Dnepr 10-36 " Junk Yard Dog " custom build
Posted by Shane Newman on
So.....
You have a storage shed full of old broken parts, left over bike carcasses and a few dead squirrels, what do you do?
We build another motorcycle of course !!!!
Junk Yard Dog, built from everything within hands reach and anything else in my shed that was not bolted down.
We want old, we want surface rust, we want a story of overuse, age and character, like an old plough horse put out to pasture. Sure she looks knackered, but i bet with a bucket of oats she'd have that field done faster than a Hart Parr 18-36
The donor : 1976 Dnepr MT10-36
Less is best
Strip all the unnecessary weight and clutter, we want a simplistic tank to seat line, wide bars and only what is required to be safe on the road.
I am wanting to create a 1950's era look and feel.
The Dnepr is air cooled 650cc twin, kick start, shaft drive , drum brakes ~ simple
Lets strip it down
Dnepr are super strong bikes, the 10-36 being the best of the bunch. As long as modern pistons and a valve clean up is done, these bikes will go on and on.
Wiring was a complete mess of drunken roadside DIY , fence wire and chewing gum. From Russia with love.
All of the original wiring had to go, here is why.
Old fuse box be gone ! Try finding those fuses in a local garage......
Is that a Band-Aid used for insulation? Why yes, yes it is.....
When I build a bike, I always think of the next owner down the road. We all want clean wiring, good strong connections and modern blade fuses. This kind of mess drives me crazy, causes all kinds of issues and is actually quite dangerous.. IN THE TRASH !
Fuel tank
I had a lovely old 1962 IZH Jupiter fuel tank that I carefully cut and welded the mount tags in the correct place to match the bike frames forward bolt holes.
These tanks are great because they have a nice wide open section underneath and will fit any tubular bike frame
Next was sorting out the springer seat. I used an older model Dnepr tractor seat, a bobber seat kit for the forward mount, welded to the under side seat rail and a set of scissor style springs. 2x M8 bolts welded to the frame would allow the springs to sit over and be tightened down with a Nylock nut.
* Very Important : Use your eyes to set up the seat, not a ruler. Cossack bikes were made by drunks, the frames are all out of whack. If you use any kind of measuring device, the seat will be at an angle.
Make a mark on the lower centerline of the tank and line up with the seats front tip with that mark. Hold in place and have a friend mark on the frame where to weld the M8 bolts for the scissor springs.
* Do you like my cool tank nut? I welded another M8 bolt to the frame and drilled a hole through the tanks rear mount plate. The " nut " is just a fancy kitchen drawer knob that was within arms reach.... I know... the secrets out now.
Front and rear wheel guard and headlight mount time.
The front guard and headlights original position were too high, so I carefully drilled out the spot welds of the fork leg sleeves, front fender ( wheel guard ) mounts and moved everything down, then re welded.
The rear fender ( wheel guard ) was bobbed and support struts added
I also used an older style KMZ K750 rear tail light
The exhausts pipes I used were a set of Tulip pipes, as I was trying to mimic the earlier 1940's Triumph Speed Twin
Handlebars and headlight
It was very important to have almost no wires on the handlebars.
I opted for a headlight that used the speedo inside the headlight bucket and had a turn key ignition built in. The key can be turned left or right for an extra power wire out, perfect for the headlights main power wire.
This means, the bars are clean except for a horn and high/low headlight switch.
Triumph make such a switch, horn and high low beam dip.
Super clean setup, simple and it works.
I just love the yellow headlight glass, I picked that up in a boot sale, fitted perfectly
Handlebars I went with Harley Davidson one inch Beach bars
Twistgrip throttle I used a Norton one inch controller and made a one into two throttle cable ( you can buy a 1 into 2 splitter ), use the cable kits and make your own cables.
For the throttle nipple end, I just drilled a 5mm hole with a 3mm drill bit. Covered the end of the cable in flux, placed the cable end in the drilled hole, dripped melted silver solder down into the hole and there you have it, a perfect throttle slide nipple.
We are basically done now, thanks for sticking with the build blog this far.
Here is a few more photos and don't forget to like the build video.
Cheers.
