2019 Ural Adventure Ride

For 2019 word had got around that the Urals from Uralla had found a way to scale the mountain at Narrabri to the west. Riders and their Urals had gathered from afar to see what the fuss was all about. There was Chris from Ippy with his offset Ural “motorhome” and Lee from Mt Eliza with his flash new Ural filly. Norm of Ural fame had come up from Adelaide and Ken the Yankee Uralist had brought his Yellow Terror. Bob and Sue came in from Queensland with a special delivery of biscuits to help raise morale and Maggie May breezed in with less than a minute to spare.

Jon read them the riot act about dust and corner marking and Clare wanted a head count to order RSL dinners to feed the survivors at the end of a dusty trip.

At 9am sharp, the motors fired and a line of Urals rode away with the warm sun on their backs and Kingstown the first stop. The scenery was colourless after many months of drought, but the mood was buoyant and all Urals were running well. There were no mechanical dramas down the back so Mat the Ural mechanic had an easy run and no wrong turn Charlies, a feat which continued all weekend.

There was some attractive landscape through the volcanic hills before Woods Reef and the closed asbestos mine there. Great sidecar riding, complete with some kangaroo dodging, but missed the green grass that really sets it off in better seasons. Once in Barraba, the friendly locals welcomed our lunchtime visit and admired our hardware while we sought refreshment.

There was a nice run west on sealed road after lunch as we headed to the Horton Valley, a nice bit of twisty as we descended into the valley and then we were back on gravel road. Again the wind cleared our dust and several road junctions were negotiated without losing anyone thanks to volunteer corner markers. Roads generally were free of potholes as there has been so little rainfall over many months and riders could afford a quick admire of the scenery as we rolled along.

A short stop was taken to assemble all the Urals and their crews for a group photo. Side by side, twenty nine Urals make a longish line for a panoramic picture. Another ridge of the Warrumbungles was crossed at Sawn Rocks area and then we rolled down the plains to Narrabri. Day one, no punctures, no breakdowns and the Centre of Town B & B had plenty of rooms ready for us.

A dinner together gave us the opportunity for Chris to relate his unfortunate collision with a roo last year while riding his Ural. His pictures and description were a little confronting but it’s a reality we all accept and donations to the Westpac chopper were raised as he stood before us on his new leg and is back riding a Ural again.

Next morning we headed for the hills as the muster started in earnest. It was 50 kms to the ridge top at 1500 metres and as we scanned the distant horizon, decisions were made. Even with some hard riding to do, less than half the field wheeled their mounts and rode back to cover the southern flank, the easy route.

The remaining Urals and their riders assembled on the summit of the Barraba Track and after a last few words from the fearless leader, plunged over the top on that fearful descent. With rocks and gravel flying they skidded down, sliding among the trees and rocks with little hint of fear. 

It was a team effort and the riders helped each other conquer the stages with yelled encouragement, physical effort and some sidecar fender riding to offset the adverse camber. There was not a coward among them and elderly riders, female and all made it to the bottom unscathed. The fearless leader rode the last bit on his back after his feet raced ahead on the rolling flint!

Another short ridge had to be traversed and this required some spirited uphill riding and a little pushing before the open plains lay ahead. Some spirited climbs were made and much noted about technique, tyre pressures and the extra torque the new Urals have.

Once off the steep stuff, we had a fast and very smooth road right into Barraba. We grabbed a quick lunch and headed for Manilla where the rest of the riders had already arrived from the easier route. Once rejoined with the other happy travellers, we took a fresh route back to Uralla. This included the Bungendore Spur, along an interesting track that climbs the side of a gorge with no safety fence and some quite narrow road, a switchback that does not reveal itself until you have reached a dead end in the road and turned around to look back! Good fun, and once again the riders enjoyed the experiences encountered.

All and sundry made it comfortably and we were back in Uralla before nightfall. One punctured rear tyre was the only casualty during the ride.

On the Sunday, a relaxing morning on Taylor’s farm at Kentucky included a blind folded ride along with a challenge to ride reverse through an obstacle course.  This made time to tell stories, laugh a little and eat together before the group dispersed. 

Once again, we saw new riders learning much about their bikes and riding them, new friendships established and the group effort and camaraderie of a Ural Adventure challenge.

Words: adapted from Jon Taylor

Photos: Tom Foster - sidecar monkey for the weekend, Graeme Hardwick - fellow Ural owner and regular Ural adventure rider