Dnepr Sidecars

If you want a new Dnepr, you would be better off buying one from Lloyd Lounsbury at RAMCO in Seattle. His are the ONLY DOT/EPS approved Dneprs available in the U.S. and they can be titled/licensed in all 50 states.

Lloyd's bikes are ready to go, with American made cables, semimetalic brake lineings, Edelbrock Quicksilver carburetters, and they have the high compression export engine with a spin on oilfilter, the clyinders are precision honed for faster, more trouble free break-in. They also come with a 6 month parts warranty. Lloyd has bikes in stock.

Call Lloyd at (206)762-3602 after 10 am pacific time.

Yuri's bikes must be titled as kit bikes, that can be very difficult, depending on the state you live in and they have no warranty.

I bought a Dnepr MT-16 from Lloyd last year and am very happy with my rig and his customer support.

Dave

We were a RAM dealer until they went out of business. Do you know something we don't?

Northwest Sidecar

Originally written by Hack'n on 2/16/2005 9:01 AM

We were a RAM dealer until they went out of business. Do you know something we don't?

Northwest Sidecar

I guess I do. I stop by RAMCO a couple times a month. Lloyd's hasn't received any new bike shipments lately, but he has recieved some parts shipments. He still has a few bikes in stock.

Dave

Are you ordering a complete outfit or just a sidecar? If it's only a sidecar, the Russian paintwork is not usually up to our standards. Mine hasweld marks, drips, and a run in the pinstripe.
You may be better off saving the shipping costs and buy an in stock model and have it stripped and painted in your choice of color. I have a Dnepr sidecar that originally came from Yuri, but I got it second hand so I have no experience dealing with him.

Only want a sidecar.

Yuri did mention that if I want to color-match a sidecar with my bike, It would be best to have it professionally painted after I got it.

Good Day,
I've purchased at least 6 sidecars from Yuri so far and I've always found him good to deal with. You will have to consider painting the sidecar to your satisfaction yourself and you may want to clean up some of the factory welds a bit but Yuri doesn't hide that information and his prices and service are good. The bodywork on the Russian/Ukrainian sidecars is not spectacular but they are a tough, serviceable sidecar and an excellent value.
Regards,
Norm

How do you clean up the welds?

I have an air compressor and various grinding and polishing tools.

Also, repainting is not a problem - there is a body shop near my home that did good work for me when my mini-van was rear-ended. I might even try to paint it myself, after I get more spray-gun practice.

For Sidecar Mike:

How did you know what size of wheel would replace the stock one on your Dnepr sidecar?

I can easily get a mag wheel to match the ones on my bike, but would be concerned about axle size and mounting.

Steve Rubinson

We are a sidecar only dealer and those haven't been available from Ram for some time. (Or from Irbit either for that matter). I miss the days of the two Bobs and URAL America, when we could get timely product delivery from stock most of the time as opposed to the lllllooonnnngggg backorder times we are currently experiencing. Maybe they're still using the old Lend Lease Liberty ships from WW2 also (now that's retro).

Often the Russian welds are also used as filler (I learned this fact from some of my Ukrainian and Serbian welding students), so if you sand or grind them down make sure you do not weaken the joint., especially on any frame or suspension members. If you run across gas holes or any sign of a crack or poor fusion, grind the old weld out and apply a new weld bead to the area. If the problem is only cosmetic like a blob or overweld, it can be smoothed off with a rotary file or sander. If you want smooth and pretty, consider molding the seams with Bondo or other auto body filler before painting.
When matching wheels, we choose the desired wheel assembly and get a matching MFGs axle. Front or rear may be used. By pressing out the Dnepr/URAL/whatever axle from the swing-arm and fitting the desired size and length axle by drilling out the swing-arm or adding a steel bushing to make the new axle fit (if undersized), Voila, custom wheel. If no axle flange is present, the axle can be chilled to reduce the heat affected area and the stub end carefully ring welded to eliminate the possibility of subsequent movement.

Thanks for all of the advice.

I'd probably leave any welding to a professional, but could easily do sanding, grinding or smoothing.

I can definitely get a matching wheel and axle.

The biggest thing for me would be to have a durable rig - it won't have to be rocket-ship futuristic. My bike isn't anything fancy.

Originally written by SBRubinson on 2/17/2005 10:33 AM

For Sidecar Mike:

How did you know what size of wheel would replace the stock one on your Dnepr sidecar?

I can easily get a mag wheel to match the ones on my bike, but would be concerned about axle size and mounting.

Steve Rubinson

I didn't have a clue. I pulled the rim, brake assembly, and backing plate off of the Dnepr. I then measured the width of the rim, to make sure a new one would fit the axle and have enough threads left for the nut, and I headed for the junkyard. While there, I started measuring cross sections until I found something that would fit with it's brake rotor attached. Once I made my choice, I went to the local Auto Parts house and gave them the axle diameter, the outside diameter of the replacement wheels bearing and the width of the junkyard rim's bearing. They opened the bearing book and found two sealed bearings in stock. If I remember right, the rim, complete with brake caliper, mounting brakets, hose and Master cylinder were $35.00 and the bearings were $8. each. Don't forget to make a spacer out of a piece of pipe to fit the space between the two bearings to keep from distorting them when you tighten it up on the axle. Photo at http://www.sidecar.com/megabbs/photos/show-album.asp?albumid=7¤tpos=8

Make sure that you do everything by email- this way you have record of who said what.
Specify, down to the smallest detail of what you want, i.e. "new", fully assembled, what color, what comes with it, insure you specify a "new" body, "new" frame and "new" fender and a DOT approved tire with a round wheel.
By having detailed info documented in your emails you have a written record for any civil action you may find yourself in need of.
Remember, if you use a credit card to pay you loose the opportunity to file a criminal complaint with the USPS for mail fraud.
Good luck
Jim

Thanks for all of the input.

Although I've ridden "solo" for more than 20 years, I am a newbie to sidecars, and appreciate the warm welcome I've received from you all.

I'm getting a bunch of information by mail from Sidestrider. I talked to the guy who makes subframes for various bikes, and he has previously done an installation on my model of bike - 2000 Buell Cyclone. He said that a fiberglass sidecar might be a better option for the 1200cc bike, due to the lighter weight. Also I should be able to find a used one in gelcoat black for what I might spend to buy a Dnepr or Ural sidecar. My bike is black, which is easy to match. Sidestrider is recommending a Velorex 700, and there's not been any hard-sell to buy a new one from them. I've also seen some used Vetter Terraplanes for sale, and I like the styling.

Then again, option 2 is to find a used H-D big twin, which could handle anything. I'm bidding on a Dyna subframe on e-bay, and may go in that direction if I win it.