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Welcome to the Dnepr Kit Experience. Here, you will find references to the "kitbike" building experience. This bike was pruchased from Dnepr World, as a kit. If you are not mechanically inclined,
avoid a kit. If you want a motorcycle that is running and ready to go, avoid a kit. Basically, if you don't want to rebuild most of the major components, avoid a kit. Search for one of the suppliers that provide complete bikes, such as
ScooterBob, Lloyd at RAMCO, or others. Those 2 are in the states and have good reputations. Most other dealers of Dneprs have their issues, so do your research. And by all means, check out the Russian Iron Forums.
Good guys that know their stuff.
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| Here's a partial parts/suppliers list for your Dnepr. |
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February After doing some research, I decided to order my Dnepr from Dneprworld http://www.dnerpworld.com. There had been a lot of posts out there about the quality of these bikes, but I wanted
one that I could build myself. Basically it seems that these bikes are a crapshoot - some seem happy, some not. Seems like the people that are the most unhappy are the people that don't know what they're getting into.
So, that being the case, I sent a check for the downpayment. I ordered the 1 wheel drive version with "extras" like the spare tire, cover, windshield, electronic ignition, electric start, etc. I must have had a dozen questions for Yuri, and he answered
every one. Total, with shipping, comes to $4700. For around $1300 more I could order one that's already built from a dealer above. |
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| April Pick up Weaver's Dnepr book...a MUST HAVE...lots of good information. Also found a good site - http://edslastresort.com/dnepr/ . |
| April 29 After putting the rest on my credit card, the bike was shipped. I had Yuri send me some photos of the bike before it left the shop. The bike arrived, all crated and tied down. Nothing damaged. The crate was a pallet quality wood with masonite
covering. Not extremely stable, but held up fine. |
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May 6 Finally, I get to start to pull things apart. Sorted through all the parts. Most the parts look like NOS (new old stock), but the wear items (bushings, cables, etc) are in good shape. Fit all the wheels on, and attach the sidecar.
I have no idea how to aligh it just yet, other than by eye...all the wheels fit well, are semi-round (though a bit beat), and the brakes seem to work well. Next I will disassemble and lube everything. Also inspected the engine for the first time. Removed the plugs, checked the feel..seems ok.
I've heard some good and bad things about the quality of Yuri's engines, so we'll see how this goes. Definitely not a new engine, but that was expected! Seems like most of the frame, tank, seats, etc are in good shape, so no rework needed there. |
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May 9 Time to take off the wheels and inspect the hubs. 2 of the wheels have all new seals, and all of the hubs show signs of greasing. Won't be sure about the bearings until I disassemble the hubs. Not any movement in the hubs so the bearings are good for now. Will do a total hub inspection after intial shakedown test.
Reattach all wheels and tighten. Assemble the rear fender unit. Fender looks NOS, but has a slight dent in the bottom. Lines up with a little effort and installs ok. Looking at the engine, I notice that I don't have the screws which attach the slider units to the carbs. Will send Yuri an email tomorrow and ask to have these sent. Review wiring diagrams in Weav's book to
get familiar with the details. Next step is to trace and label all the wires with a meter. |
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| May 10 Emailed Yuri at dneprworld. Needed the following pieces which were missing. Carb screws (attach the slide top to the carb body), and one corrector spring for one of the carbs. Emailed me back with a link to his catalog and told me he would mail them out. |
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| May 11 Yuri emailed back and said he'll send out the parts...now I can start assembling the engine and wiring. At this point, Im happy with the service and quality, which has met my expectations. He's seems like a good businessman thus far. All emails have been returned promptly and he's helped me out where necessary. Check Russian Iron for some relevant threads about the good and the bad things about these bikes. |
| May 18 Today my friend Scott and I hoisted the engine into the frame. First I took off the oil pan, then we positioned it just right, and without a problem the engine fit right in. Slid the engine support
rods into place. |
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May 20 Back under the bike to set the pegs, exhaust headers, etc. and secure the engine support rods. Used the old double nut trick to prevent the rod from rotating in a couple of places..but once I secured it
everything seemed to fit fine..oh wait...I forgot the header support brackets...try again! Also set the speedo cable into the tranny and secured that. Be careful here - make sure the O-Ring is in place correctly. I nearly damaged the cable housing...tight fit.
Started tracing the wiring to hook all that up. Have been studying the manual carefully...never wired a bike before. Trying to figure the best way to route the clutch. |
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| May 21 - Jun 1 Not a lot of time to work on the bike since I'm going diving in Bahamas. Worked mostly on deciphering the wiring again. Figured out most of the wiring situation - I'll put the pics up below. Emailed a few questions to Yuri and, as usual, he responded promptly.
Put on the front fender, but it was the wrong part - sent it back to Yuri - he will send a replacement. Hooked up the carbs, and I will also need the clutch cable holder - Yuri said he will send that, too. The battery that came with the bike resembled something one would find in a child's electric car, so I went to the auto store to
get a REAL motorcycle battery. Fits perfectly. Also picked up some wiring for the (+) to solenoid connection. Traced to the switched + side of the ignition. Left is off, center is ign, right is accessory (or so I think). Seems to meter out ok. Thus far, Yuri has emailed me back promptly and with good advice. Should have a lot done this weekend. Maybe even hook up the battery and try to start 'er up. |
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| June 11 All the wires are now hooked up, and the battery is ready to go! Turn the key and LIGHTS! WOW! All the switches, lights, etc work great. Picked up some fuel filters (there was some crud in the gas tank), and put those on.
Attached the parts Yuri sent. Need some bushings for the fuel tank, but put it on temporarily. Turned the key, primed the carbs, and NOTHING! Kick and kick...no luck. Well, it's 90 degrees out so maybe I'll wash it and figure it out later. |
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| June 12 Decided to have at it again. Fiddled with the carbs, worked the "ticklers" to prime them, kicked a few with the key off. Still nothing. Fuel seems like it's getting to the carbs, there's a good spark, compressions seems around 80's.
Even did a temp hookup to the starter, but it just doesnt seem to want to kick. Need to do some research... |
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| June 14 Here's what's on my list to do: 1. Adjust the valves. 2. Tighten the carbs 3. Check the ignition timing 4. Check the points 5. Maybe tighten the heads (check)? |
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June 17 Adjusted the valves and man - were they off! The exhaust valve was so lose you could almost move the pushrod out of the rocker. Replaced the points system with the electronic ignition. Pretty easy. Make sure the washers are
in the correct order on the shaft face. Picked up a ground strap at the local Hardley Davidson dealer, and temp rigged the starter. Gave it a few squirts of prime and she started !!!!!
You may want to right click and save the video...Think I need to adjust the carbs now and tighten the heads... |
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| August This is when the problems start! Ordered some K-68's from Roman (echokg), and they work great. Finally this is running like it should. Run it out for about 1 hour or so before taking it on the road. After about 10 miles or so, I notice oil all over
the front fender, and this is the problem: |
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| The lockwasher on the centrifugal oil filter unit wasnt fastened and the pressure from the oil sent the bolt
through the front cover. And even worse, the transmission has issues! The clutch wont fully disengage. This will need to be looked over as well.. |
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| October After deciding what to do about the engine, I figure I will rebuild it myself, and order an export unit with high compression cylinders from Lloyd at RAMCO.
After talking to Lloyd, I also decided to get the external oil filter (better cooling), and the second muffler to lose that collector under the engine. I ordered cylinders, heads, pistons, new wheels, etc from Roman. |
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| Dnepr Kitbike Experience - new life for a kitbike Page 2 |
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