sidecar had not yet been done in Sydney – so Gasoline set out to design the entire layout and custom fabricate a full café system on three wheels. The goal was to accomodate a two group-head La Marzocco coffee machine without sparing any modern barista needs: a custom built 15L Chest fridge with a glass door, coffee grinder, PUQpress automatic coffee tamper, milk jug rinser, dry storage and waste disposal. A additional water filter/pump had to be installed to supply a steady water supply to the machine. It even houses a water level safety alarm system, so baristas will not get caught out mid-espresso with an empty water tank.
With help from Chunk Design, the workshop planned every detail from the plumbing to the power supply, electrical wiring and every custom fabricated mount/bracket used. A branded umbrella completes the joviality of the mobile coffee experience - to showcase their premium quality 100% animal-free milks.
After disassembling a freshly navy-painted machine to prepare for the custom fabrication process, the first task was to create an external bench to mount the coffee machine in the boot of the Ural. The front of the original sidecar was modified with an extra opening to allow for extra storage and for plumbing/power access.
“The biggest challenge was ensuring the coffee machine had all the elements that are normally very static now mobile and importantly, still able to make a good coffee.”
The fridge is a 12v compressed gas fridge- it can be cooled to 3°C in a matter of minutes and maintain a good chill. The compressor is housed in the rear using a small vent installed to expel heat at the back.
Around the fridge condenser is an array of filters and pumps designed to prime and maintain pressure to the La Marzocco. It consists of a tank filter, pre-pump, accumulator, Pentair Everpure filter set and then the La Marzocco pumpLaid over both these is a 5-volt control unit with sensors to check both pressure and tank volume. This ensures that the coffee machine is always primed. The control is an Arduino based relay coded in C++ which lets us read the sensor inputs and react to changes in the system. The code also allowed for changes to be made on the fly through the testing process.
Bit by bit each part came together, ensuring that each mount was super secure, because this Ural was still intended for riding!
To bear the extra weight of the coffee machine, accessories and water the original suspension was upgraded before being sent on the road. The wiring of all voltage systems were considered with weather protection in mind, so this machine can be used at events as a promotional tool - wind, hail or shine.
A shoutout to Adrian Veale from @motoringphotos for the beautiful studio photos and @chunkdesign for their amazing work to make this happen.
If you have an idea for your very own custom motorcycle Gasoline Motor Co. can help you make it a reality.
