The Kneeslider

Doers Builders and Positive People

Dnepr Motorcycles – The Other Russian

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Dnepr motorcycleAfter our post on Ural motorcycles the other day the question arises, what’s a Dnepr? I confess my knowledge here is pretty limited so if any Ural/Dnepr enthusiasts care to fill in or correct this post, jump right in.

Dnepr motorcycles seem to have a common heritage with the Ural, based on the BMW R71. But the information I found is a bit scarce and sometimes conflicting. As near as I can tell, the Dnepr was the Russian military version of the old BMW, and it never, (at least until very recently) was offered for sale to civilians. It has much the same capabilities as the Ural offering two wheel drive with the sidecar, great off road capability and basically is what you would expect to find with a Russian military motorcycle based on old technology.

Since Ural has a longer history of civilian sales, fit, finish and overall quality are higher. The Dnepr is currently being imported into the U.S. by the Russian-American Motorbike Company in Seattle and are sold as kits.

It would be interesting to know if there are very many Dnepr owners in the U.S. or anywhere else for that matter. There certainly seems to be a lot of Ural enthusiasm based on the comments we received to our Ural post, do Dneprs have an equivalent following? Will the Dnepr grow or fade away? Dnepr owners, what do you say?

Link: Russian American Motorbike Company

The Kneeslider: Ural Motorcycles

Also see: Dnepr motorcycles for sale and Ural motorcycles for sale

Comments

  1. I could swear I read something about Dnepr having a diesel model as well, any info about that?

  2. There are probably several hundred Dneprs in the US at this time. There is extensive information in the archives of yahoo group dneprheads. Dneprs in the old Soviet empire actually had 3 different assembly lines with varying degrees of quality. Military = top of the line, export (civilian) = second, domestic (civilian) = worst. Older means better with Dnepr. KMZ never manufactured a diesel bike to my knowledge, but the Germans are fond of putting a HATZ diesel in them, and there is a fella in California presently working on putting a briggs and stratton/diahatsu diesel in them. If you like to wrench, a Dnepr is more fun than you can imagine.

  3. Hi guys. Here is the link to the Dnepr motorcycle production plant in Kiev, Ukraine. Yes, it is originally made in Ukraine since 1946. I used to live not far from the plant and I remember the stories workers told, that some pistons were put into cylinders with the help of a hammer. But it was long ago and now they try to catch the world market, and I hop the quality is much better
    than it was in earlier times.
    Browse this cite. A lot of information there.
    Her is the link: Dnepr

    (Fixed your link – kneeslider)

  4. I have a dnepr mt11 i got for $100 still pickled, 148km on it. it was shipped here 12 years ago and left in a garage till now. i’ve dropped it 6 inches and done some other things to make it how i think it should look. i cant seem to find an 18 x 3.50 white wall tire tho. help? if anyone wants to see what it looks like Email me and ill send you a pic.

  6. just bought dnepr anyone heard of NEKAP carburators ? my owners manual and other web sites make no mention of them and i need larger mainjets any information would be greatly apreciated oldvolkshome71@aol

  7. Bought an Mt-16 in 2005. After about a year I have managed to get a Texas title and it is now at RAMCO of Seatle with Lloyd Lounsberry doing a dream restoration. The fellow with the hammer installation of pistons had it about right. Lloyd has being doing an expert and fine job restoring this old bike. If you want a great bike, go to Lloyd. He is honest and the work is well worth the price. Prefer to ride my dream restored bike rather than watch it sit in a garage! Dean

  8. The Dnepr factory started out as a military production facility while the Ural factory severed the masses. This was still back in the day of sidevalve flatheads. Then probably in the ’70’s they expanded production. Lot’s were sold abroad as Nevals and Cossacks.

    A lot of folks swear that the Dnepr (until a few years ago, at least) is a better design, it just lacks much in the execution of the design. The part about fit and finish being better due to longevity is incorrect. Dnepr was churning out decent bikes through the ’70’s-’90’s while lots of the Ural stuff was crap. You’ll probably see more vintage Dneprs on the road than Urals. Ural found a niche for bikes, Dnepr didn’t. Most of the “new” Dneprs you see now are pieces and parts of factory rejects that never got melted back down.

    A big difference in the 2WD drive models is that the Dneprs are full time 2WD, while Urals are a selectable 2WD that can only be used in the most severe offroad circumstances, because you cannot turn with it engaged.

    The Dneprs have an automatic clutching mechanism that is awesome, too. You don’t really have to use the clutch for normal driving!

  9. I PURCHASED A SO CALLED URAL FROM A TRUCKING OUTFIT CALLED FORWARAIR, WITH WEARHOUSES IN CANADA AND IN NEWARK NEW JERSEY..
    THE UNIT WAS CRATED NICELY AND ARRIVED IN COSMOLENE FOR THE MOST PART..
    THE TITLE SPICIFIED THAT THE VINTAGE WAS A 1972 SIDE HACK MT 10..
    NO PROBLEM..
    FOUND THIIS A DNEPNR!!
    DELT WITH THE GUY IN WASHINGTON WHO I BOUGHT A MANUAL FROM..
    AT LEAST I CAN SET THE CORRECT TOE AND CAMBER TO THE RIG NOW!!!
    I GOT NEW CARBS FROM THE S.U. FOR UNDER A HUNDERE AND TEN DOLLARS, NEW IN THE BOXES WITH THE ADAPTERS!!!
    ALL THE METAL BODYWORK AND ROLLING CHASSIES WERE IN GOOD SHAPE.
    THE MOTOR HAD SOME WEAR ON IT, BUT FOR WHAT I SPENT.
    IT BEATS A TWENTY THOUSAND HARLEY HERITAGE WITH A SIDE HACK ANY DAY!!!
    PLUS IT CAME WITH A VINTAGE MACHINE GUN MOUNT!!!
    THE ORIGINAL CARBS WITH THE THING WERE VERY PRIMITIVE.
    KIND OF LIKE A CAST SLIDE PLATE WITH A ROUND FLOAT WITH A TICKLER VALVE TO MAKE SHURE THERE IS FUEL IN THE BOWL!
    TONY K

  10. Better or worse than Urals is a moot point now .Dnepr’s are no longer produced while Urals are.

  11. I have owned 2 Dnepr’s in my life. Both within a very short period of time. The first was a 1975 with a drive wheeel on the side car. I bought it from “Uri” and his friends in Cleveland (via Canada) I still don’t know why. The second was also bought from Uri at Dnepr World and was a “2002”.
    Keep in mind that these are not Urals and are somewhat problematic. The 2002 was assembled by Uri and his team in under 6 hours and took over six months of work before I could get it running properly. The main problem with both bikes was the electrical system. 1. YOU NEED TO REPLACE THE OLD POINT SYSTEM FOR AN ELECTRONIC IGNITION- IT MAKES A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE. Even then I would have electrical problems only to find a bad wire in an obscure location on the bike. Shortly thereafter I enjoyed three weeks of riding before a “piece of metal not from the engine” shot out of the side of the gear box and into my right leg. They were fixed with JB Weld and 7 stitches respectivily. So my point- they are cool to look at, turn a lot of heads, but are a bear to own. I calculate 3 hours of attention for every hour of riding. If you think that I am joking look at all of them for sale on ebay with very low mileage. It doesn’t take too long to figure out that you made a mistake.
    In Rome, I meet a fine Ukranian man who was surprised that a gringo would own a Dnepr. He told me that a joke in their country is that it takes three generations to get one to run properly. It first belonged to his grandfather, then to his father, and by the time he received it, it was running well.
    Incidently I am now living in Chile where
    I have seen severl crazy European couple touring the country on Dneprs (with BMW motor upgrades, and yes I have seen a Gernman couple with a diesel engine). However, I am now crazy for Chinese motorcyles (for the price here in Chile they are three times cheaper than a Honda and I hate to say it but are just as reliable). Within the next week you will see a 250cc Lifan/ Skygo with a Ural sidecar frame that I am custom making to use as a transport between our orchards. If anyone is wondering SKYGO (from China) is an incredible bike. I have crossed the Andes into Argentina three times with a Skygo 150cc enduro loaded with five days worth of gear.
    If anyone has serious questions about Dneprs please feel free to email me at g8824@hotmail.com. I will be more than happy to share info.

  12. I had 2 Dneprs in the early 80’s they were new and the first thing I did was change the carbs with Bings. The ignition was another story, on one I had a 750 Honda coil installed with leads, the other one wouldn’t start and in a fit of frustration, I duct taped a sportster coil to the cart strut. I have missed them, and may buy another some day, but they were rough.
    Another nasty habit that they had was burning holes in the pistons, but in retrospect,that could have been fuel related. I now have a K1200LT Beemer, and I refuse to work on it, that is the legacy of the Dnepr.

  13. I have owned a Dnepr MT-11 for about two years. These previous posts are correct in the fact that you have to put a lot of work into these machines to keep them running. One thing that I have found is that many of the problems are self induced. e.g. if your carbs and valves are not adjusted correctly, you can blow a hole in the piston or destroy your valve train. Another issue is just the poor quality metal used to make these things. With all of this being said-I love this machine. My only advise would be that if you enjoy working on mechanical things and do not loose your temper very easily….then get one. P.S. They do not come with electric starters so either you get it adjusted correctly or you will have the largest legs on the block.

  14. I have owned a Dnepr MT 11 for 8 yrs now and I agree with the previous posts regarding electrical problems etc.
    My machine is a solo unit and at this point it is running excellent and quite reliable.
    I changed the electrical system,wiring,coil,and solid state ignition as well as the fusing.
    The machine has the added oil sump to increase oil volume and thus lower heating.
    Some of the extras are taken from old 60’s BMW’s,side stand,exhausts,tail light crash bar and headlight.The wheel rims and tractor seat are from Royal enfield. The head light was changed out for a halogen,just plugged in and works great.
    If you want information or pics,larrybayley@netscape.ca

  15. Anyone who would care to give a bit of restore info to us on a DNEPR MT 11 restation, please feel free to email us! We would like to make a smooth running motorcycle out of this semi-basket case we have….(we enjoy wrenching)! Thank you in advance! John and Mike

  16. I traded my ultralight for a 1980`s military Dnepr MT-16 with electronic ignition and a starter. I knew nothing about the rough looking bike but it sure looked cool. The guy who had it also new nothing about it and I am sure he did little to no adjusting during the 5000 km he put on it. I am glad the throttle limit stops were in place on the K-65 carbs otherwise the engine could of been cooked. The engine sounded like a diesel,rattled , knocked loudley and somehow it ran. It still had the original spark plugs.
    When I removed the valve covers the rocker arm caps that sit on the valve stem had fallen off along with the rocker arm nuts and washers so there was a half an inch play between the lifters and the cam. It made a racket but still somehow ran ok.
    A half hour later I had both pistons out. Then I looked on the internet for helpfull hints.
    After hours of searching here is what I did. I put in new lifters,adjusted the valves,removed the throttle limit pins off the K-65`s ,installed a hyperhose between the carbs,removed the exhaust , replace it with duel stock Harley silencers and replaced the tiny oil pan with a new deep one. I can ride at 90 kmh for hours and never overheat the engine .Just one kick and it fires right up except in the winter it takes three kicks.With a foot of snow on the road it can slice through it at 45 mph. It is a great ice fishing rig also. Last week it was 18 degrees outside , I kicked it over 4 times to start it (after it sat for two weeks) and off to work I went.
    After 8000 more km. my Dnepr is a thrill to ride and is one tough Russian built bike.
    So just remember every 500 to 600 miles take an hour of your time to check the fluids,adjust the valves and sink your carbs because its worth getting the looks from people as if you were riding a buffalo on roller skates.

  17. i have a kit dnepr with a locked up motor new never been riden if i could get some of my money back out of it or trade it for any running cycle truck or farm tractor or siode car its gone w2ould also consider parting it out

  18. I blazwek,
    did you get rid of your Dnepr, if not send me an email, I might be interested.

  20. This message 4 I Blazek.
    If U have Dnepr, what model? 1 or 2 wd? price? location? telephone # 4 contact?
    Wolf

  22. hi there. i’m a cypriot biker married with ukrainian. i was suprised to hear from my wife that my father in law [her stepfather] owns a dnepr mt10. when i visited russia [they live there] on last october i saw a metal thing under dust in garrage that didn’t start since early 80’s after an accident of my father in law that gave to him a proplem with his eays. they help me to pull it out since tyres where flat and i was in shock when i saw that in fuel tang was still petrol from 80’s. i took out carburators and clean them and i connected a battery from my father’s in law lada. i kicked 3-4 times and started like i had ride it the day before. with that old pedrol. i’m so sorry because i didn’t fix tyres to ride it. i was planning to bring to cyprus but i found out that i can’t reggister because of some europeian law. as i’ve been told from my father in law, when he bought it was difficult to find and was privillege to own 1. i’ve seen a lot of them in russia and ukraine working like new dispite the lack of meintenance. most of them they have a handmade platform insteed of a sidecar and at the same time a trolley behind. fully loaded they run so smouthly.

  24. I am looking for a transmission for a dnepr 650 , over head valves,2 wldrive mt-16?wit side car, modle #817029, it was put together in ohio in 2007, I have no idea what the date of the bike is, now I am in northern Mi. I nead the case (can repair it but…) bearings, clutch forks, gears (I did a good number on it)
    Thanks