The Kneeslider

Doers Builders and Positive People

1983 Dnepr Bobber From 500 Dollar Pile of Parts

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Dnepr bobber by Dr. Robert Harms
Dnepr bobber by Dr. Robert Harms

You remember Dr. Robert Harms, he’s built some spectacular bikes from the most disparate piles of parts imaginable. This Dnepr is no exception, starting as a $500 pile of parts, everything was reconstructed, rebuilt, improved, modified and reengineered. The result is a knockout. How does he do it?

Dnepr bobber by Dr. Robert Harms
Dnepr bobber by Dr. Robert Harms

The Doc was kind enough to send me this note to explain:

This is a 1983 Dnepr (Neval). I bought this as a total POS basket case for $500.00 and only wanted to use it for engineering the electronic conversion aspect of my Russian points plates. Thought I would do that and part the thing out and make a few dollars and have free use of the bike for developmental purposes.

However, at the time , I was having real conceptual problems with my articulated rear propane powered Buell and one thing led to another.

I try to build a bike a year for the British meet in Atlanta and Neval is at least marginally British..

Although I only have 6 months in the bike (not much for me) and its a bit conventional for my tastes it seems to have worked out well.

Don’t tell M. Chambers, but its a lot easier to ride than my Wraith and it has carry ability and is about 70 grand cheaper

This may help to interpret the pics:

.. conversion to VW (automobile ) single carb ..conversion of frame to use taper roller bearings in head ..modification of frame for air cleaner ..HD Sportster forks on Suzuki trees Honda wheel on Harley forks with Buell caliper and Goldwing rotor. Geo alternator ..exhaust that goes back up and out and exits thru gutted HD dresser muffler cans .. cool taillight/brake light ..crossover jockey shift ..seat (carved from Chinese kids scooter seat) and Honda Rebel gas tank both modified to allow for the shop-made air cleaner Drive in speaker tool box (seen that one before)
1915 Model T headlight with new headlight inside

Dnepr bobber by Dr. Robert Harms
Dnepr bobber by Dr. Robert Harms

I don’t consider this to be my most creative piece of work, it may well be the most practical and reliable.

BTW, its set up for a sidecar. The sidecar exists but is not quite finished.
Its also atypical.

I think the real value of the bike over simple transport is that it illustrates what can be done without a ton of money and that something can be built from atypical raw material/donor bikes.

Plus this:

This a very simple motorcycle with NO electronics. There is no speedo or turn signals. There are no mufflers but (I assume) because of the long exhaust track coupled with the massive Dnepr compression (yeah, right), it is NOT noisy. All of the crappy OEM stuff that keeps Russian bikes on the side of the road are gone. The VW Solex carb is dead dependable. The Geo charging system is Nippondenso and even has an idiot light (see top of horn) and my GM points plate conversion and external coil assures that the the entire ignition system is bullet proof.

LED in piston taillight and drive-in speaker toolbox
LED in piston taillight and drive-in speaker toolbox

—————
The bike is kick start only and runs great. He also mentions there was a bit of serious work involved, over 200 hours of TIG welding and lots of time on the Bridgeport.

So, that’s all there is to it. You spend $500 on parts, combine it with prodigious amounts of imagination and skill and you come up with something like this. Spend some time on the photos, you keep seeing more the longer you look. I love this bike.

It’s for sale, too, and you will absolutely never see another one anywhere.

Link: Photos of the build process

Related: Robert Harms custom
Related: Harms BSA Buell

Comments

  1. I suppose it’s part of the appeal, but to my aesthetic, it still looks kindof like a “pile of parts.” In a way, it’s pretty steampunk, which I like, but in another, it looks like little thought went into what went where (whether or not that’s the case). I feel like I’d be accidentally kicking out hoses, punching myself in the arm while shifting, crotch-shotting on the air filter, and getting pulled over (where’s the speedo?).

    All told, it’s interesting, but I couldn’t see myself actually riding it.

  2. Haha! This thing is great. The only thing I don’t like about it is the location of the end of the exhaust. But that’s just my own personal taste. Very interesting build.

  3. Check out the rest of his photobucket account. The good Doctor has his mind going in many directions at once. Amazing!

  5. Merlin: “Steampunk” is the exact word that came to mind when i saw it. I would love to ride it!

  6. I don’t know if I’d call it steampunk with the blue anodized parts. I dig that exhaust system! All he needs now is a flamethrower kit like a lowrider. I’d love to hear what it sounds like.

  8. Is that a GT-40 or Maserati in the background of one of the build pictures? Must be nice…

  9. I would like to know what kind of transmission was mated to the VW motor? How did the mad doctor take care of the usual crank shims at the flywheel?

  11. I don’t know in which discipline the good doctor is exercing his medical activity, but I’d definitely like to have a 2nd opinion before he has to treat me … :-/

  12. Interesting, can not fault the amazing work, but its a strange beast to put it mildly. It makes as much sense at the OCC / whomever hardtail choppers. And isn’t the sidecar going to get blasted with exhaust?

  14. @Nicolas This just the kind of out of the box free thinking I would want in a doctor. I admire the Doctors exercise in American ingenuity. Beauty will always remain in the eye of the beholder.

  15. All it needs is a uniform paint color and its easily on par with a lot of custom chopper work. Not quite my cuppa aesthetically speaking but the out-of-box thinking needed to build a functioning bike out of so many wildly different donors is outstanding.

    Kudos, doctor, once again.