Does anyone remember...

[Kliff]

About 15 years back, a small group of URALists left the Irbit factory and travelled through Northern Russia, possibly Siberia, taking pics all along the way, with a really good narrative?

Does anyone still have a link to that adventure, if it still exists?

[Kilometers2]

I cant remember the time frame but was that the group of mostly younger people riding 650 Urals and patching them up as they went? I remember this group, and another gentleman from New York who published on the ADV site using the subject line "Poor Man Uraling Across the U.S." to celebrate his 50th birthday. These made me realize that my worries of doing multi state 15 hour day trips were largely groundless (with the right preparation)

[Lokiboy]

About 15 years back, a small group of URALists left the Irbit factory and travelled through Northern Russia, possibly Siberia, taking pics all along the way, with a really good narrative?

Does anyone still have a link to that adventure, if it still exists?

Have you done a search in Ride Reports? It goes back quite along time.

[Kliff]

Yes...but having trouble coming up with a good search word.

[Lokiboy]

Too bad that Kristof, who posted several excellent ride reports from Russia, has had all his posts deleted.

[Kliff]

I cant remember the time frame but was that the group of mostly younger people riding 650 Urals and patching them up as they went? I remember this group, and another gentleman from New York who published on the ADV site using the subject line "Poor Man Uraling Across the U.S." to celebrate his 50th birthday. These made me realize that my worries of doing multi state 15 hour day trips were largely groundless (with the right preparation)

YES...exactly. that's the one!

[Kliff]

Too bad that Kristof, who posted several excellent ride reports from Russia, has had all his posts deleted.

Bummer...

[WEGUNTER]

They stopped by to visit Van (aka Gobium) in Annapolis MD and to get some repairs done. He posted a bunch of pictures of the visit. He may have a link. Kristof was not involved in this adventure.

[rougaroo]

Maybe you're thinking of a group of young German artists who took off from Berlin and went around the world on old 650's. And with no Ural experience! They stopped off at IMZ HQ in Redmond, then crossed the country and stopped at Van's, finally cruising into NYC. They called their project "Leavinghomefunktion"

Here's a mention of them from IMZ: https://www.imz-ural.com/blog/2017/01/1 ... rld-to-nyc

Here's their website: https://www.leavinghomefunktion.com/en/home/ apparently they're making a film of their journey.

They wrote a big coffee-table book about it on their return, called On the Landway to New York. There was a copy in Redmond when Van and I were out there. I've tried repeatedly to order a copy from their website but have never gotten a reply. https://www.leavinghomefunktion.com/en/home/.

All that wasn't 15 years ago, though. You may also be remembering BigJames' trip on old Urals into northern Russia north of St. Petersburg and/or the summer trips to Irbit that used to be sponsored by the European Ural distributorship in Austria.

Rougaroo

[ReCycled]

I saw the group of artists a couple of years ago when they came through after visiting with Van. It was an interesting presentation.

Two of our local riders, NJ Ken and Uraldude(JD) along with Sid Pollart joined a couple NW guys and the IMWA folks and went to Irbit+ back in '02(?). I've certainly heard some good stories around the campfire, but I don't recall a good formal write up... There may even have been some things they wouldn't have wanted on a permanent record

[Kliff]

Maybe you're thinking of a group of young German artists who took off from Berlin and went around the world on old 650's. And with no Ural experience! They stopped off at IMZ HQ in Redmond, then crossed the country and stopped at Van's, finally cruising into NYC. They called their project "Leavinghomefunktion"

Here's a mention of them from IMZ: https://www.imz-ural.com/blog/2017/01/1 ... rld-to-nyc

Here's their website: https://www.leavinghomefunktion.com/en/home/ apparently they're making a film of their journey.

They wrote a big coffee-table book about it on their return, called On the Landway to New York. There was a copy in Redmond when Van and I were out there. I've tried repeatedly to order a copy from their website but have never gotten a reply. https://www.leavinghomefunktion.com/en/home/.

All that wasn't 15 years ago, though. You may also be remembering BigJames' trip on old Urals into northern Russia north of St. Petersburg and/or the summer trips to Irbit that used to be sponsored by the European Ural distributorship in Austria.

Rougaroo

That wasn't the expedition I was thinking about, but from what I could view on their site, it sure gave me that old wanderlust!
A feeling for that last big adventure...even if done here in the USA still haunts me...
Like finding a way to cross the States on as many dirt roads and cow paths as possible...could it be done?
How would I resupply with oxygen while crossing?
How could I keep a steady supply of meds coming?
Who, with another URAL, would want to drop everything, and join in for a year, maybe longer?

Questions that will never be answered, because I know it would be impossible for me to garner the support I'd need to make such a journey...

A wasted life.

[Lokiboy]

Kliff... you can take the Trans American Trail if you want dirt roads and an adventure

[Kliff]

Many thanks, joined their group, ordered maps and charts!

[Lofty]

A feeling for that last big adventure...even if done here in the USA still haunts me...

Like finding a way to cross the States on as many dirt roads and cow paths as possible...could it be done?

It's already being done, in the relevant portions of the U.S. I've done a segment of it myself. They're called Backcountry Discovery Routes. They are abbreviated by region; e.g., "MABDR" is the Mid-Atlantic Backcountry Discovery Route. And so on.

The related BDR maps do cost a few dollars, but they're printed on proper stock and are chock full of relevant information. The publisher has been careful to advise that the maps are to be used in conjunction with GPS navigation, whether via a discrete device (like the Garmin Zumo that I use) or through a smart phone. This, I wager, would be the default position of most riders, anyway.

https://ridebdr.com/

[GoatTracks]

I use the 'dead reckoning" system of navigation....my destination is about 50 miles that way... so I'll just head that direction til I think I'm close, then figure it out from there. I hate GPS, it feels like cheating. Also hate stopping to have to squint at a tiny screen and turn-by-turn is lame and annoying to me. I do keep a paper map in the trunk and have a magnetic compass hanging from the windshield just in case I get hopelessly muddled.