Closing date for April issue -> February 17
Oh well, if you enjoy it…
If you do it to a Harley, it's customization. If you do it to a BMW, it's vandalism. But if you just go wild on a classic ex-Soviet three-wheeler? Well, in that region, "just keep it running" was already the norm.
That's how my Ural IMZ started out as a 650cc side-valve engine. It was fitted with a modified Dnepr (KMZ) tank. It received a heart transplant with a 6-volt 750cc side-valve engine from Ukraine (KMZ). This boosted its output from a claimed 36 hp to 23 hp. The headlight is a NOS BSA military lamp that was still in its original box. The front rack is from a scrapped Dnepr. Its purpose is unclear.
The rear light units are Jawa replacements from Slovakia. I made the manual shifter to put the unit in reverse from scraps from the "miscellaneous items" crate. The button once adorned the headboard of a bed. It's made of wood. Due to knee problems, the Ukrainian engine was swapped for a 750cc Chang Jiang sidevalve engine with a 12V system and a starter motor. The upper engine mount required some improvisation.
There are videos on the internet of Urals and/or Dneprs effortlessly powering through the deepest rivers. That can't be real. Because if your air filter inhales water, it's guaranteed to be the end of the engine, not to mention the water-cooled contact points. There are waterproof spark plug caps. Off-road vehicles often have snorkels. That spark plug cap story is more or less solved.
Oh yeah: the coil is from an Ugly Duck. And with a couple of zip ties, it fits perfectly. And when I noticed that the funnel I once made on the MTS fit perfectly in the air filter housing, I decided I had to upgrade the only tangible reminder of my MTS days to something resembling a snorkel.
A lunchbox from Action, a piece of PVC pipe about 50mm long, a PVC elbow, and a piece of concertina tubing from the crate of used rubber goods—along with a can of black spray paint from Action—completed the whole thing. Not that I want to cross the IJssel River under it any time soon, but I liked the idea. The next step is running the wiring.
The current trend among Ural/Dnepr buyers is toward originality. And that's respectable. This might seem like terrible botch to purists. But I'm having a blast! Thanks to Benno from the UDCN, Richard Busweiler, Gerrit Busweiler, Gerrit Kranenberg, Morriën Lasvast, Ernie Wijnstekers, Jan Eggink, Action, and many others 😊
Maybe I never grew up. Maybe I'm a bungler. But I still have just as much fun as I did when I was 16, buying a Norton 99 for 75 guilders (which the police confiscated).
And to reassure those who prefer originality: I know the fuel tank sticker on the V7 is incorrect. But that's the only concession.
Awesome, Dolf, I totally get how much fun you're having with this. P.S. Put a filler sleeve over the M10 bolt on the modified engine block mount; it'll make it a lot stronger. 😉
Dolf, what a wonderful hobby bike!
That bracket on the front is just a luggage rack to strap your backpack to, right? There's another one on the back that can hold a proper rack. Also, don't try to corner at a slight angle; you'll be immediately corrected by your exhaust.
Dolf, it's wonderful to see that you've given the funnel, which you made as a project at the MTS back in the day, a good destination.
I made a funnel like that at the MTS in Ede and I still use it after 50 years to fill up my old Harley.
Wonderful. Just making what you love and find beautiful. In texts and engines. 👍🏻
What a delicious t****ing mess!😂
I can imagine you have a lot of fun with it.
Keep up the good works!👍
Back to crafting again, Dolf!
Let the originality fetishists shudder at your creative and idiosyncratic solutions.
And to quote Bert Ruiter: What am I doing now… I'll just have to arrange it! (after knocking over an enormous load of cones during a somewhat rainy – and therefore very slippery – slalom race in Lelystad.