TRAVEL FEATURE - AUSTRALIA
STEVE DWIGHT
SHOULD WE
STAY
OR SHOULD WE GO
?
A fast run on the Ural outfit , from Jabiru to Cahills Crossing in Kakadu National Park . We are on a winding road , with causeways that crocodiles inhabit and a backdrop of the prominent jagged Arnhem Land Escarpment . With the biggest smile on my face , I ’ m thinking ; “ How good is this !”. This is a trip to the Northern Territory ( Australia ) on a Russian sidecar that looks like it ’ s from the 1940 ’ s . You ask if it is a modern retro replica ? The Ural factory has continuously made these sidecars since copying the 1940 ’ s BMW flat twin design . It was developed for World War ll and used to chase the German Army back over the snow . That was with machine guns mounted in the outfit .
This is the 2019 model with improvements . Some of the major improvements Ural made to this model include a new fuel injection system , upgraded cooling fins , bigger sump and redesigned cylinder heads . As well as a cooler running bike this has increased the bike ’ s performance . The Ural is comfortable sitting on 110kph and can easily cruise at 120kph . The reverse gear is a bonus when manoeuvring the sidecar and gives onlookers a surprise .
After travelling up the east coast from southern New South Wales we hit the Friday street scene of the paradise beach town of Byron Bay . Buskers and trance dancers mingle with the fashion designers and holiday makers . A melting pot of cultures . The view from the north facing beach , watched over by the classic lighthouse on the headland is in stark contrast to where we are heading ; the isolated red sand desert areas of inland Australia .
With our border passes 1 printed out at the Byron motel , we ride towards the state border crossing . Heading into the sunshine state of Queensland . The border crossing
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