Reader’s Bike: Robert Holness’ KLR650 and Ural Tourist

This entry is part 25 of 26 in the series Adventure Rider Issue #4

KLR650 and Ural Tourist

Robert’s a 49-year-old farm hand who can find himself hauling two trailers behind an eight-wheeler one day and doing any one of a stack of jobs the next. In WA, a trip to the nearest civilisation can be an adventure in itself. Robert lives 125km east of Esperance, and that means around an hour and a half to get to ‘town’.

Details
• 2013 Ural Tourist
• Tall screen
• Knee protectors
• 50mm Denali spotties
• 300mm LED light bar on sidecar
• GPS, SPOT 2 and phone mounts
• Twinmax carby
• Second battery for camp power

“It’s about 25km of gravel and 100km of bitumen,” harvested Robert.The KLR’s been Robert’s mount for quite a while and he’s done extensive modifications and setting up on that bike, but the Ural is fairly new. Sidecars aren’t for everyone, and we wondered what prompted Robert to go to three wheels. The answer is easy. If you look closely at the pics you’ll see Robert’s constant companion, Missy the blue heeler.

After years of Missy clinging on to the pillion seat of the KLR, Robert thought it was time his mate enjoyed a little luxury.

“Missy’s eight, going on nine,” growled Robert, “and she’s been everywhere on the KLR. Before I even had a top box she’d sit on the KLR seat behind me. It’s only about 15cm wide, and that’s not too good for a dog.

I fitted the top box and an aluminium plate I had an engineer prepare here in Esperance. A lamb’s-wool cover goes over the whole lot and now she can lie down and rest all the way to wherever we go.

“She’s done the big trip from Esperance down to Albany, up to Hyden and back home again on the KLR, and she’s been up to Kalgoorlie a few times. Every trip I do, she’s with me.”

Missy must reckon the sidecar is heaven.

“I don’t have a lady, so she’s got the passenger seat all to herself. It’s worked out well for her. She has her goggles on and she sticks her head out the side looking for rabbits and ’roos as we go by.”

And it was the sidecar for Missy that led Robert to the Ural.

“I looked at fitting a sidecar to another bike, but the Ural’s been a dedicated sidecar rig since the 1940s.”

Details

• 2008 KLR650
• IMS ’pegs
• IMS shifter
• Odyssey battery
• Tall Kawasaki screen
• B&B bashplate
• Wiring upgrade for starter
• klrdash.com dash and screen riser
• Trail Tech Vapour Stealth trip computer
• Sprockets for front/rear: 14, 15 and 16/41, 42 and 43
• Rekluse clutch
• SWM crash bars with highway ’pegs
• LED taillight
• Happy Trail top box
• Cogent Moab shock and progressive fork springs
• Doohickey upgrade
• Kaoko cruise control
• Staintune pipe
• SWM centrestand
• KLR screen light mounts
• ROX anti-vibe 50mm ’bar risers
• RAM mounts for iPhone/iPad, GPS and SPOT 2
• HID in both headlights
• 3 x 12-volt power sockets
• LED dash indicators
• Rear brake master-cylinder guard
• Fork brace
• T-handle fuel screw
• Polaris gun/bow rack
• Airbox mods
• Alloy tray for Missy that has a loop to hold a Wolfman bag