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Post by Jake on Mar 21, 2017 17:52:12 GMT 10
  Hello Fellow URAL Travellers, We have set out on what we hope will be a trip around Australia - or at least as far as we can get. There are two of us - my wife, Jan (67 years old), and me - David (70 yo). We left our home at Bicheno on the East Coast of Tasmania on 15 March and rode to Devonport where we took the overnight ferry to Melbourne. When we unloaded from the ferry we turned left and it is our hope to continue in a large clockwise circle, more or less following the coast, until we get back to Melbourne once more. We think this will take about 2 months at an average of 300 km per day. Day 1 ended on the Spirit of TasmaniaDay 2 ended in the Otway Ranges Day 3 ended in Mount Gambier Day 4 ended in Meningie on the Cooryong Day 5 ended at Crystal Brook near Port Pyrie Day 6 ended at Kimba (between Port Augusta and Ceduna) Day 7 has just ended at Ceduna, where we are overnight The outfit has been running really well (following 2 months of solid preparation of our secondhand 2008 unit - originally purchased by Andrew Frayne at Willunga south of Adelaide). The only failures so far are: 1. The Breakaway throttle lock I had fitted gave up the ghost on the M1 out of Melbourne, after only 60 km. I have replaced it with a backup Omni-Cruise which I was carrying. 2. I stood on my driving glasses and broke them on Day 5. I am now wearing Jan's old reading glasses with purple and green frames - they look very stylish on me! Tomorrow we head off across the Nullabor with our next overnight stop at Nullabor Roadhouse. Cheers for now, David (Jake) and Jan |
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roscoau
Life? Don't talk to me about life!
Posts: 838 
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Post by roscoau on Mar 21, 2017 18:46:14 GMT 10
Good on you! Please keep us up to date and have a great time!
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Post by Piper on Mar 21, 2017 19:14:29 GMT 10
Excellent adventure , keep up the pics and have a great time as you circle Oz .
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roscoau
Life? Don't talk to me about life!
Posts: 838
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Post by roscoau on Mar 21, 2017 20:21:14 GMT 10
I should point out you chose the best colour of all. Congratulations!  |
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Post by brucek on Mar 22, 2017 10:19:08 GMT 10
So it's David & Jan's Excellent Adventure!  Sounds like your going to have a great time. Post plenty of piccys. Your estimated average of 300km/day sounds very achievable, on my road trip to Central Australia last year I averaged 328.4km/day and that was taking many side trips with lots of photo stops thrown in, not to mention the inevitable UDF (Ural Delay Factor). |
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Post by maccaoz on Mar 22, 2017 15:19:52 GMT 10
All the best with your circumnavigation of Oz,good on ya.
A big trip that we did back in 84 on a 1100g Suzuki /DJP .27,000km and never missed a beat,I hope you have a similar experience on the Ural.
Cheers, Macca
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Post by Uralee on Mar 22, 2017 18:41:56 GMT 10
Great to meet and chat with you at Bicheno MC Museum Jake, just prior to you leaving.....I was one of the 9 Urals passing thru.
We are currently at Strahan and really enjoying the beautiful state you have just left.
Safe travels and keep reporting in please.
Ps. The Nulla Roadhouse is crap. Better camping spots along the road.......check out wiki camps on line for freecamps.
And.......their motel rooms are worse than crap...
Cheers, lee
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Post by Jake on Mar 22, 2017 19:57:55 GMT 10
  Well, we have made it to Nullabor Roadhouse. Last night in Ceduna I adjusted the tappets - they were getting rather noisy and, sure enough, two of them had opened up over the 2500 km since leaving Tassie. This evening it was time for an engine oil change. So now we should be good until we get to Perth where we are planning to drop in at the URAL dealer to fit new front and sidecar tyres. We are cruising at 75 kph - I feel very comfortable at that speed. We are about 50 kg overweight (we went over the weighbridge at Bicheno before departing) and the outfit is proving quite susceptible to side winds. I am conscious that this is a marathon rather than a sprint so I am keen to minimise stress on the outfit. 300 km per day is quite easy - we leave just before sunrise and get in to our destination about 1.00 pm. That gives plenty of time for an afternoon nap, a walk, a check of the bike and a relaxing pre-dinner drink + an evening meal. Tomorrow we will do about 370 km, but that is a bit of an exception. Cheers for now, David (Jake) and Jan |
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aki
2009 Tourist
Posts: 116
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Post by aki on Mar 24, 2017 14:37:57 GMT 10
Sounds like quite an adventure, good luck and I really enjoy your updates.
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Post by grovesy on Mar 29, 2017 7:48:40 GMT 10
Wow fantastic adventure Jake/Jan. I look forward reading about it all. 👍
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Sounds like your going to have a great time. Post plenty of piccys.
