ACHTUNG!!!

They were just so "old school" too, heavy leather base and canvas upper bag. I found all mine on eBay, some used, some N.O.S. Not cheap but a very high quality unit.

I have the Bagster set-up on my Guzzi .....

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Greetings Komrads!
I thought you might enjoy this video on the restoration of a 1960s Dniepr which is former identity of the Ural brand of Russian-built copies of pre-WW-2 BMW 750cc Wehrmacht motorcycles. The BMWs were used in the 1941 invasion of the Soviet Union by the Nazis.
The Ural is often is seen with a sidecar and is still available for purchase new.
I found the video to be well worth watching (besides – WTF else do you have to do….?). In particular, his techniques and use of interesting chemicals to restore metal parts is quite amazing. What is also surprising is how similar my 1983 BMW R100RS is to the Dniepr which is essentially a copy of a 1937 BMW 750. The three biggest differences I could spot are:
  • the driveshaft in the Dniepr is separate from the swingarm where on my bike it runs in a tube which forms the right-hand side of the swing arm;
  • the camshaft in the Dniepr is above the crank while in my bike it is below the crankshaft;
  • the Dniepr uses timing gears to drive the camshaft while my bike has a timing chain.
The Dniepr was also license- (or maybe without license) -built in China as the Chang Jiang - although my guess is that the original designers in Bavaria never got any revenue from these reproductions given that the original arrangements were with the "former management" of Germany.

Two guys in my vintage club have these bikes: one is a Ural in olive drab green and the other is a Chang Jiang variant in a very smart black with red pinstripes. Both bikes run well and are good sidecar rigs with nice big luggage capacity. The Ural is a two-wheel drive version and only lacks the machine-gun mount to be the perfect bike for heavy traffic areas.

Enjoy!
Pete
 
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I saw that posted somewhere else and watched it. I should've made note of the various chemicals, but they're likely banned/controlled/licensed here in the Nanny States of America.

Yup - I wondered about that - I don't think I would know where to go to buy a lot of those items. I suppose if you typed the names into a web search window, you might get some bites...
 
I found the video to be well worth watching (besides – WTF else do you have to do….?). In particular, his techniques and use of interesting chemicals to restore metal parts is quite amazing.

I watched several vids on their channel. They're very relaxing and interesting. The only sound is the activity being performed. Yes, I enjoyed watching him restore an anvil. Very nice!
 
They look nice LJ!
Pete
If you look closely at the rear light on the yellow one you’ll see a Canadian flag sticker, the bike was sold new in Calgary in 1974, it was then exported to Spain and sat unused for many years before arriving in the UK where it ended up with me. I recommissioned it and use it now for touring ,900 miles in 6 days in 2019 being the last long trip I did.
 
In the UK I generally see DNEPRs with 650 or 750cc engines. A couple of months back a nice condition one sold on Ebay for £850 and I wished it were me who won - this was the 650cc without a sidecar.
 
"Stately"... now THERE is a diplomatic comment! :laugh2:

Well....I AM Canadian afterall - a citizen of the country that invented peacekeeping. :geek:

...but of course, we also took Vimy Ridge and play hockey....;)
 
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APPROX. TWO MONTH REPORT:

Well, I have now pretty much gotten used to Gretel and her Teutonic oddities, among which are:
  • if you leave her parked on the sidestand for a couple of days, she smokes quite a lot (not quite Kawasaki ring-ding class, but quite a lot) when started cold;
  • the aftermarket "Brown Sidestand" is ugly, but infinitely easier to use than the "Bavarian Roullette" sidestand she came with (that frickin' thing is diabolical) and much less likely to result in a downed bike in my driveway;
  • you cannot see the turn signal switch from the riding position (it is completely hidden under the high beam blipper switch on the LH handlebar);
  • the twin Fiamme "Freeway Blaster" horns (high and low tones) are great and definitely the ticket for getting the attention of some little douchbag in a black 3-Series with dingly-balls hanging off the mirrors;
  • I have gotten used to the lean-waaayyy-forward-over-the-tank riding position, but I must say that overall, the ergonomics are a mix of excellent and brilliantly designed combined with incredibly clumsy and stupidly awkward;
  • you must use full-choke every time you start-up from cold - or she will not start no matter how hot the ambient temperature is (unless of course the bike was running within the last 15 minutes or so);
  • the twin petcocks go into each position (ON, OFF, RESERVE) with a satisfying "click";
  • she will go about 300 km (around 190 miles) on main before switching to reserve and the reserve seems to be about 6-7 litres which should be enough for about 125-145 km or about 75-85 miles before she goes dry (this info is very important in Canada - many parts of which do not have a dense population - although there are a lot of "dense" people wandering around in certain locales);
  • the dry clutch is a bit clunky in some ways, but it works exactly the same hot or cold and so in other ways, it is easier to deal with than a wet clutch and neutral is always dead easy to find;
  • the conventional instruments are clear and very easy to read and after I replaced the slightly winky stock gauge illumination (every single bulb was dead) with a very slick aftermarket "KATDASH" LED unit, they are superb even in daylight;
  • the stock clock and voltmeter are great to have and the clock keeps perfect time for weeks on-end (German precision). The voltmeter serves as an excellent turn signal indicator: whenever the signals are activated, the VM needle wags back and forth very noticeably from about 6 to 18 volts (you really cannot miss it);
  • the solo and dual seats are equally comfortable, but the solo seat is noticeably higher and so I am switching back to the dual seat for a while so I can flat-foot more easily as road conditions deteriorate during the autumn;
  • the BMW pannier mounts, while appearing very simple, are actually quite challenging to install and will result in the donation of an appreciable amount of blood and body tissue (DAMHIK) to various parts of the motorcycle.
On the other hand, she gets a little over 60 mpIg (Imperial gallon - 20% bigger than a USG) which is pretty darned good for a 1-litre bike being ridden briskly.

In summary, she is terrific bike and just as nice as I have been dreaming about for more than 40 years. I am well and truly chuffed as my UK friends would say!

Pete
And if you were really over the moon with it you could be said to be, “ Blatherskated”. An old Yorkshire term for being speechless with pleasedness.
 
Hey @lewisjohn - I just noticed the little instrument package with power outlet mounted to your fuel tank on the grey bike...how do you power it and what does the rotary switch (if that is what it is....) do?

Looks interesting!

Pete
 
And if you were really over the moon with it you could be said to be, “ Blatherskated”. An old Yorkshire term for being speechless with pleasedness.

Blatherskated...I've got a colleague who is a Yorkshireman (Bradford, I believe) - I will find a way to work that word into a conversation with him just for the reaction. I also enjoy watching / listening to Stuart Fillingham's channel on YouTube - his accent is nice.

Thanks for sharing that Rasputin!

Pete
 
Hey @lewisjohn - I just noticed the little instrument package with power outlet mounted to your fuel tank on the grey bike...how do you power it and what does the rotary switch (if that is what it is....) do?

Looks interesting!

Pete
It’s an ex police bike which has a compartment built into the tank top.it has a drain pipe at the bottom of the cavity so I ran the cables etc through that. It’s got a time clock,voltmeter,12v power socket for phone charging,the rotary switch is headlight on/off.
 
Vimy Ridge... I know it well.

I used to work at a chemical plant near by in Drocourt and visited a couple of times. Sad place but fabulous little museum about WW1 should you ever visit. The grounds have some well preserved areas that still show the craters on top of craters and of course loads of unexploded shells. There are always small piles of shells out front of each farm following plowing/ploughing and the army would collect them for disposal.
 
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It’s an ex police bike which has a compartment built into the tank top.it has a drain pipe at the bottom of the cavity so I ran the cables etc through that. It’s got a time clock,voltmeter,12v power socket for phone charging,the rotary switch is headlight on/off.

Ahhhh... now THAT makes sense. The coppers get all sorts of nifty add-ones.

But that is OK - they deserve them, and more.
 
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