Ed's Dnepr (duh-Nyep-er) MT-11
Looking for my previous MT-9 restoration project? Click here.

For those who are not familiar with these bikes, they are made in Ukraine (Formally part of the Soviet Union). It closely resembles a World War II BMW. In 1939, the USSR knew it was about to go to war against Adolph Hitler & Germany and they needed vehicles to move their troops. It was decided the BMW R71 was the best motorcycle to meet their needs. Russia acquired a few R71's and copied them. You can read about the Dnepr's history here.

Click on the images to view the full size picture.

May 12, 2006
Well, I decided it was time for another Dnepr. This time, I wanted one I could pretty much jump on and ride. I had been watching eBay for a couple months when a clean looking MT-11 popped up in Indianapolis, IN. A long drive to pick up, but it was only 2 hours from my father's home in the Chicago area. I contacted the seller and spoke to him over the phone. The bike was originally a kit bike and the seller had already gone through the hoops of getting it titled. I was told the bike ran good and was ready to ride. I felt good about the bike after speaking to the seller. He seemed to know what he was talking about and did not seem the least bit shady. With that, I bid and won for the humble price of $3900.00.

On June 4th, my new girlfriend Kim and I made 900 mile drive from Texas to Indiana. We made several stops along the way including a short stop to see Graceland (Elvis' house). We arrived and met with John (the seller) and his wife. The bike was as described and started on the the 1st kick. Kim and I took it for a short test ride and loaded it up in the trailer. The bike did sputter a little which concerned me. The bike was titled as a 2002 "Assembled" (kit bike). This did not concern me as I had already spoke to my local DMV and was told "as long as the VIN on the bike matches the title, Texas would transfer the title".

When I got home, I found the spark plugs were fouled. I cleaned the plugs and the bike seemed to run fine. I cleaned out the gas tank (the gas in it seemed old) and installed new fuel lines & filters.

More to come...

Regards,
Ed

Here are a few Russian Motorcycle links:
http://www.russianiron.com - Great online club/forum
http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/dneprheads - Online group for Dnepr
http://www.dneprworld.com - Good source for Dnepr kits and parts
http://www.molotovmotors.com - Lots of good info and where you get "The Book"
http://www.imz-ural.com - Ural website
http://arbalet.net - Good source for Dnepr parts
http://www.ferraraworld.com/dnepr_chron_main.htm - Mark Ferrara's site and his MT-16 (lots of pictures)