Ed's 1975 Dnepr (duh-Nyep-er) MT-9
Restoration Project

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.

January 27, 2004
In November 2004, I went to the International Motorcycle Show in Dallas. On Display, was a motorcycle that had been around for years, but I had never seen. It was a "Ural" (made in Russia) and it looked just like a old World War II BMW (to me anyway). I thought it was the coolest thing and shortly after the show, I started researching. I soon learned the Dnepr was a close relative of the Ural, using many of the same parts. I also learned that a "new" Dnepr could be had for much less than the price of a new Ural, but there were a few drawbacks: Dnepr's were imported into the USA as "kits" that you had to assemble yourself or have someone do it for you. Another problem was the Dnepr's did not a VIN and you would have to obtain one yourself from the Department of Public Safety and then get it titled yourself. While some say this is not hard (I did in fact learn how to do it here in Texas), it just seemed like a pain.

I started looking for an already assembled & titled Dnepr or inexpensive Ural. On 01/23/05, I located a 1975 Dnepr in Neosho, MO. It didn't look too bad from the pictures on the internet and seemed like a worthy project. Best of all, it was only 350-400 miles from me. I contacted the seller with a few questions and within 24 hours, we agreed upon the purchase price of $2500. On 01/26/05, my friend John and I made the day trip to Neosho, MO to pick up my new project.

When we arrived, the bike was just a bit rougher then I hoped, but not bad enough for me to back out of the deal (plus it had a clear title). It started up with little effort and I rode it around the yard a couple of times. The generator didn't work (it was running off the battery) and the chrome was pitted in most areas. The seller gave me $100 off for my trip, making the bike $2400. John and I loaded it up in my trailer and headed home. On the very first gas stop we made after picking it up, we started getting comments on it.

It's now sitting in my shop awaiting restoration. I still have much research to do and a few parts to find (well...more then a few). I will continue to update this page with my progress...

Regards,
Ed

February 2, 2005
Well, I took the tank, fenders, and sidecar off so I could get a better idea of what I have gotten myself into (and to ready the body parts for painting). I took my degreaser and power washer to it and it cleaned up pretty nicely. Good thing I love doing this kind of stuff :)

The wiring harness was a mess. Lots of splices, electrical tape, and mismatched wiring. Luckily, I  just received my copy of "Weav's Useful Information and Technical Guide to Antique Russian Motorcycles and Sidecars" which has the wiring diagram, so I'm not too worried about it. I am going to replace all the switches, headlight assembly (mostly because of it's poor condition), and wiring.

I decided to just replace the wheels, rear shocks, and exhaust with new. This will take care of most of the pitted & rusted chrome parts. I will look into polishing or re-chroming the rest.

The frame and front forks look to be in pretty good shape. I think I'll be able to get by with just a little touch up here and there. I am trying to decide what to do with the motor. It seems to run fine but has a couple of small oil leaks and most of the exposed rubber seals look worn and dry rotted. I guess I need to decide if I want to attempt a top end rebuild myself or just send it off for a complete overhaul. A couple other things I will replace include all the cables and the foot peg and kick start rubbers.

I want to replace the gas tank. Mine has a bunch of hard goop and a dent on the left side. I suspect it had a leak in this area and was patched. I would like to replace it with it's current style (If anyone has one, please contact me), but if I cannot locate one, I'll go with the newer style. The rest of the body looks good. The sidecar is in great shape and fenders are very usable. The bottom half of the sidecar seat will need reupholstering.

Below are the latest pictures (the spots on the ground is not oil...it's water from cleaning the bike). 

February 7, 2005
Today I pulled the exhaust, carbs, motor, headlight, wiring harness, and all electrical parts. The exhaust was a pain in the a** to get off. The header tubes were darn near fused to the heads with corrosion and rust. God bless WD-40. The carbs and motor came out with very little effort. Tomorrow I will build a crate for the motor so I can ship it off for a rebuild. I am also going to begin obtaining whatever new parts I need.

February 9, 2005
I found some time today to build a crate for the motor. I think I may have gone a little overboard with it. It's pretty heavy and I'm worried it will bump the total weight into the next higher (and more expensive) shipping rate. The good thing is I'll have no worries about the motor getting damaged in transport (remember that luggage commercial with the gorilla baggage handler in the airport?). I'm no carpenter, but I think I did a decent job. I secured the motor in a cradle using two 7/16" threaded rods, washers, & bolts. The motor is actually about 1/8" off the bottom of the crate floor.

February 23, 2005
I received my first shipment of parts today. I placed an order with DneprWorld.com on 02/16/05 and today, everything arrived via Forward Air Freight. I will say I am very pleased with the parts and speedy service. The parts ordered included a complete new leading link front end, (3) new shocks, a complete exhaust system, (4) new wheels/tires, and a new sidecar cover. Shipping for everything to my local Forward Air terminal was only $75! Below are pictures of the crate as it arrived and of the parts (except the cover). I am especially excited about the leading link front end. I think it looks much better then the telescopic forks. The new wheel rims are chrome which is better then the painted black rims I was expecting. Of course the new exhaust & shocks look 1000 times better then what I currently have. The wheels and exhaust still have a healthy coating of that rust preventive grease goop on them, but should clean up nicely.

March 2, 2005
Not a whole lot to write about this week. I managed to get the motor shipped off to Ken Ulrich of U-2 Cycles in Mosinee, WI for a rebuild. I shipped it via Southwestern Motor Transport. The motor & crate weighed in at 215 lbs and cost $107.70 to have delivered to Ken's door. I found some time to polish up the new wheels and exhaust. I purchased a new headlamp assembly on eBay and it arrived. It came all the way from Ukraine and looks great. It included a new speedometer and speedometer cable.

March 9, 2005
No new pictures this week, but I did receive my new set of K68 carburetors (another eBay purchase). I will be sending them to Ken in WI so he can mount and adjust them to my motor. Toward the bottom of the page, I added a "total bike restoration cost" table so others can see what they might be getting into when buying a "project". 

March 22, 2005
I started sanding the frame this morning and within 5 minutes decided it was a bad idea. I then decided to go ahead and break the bike completely down and have the frame powder coated. Taking the swing arms off the side car and bike was probably the toughest task yet. Also the 4 or 5 press in rubber grommets on the frame were a pain to remove. All the nuts, bolts, & washers I removed were caked with rust. I took everything that wasn't being painted or powder coated and gave it a nice acid bath. I then put everything in a parts tumbler/polisher for 24 hours. The difference is amazing. All the nuts & bolts are shiny and new looking. Below is the bare fame ready for powder coating.

April 4, 2005
The UPS man delivered my new tank today. I am very pleased with it. It looks new with the exception of a couple of minor nicks and scratches it received over the years from being moved around. The inside looks great and it appears to have never been installed on a bike. Yes, it's green, but it will receive a fresh coat of black paint along with the sidecar and fenders.

April 5, 2005
I picked up my reupholstered seat today. It looks 100 times better then it did. The springs in the bottom section were completely shot so the seats were rebuilt using heavy foam. Below are before and after pictures. Tomorrow I am taking the frame and accessories to be powder coated.

April 19, 2005
I picked up the frame from the powder coaters. Everything looks great. I am extremely glad I decided to have everything powder coated. I can't believe the difference. If you are in north Texas, I highly recommend using Custom Powder Coating in Dallas.

May 9, 2005
Reassembly has begun! I am still waiting for several new parts to arrive from the Ukraine (new neck bearings, handlebars, and some other stuff). I ordered and already received another set of new shocks for the front end so all 5 shocks will match. I took the wheels to a Ural Service Center about 15 miles from my house (They do not sell Ural bikes, but do work on them). I am having the tubes replaced and the wheels trued & balanced. I should have them back in a few days. I also bought a few needed parts from a fellow Dnepr owner in Canada.

May 27, 2005
Nothing to report. I am at a stand still waiting for my new neck bearings & handlebars to arrive from the Ukraine. I received an email today saying they were returned to the Ukraine and would be re-shipped today. GRRRR! I am also still waiting on my wheels. Seems my "Authorized Ural Service Center" did not have enough tubes in stock and had to order some. Sigh.

June 15, 2005
A little progress was made over the last couple weeks. I picked up my wheels from "Mr. Fix It", my authorized Ural service center. When I picked up the tires, I could tell they had new tubes in them, but I noticed right away there were no wheel weights. I asked if the wheels had been balanced and they said they did not need to be balanced because the wheels are so heavy and 55 mph was about the max speed. "That is what they taught us in Ural school" he said. I asked if the wheels trued up and he replied they weren't too bad and 3 of 4 trued up well and the 4th had some problem with the rim and would not true up exactly right. Honestly, I don't think they did anything to the wheel except replace the tubes. The wheels were so filthy, they looked like they had been sitting outside for awhile. I don't think I will be using "Mr. Fix It" again :(

On a brighter note, I started to put the bike back together. I received the neck bearings and other parts I had been waiting on. Looking pretty good so far. As suspected, the leading link front end looks awesome. 

August 4, 2005
I received my motor from Ken Ulrich a couple days ago. I was like a kid on Christmas morning when I saw the shipping truck back into my driveway. When I removed the top of the crate, I was very pleased. The motor looks fantastic! Upgrades include automatic ignition, higher 4th gear in transmission, deep oil pan, new generator, and you can see the duel 6V coils (off a Triumph). Ken made a custom bracket for them and I think it looks great. I removed the motor from the crate yesterday and planted it back into the frame (yes, I know the kick start lever in the last picture is on backwards. I just put it on in a hurry for the picture. I have since corrected it). I am still several weeks away from finishing her (still need to get the bodywork painted).

August 22, 2005
No new pictures, but I did make a little more progress. I screwed up my throttle tube assembly (don't ask how) and had to order a new one. I also decided to just order a complete new final drive assembly. Mine had some seal leaks and some of the chrome was pitted. I could have rebuilt it, but the cost of just ordering a new a new one and having it shipped from the Ukraine wasn't that much more. I was having trouble getting the exhaust on, but after taking a break and working on it some more, it went on with no trouble. I thought the new deep oil pan would be in the way of the cross over pipe, but the pipe sits to the rear of the pan.

October 1, 2005
I have sold the MT-9 project. Unfortunately, I am in the process of a divorce and I needed to sell some toys (not all of them...just some). For those interested, my total investment to this point was $6,486.14. I sold it for much less. The buyer is local and a fellow member of the Dneprheads group on Yahoo. He will continue the project and I hope to continue posting the bike's progress here. When the dust settles and I am back on my feet, I will buy another Dnepr or a Ural.

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)