This photo gallery will chronicle my experiences with a Ukrainian made Dnepr MT-16 motorcycle. I purchased the bike as kit for a mere $2950. That's a killer deal for a 2-wheel drive motorcycle sidecar rig. Of course anything that sounds too good to be true normally is. The bike required some tender loving care and upgrades before it is ready for the road. So I look at this bike as a project and these photos will document my progress. When the project is complete and the bike is road worthy, I'll post the total project costs so that anyone considering the kit bike approach will have an idea of what they are facing. In addition to the direct costs, it is estimated that a Dnepr kit bike will require approximately 150 to 200 man hours of effort to make the bike safe and reliable for the road. Some well informed and experienced individuals familiar with Russian/Ukrainian quality control also recommend significant engine work before attempting to break-in the 650cc boxer twin engine. The tolerances of the motors as delivered are too tight. This can limit oil flow to critical parts and can cause the engine to seize. There are lots of stories on various Internet groups of seized engines after only a few kilometers. I hope to avoid this problem by using the prescribed engine break-in procedure. The restoration project consists of two distinct phases. Phase 1 which began in January and ended on April 3, 2005 consisted of taking delivery of the kit bike and its complete disassembly. The Phase 1 photos depict this process in detail. Now that the Dnepr has been disassembled Phase 2 can begin. This phase represents the hard work, the restoration and replacement of parts and the bike's eventual reconstruction. If you're interested in old Soviet motorcycles, or you are considering purchasing a kit bike, be sure to bookmark this site and visit often to check on my progress. Hopefully, you will learn from my experiences and save yourself some time, effort, and money in the process. Select the links below to visit the Dnepr photo galleries. Here's a great link to Ace's DNEPR Guide web site. He's providing a lot of step-by-step instructions and procedures (with diagrams and photos) for repairing and maintaining your DNEPR. I highly recommend the site. Be sure to tell Ace how much you appreciate his efforts! | 
