Ural 650

“I CALL HIM ANDROPOV,” SAYS RUSSELL, OWNER OF this splendid green and white Ural 650 flat twin. A reference to Yuri Andropov, the 1980s leader of the Soviet Union, perhaps? “Because bits ‘dropov’ him all the time,” Russell added.

Russell has had the Ural for three years and is the 18th owner. “I bought it from a bloke in Camborne in Cornwall. It was advertised as being a runner with an MoT, so I thought I’d ride it back home. When I got there the bloke said, ‘Where’s your van?’. He wasn’t expecting anyone to actually try and ride it.”

Russell togged up and hit the road. “I thought I’d just slipstream lorries at around 55mph, but on a couple of occasions I simply couldn’t keep up with them and the speed dropped to below 30. The bars were so badly positioned I had to stop three or four times on the way back to ease the cramp in my wrists. It was the longest ride of my life. I got it home, parked it and thought I’d bought a complete and utter lemon.”

The following day he got to work. The problem was that the settings on the replacement Mikuni