Scott E

Bobbed? How stripped is it? Did that include removing the sidecar and it's frame? Pictures would really help especially due to modifications made and if they are reversible.

I'd say they would be happy to sell you a high quality rim at a high quality price. I don't think they would even touch your old rims due to liability issues. If they repaired your old rim and it broke while you were riding it..... I just live with my crummy old poor Russian rims. 3 are not too bad but one is very bad so I keep it as the spare wheel on the sidecar. It's there "just in case" but when I rotate tires I dismount the tire on it and swap it out with a worn tire. I did consider making a jig for my press to bend that flattened area but the rim is welded right in the middle of it and so I fear what the outcome of doing that would be. Instead of a bad rim that is usable it would become scrap metal.

Here's an online parts manual for side valve and overhead valve CJ motorcycles. Parts are also available from the same site. http://sidecarpro.com/Parts_manual.html

Russian rims are horrible. You can find used and buy on-line but you may get a rim that's just as bad or even worse than the ones you have now. I used a press to straighten the side to side run out my rims had but the flat spots usually found where the rims are welded together are there to stay. What I did was true my rims as close as I could without the tire on the rim and ignored the flat spots. Then I mounted a tire on the rim and put it on my motorcycle balancing tool which I also used to check the rims for true. The tire will find a happy placement on the rim and sort of offset the flat spots. Turn the tire and adjust the spokes so the tire is running as true as possible on the poorly made rims. I know it sounds bad but it's all you can do without spending a small fortune buying good quality rims and the shipping that goes along with that. Then you'll need to balance the tire/rim because it will need it very much due to the rim run out just to get a true running tire that will not bounce going down the road.

My 562 is small inside as well. I have sat in it and just barely fit. I'm 5 foot 8 inches tall and weigh 200 lbs. If I was any larger in any other sizes I simply would not fit. My Wife is slightly smaller than I am so she will fit which is all I was worried about. My Dnepr Sidecar is huge in comparison. I think my 562 will be a good fit for the Honda as it's a 600cc bike so a smallish Sidecar is what it needs.

I'm in the beginning stages of a new project. I found a Velorex 562 sidecar in a barn for $350 in not to bad shape. I diden't try to talk him down or anything. Just handed him the money, loaded it in the truck, and took off before anyone else showed up and knew anything about what a sidecar like that costs even used. I've gotten it cleaned up and all the hardware ready to clamp it to a motorcycle. I have a 2006 Honda VT600 Shadow (The Little Shadow) and I'm in the process of fabricating a sub-frame for the bike because there's no way to mount the sidecar to it properly otherwise. I've got it about half done spending a lot of time on a heavy peace of 1/4" angle iron machining slots for U-bolts and cutting it down to size and clearance cuts to fit on the bikes frame. Then I've got to make some support brackets for a 1" steel pipe the sidecar clamps will clamp on for both lower mounts. Upper mounts will be fabricated too. I looked at a few Youtube videos of sidecars attached to a Honda VT600 Shadow like mine and all of them looked really janky. I noticed one that had the rear upper mount attached to the bikes swing arm with a swivel joint on it. You know driving it like that had to be a really frighting thing to do. None of them actually showed the bike driving around. They were all just walk around videos and telling how they could mount their sidecar's to any motorcycle.

I think everyone is busy making up for a lost year due to the Beer Virus. Everything is beginning to get back to normal here in Alabama.

FedEx delivered 4 Shinko SR241 tires size 3.5-19. I was going to buy Duro HF308's but they are out of stock and after several calls no one would say when they would be back in stock. Back when I started restoring my Dnepr MT-11 I purchased 4 Shinko 240 100/90-19 black wall classic tires on sale. They are street only tires and at the time that's what I wanted. I have a little over 9,000 Km on them now. 2 are right at the wear limit with one being the sidecar tire and the other the spare. The one in the current pusher position looks like it will hit that minimum wear limit in another 1,000 Km. The front tire when it's time to become the pusher will go about 2,500 Km. Needless to say they have been and still are good tires but are quickly getting to the point where they must be replaced. I thought about buying another set of those but then I found an Amazon review post from a guy with a Chang Jiang sidecar motorcycle raving about the Shanko SR241 tires he ordered and installed. He said they were almost exactly the same as the 3.75-19 USSR tires in width, height, and tread pattern. After mine arrived I went ahead and mounted one on the rim I use as the spare tire. He was correct except the tread depth is deeper than the original Ukrainian made USSR tires that were on my Dnepr when I got it. Needless to say they were completely dry rotted but the tire used as the spare still retained it's shape and didn’t have flat spots from sitting in one spot for 27 years. I actually kept it as a wall hanger in the shop. Despite the SR241 tires saying it's 3.5-19 I measured the width after mounting it on the rim and filling with air. It measures 4 inches wide at it's widest point. That's exactly what the 3.75-19 USSR tire measures. According to the reviews about this tire it wears about the same as any other motorcycle tire. If it's the same as my near worn out Shinko 240 tires I'll be very pleased. I do rotate the tires as per my Dnepr owner/service manual that came with it. Oh! They can be used front or rear and have no rotation arrows so I think they will be fine as Sidecar Motorcycles tires.

Disconnect the fuel line from the carburetor, hold a container under it, and turn the petcock on. You should get a nice flow of fuel. Other than that you must remove the float bowl to access the needle valve, float, and be able to check the passage for obstruction between the fuel inlet hose connection and the needle valve seat. You could also have clogged jets and passages connected to them. Carburetors like the ones you have are not complicated and can be reassembled in only one way. Just make sure you have a clean area to work on when taking the carburetor apart and have small containers for keeping the small parts in while it is apart. There are several reasons the cylinder can make noises. Someone experienced can usually determine what is causing them. It could be a vacuum leaks between the carburetor and head intake port. The valve lash may be set too tight or even too loose. There could be a leaking head gasket or the valves may be leaking. The carburetor needle valve my not completely stop fuel flow when the fuel bowl is full or the needle valve may be sticking every now and then causing the carburetor float bowl level to drop causing a too lean condition resulting in noise and when the noise is made it jars the needle loose allowing the float bowl fuel lever to rapidly return to normal. You've just got to look at everything to find the problem.

I don't have any diagrams that are not already available on this site and on the internet via a search. It's really not all that complicated. It looks complicated when you look at all the wires and connections as one big puzzle but if you work on only one circuit at a time it's really simple. It's just several circuits all located in one place with a couple of them going through the main switch and others just going to light bulbs. The oil pressure switch is just a simple circuit that is connected to the battery through the main switch, then the oil pressure bulb, and ending at the oil pressure switch on the engine that is closed when the oil pressure is low allowing the electrons to flow and stop when the oil pressure is normal because the oil pressure switch has opened. When I was young my Uncle told me to think of electrical circuits like pipes with water flowing through them except for electrical circuits where it's electrons flowing through wires. Think of electric switches as valves to let water through when open and stopped when closed except that's backwards for electron flow. When a switch is open electrons can't go through and when the switch is closed the electrons can pass through it freely. The battery is like a storage tank of water and the alternator pumps electrons like water to refill the tank or battery. Also you can think of a light bulb as a water fall or shower. When the bulb is on it's spraying electrons like water that you can see with your eyes and when it's off there are no electrons or water to spray. An example using the colors shown in the diagram you posted find the positive post of the battery with the blue wire. On the diagram that wire going into the headlight shell is connected to the key switch (5). If you look at the wire that is connected between the battery post and the key switch and find it a different color then you would need to use tape and an ink pin to label it so you know what it actually connects to. If you step through each wire tracing it to the connections shown in the diagram one at a time labelling them with tape and ink if the wire colors are different before you know it you'll have everything correct. Don't get in a hurry and if you get frustrated just stop, put it away, and sleep on it. Once I was trying to install an engine in a car and simply could not get the transmission shaft through the clutch disc splines. I fought it for hours and walked away to do something else. The next day I took hold of the engine and pushed it a little and the shaft went through the clutch disc splines with almost no effort. It's the same with electrical work. If you get frustrated go do something else and come back when you are not frustrated and you have a clear mind. That's when the magic happens!

After so many years and so many people working on the bike I'd say the colors mean nothing. Worse it may have a new main switch that is nothing like the original and was replaced with a new switch from another model motorcycle. You just don't know until you start tracing it all out, which you will need to do. The easiest way to go about it is buy or make a simple test light connected to a 6 volt battery if you are keeping the motorcycle 6 volts or a 12 volt battery if you plan on upgrading to a 12 volt system. You can use one of the warning lights in the headlight as your test lamp. Start with the main switch in off position and check all connections making sure that none turn on your test light. Then switch it to ignition on and find the terminals that light up and mark them. Some main switches have a parking lights on position. That position turns off the ignition power and turns on the tail lights and front clearance lights and allows the key switch to be removed. The other electrical devices in the headlight bucket are warning lights, the headlight, fuse, and the small clearance or parking light in the head light reflector. It's all shown in the electrical schematic you posted so once you figure out the terminals using your test light setup then you can see what colors they used. You could then keep whatever is there or change them to match what colors are shown. Here is a drawing of the test light setup with the switch being whatever switches are closed or open for the chosen position.

Are you in the USA? A location would help as this forum has international users. If you are in the USA you might check with https://www.heindlengineering.com/ They are a large Ural dealer that take Ural motorcycles on trade and also buy them. Some older Urals with bad major parts such as engines, gear boxes, and final drives they part out and so I'm sure they may have a used battery cover they would sell. You may also ask for one at https://www.sovietsteeds.com/forums/index.php in the Black Market sub section. There are a lot of Ural Dealers that post and watch that forum for people needing Ural Parts. A warning about that forum however. There are people over there who will deride you. A few have gone to the Ural factory for a tour and are now "experts" on all Russian Motorcycles and with that comes that special attitude. Also don't expect any real help like you get here. I served at the Annsiton Army Depot during my time in the US Army in the M1 Abrams Tank program and after Desert Storm and Iraqi Freedom worked on Captured Russian Equipment including T-72 Tanks, BMP's, Trucks, and Motorcycles including Ural, Dnepr, and MZ rebuilding everything for Training Grounds Like Fort Irwin and Twentynine Palms. I was promptly informed over at Soviet Steeds I was posting Bull Crap in the few posts I made trying to help so I no longer go there. It's a total waste of time if you are looking for help fixing your Motorcycle or even trying to help others.

If you can't drive it on the road you could put the stand down and run it through the gears with the tire off the ground. That could give you an indication of proper shifting and clutch operation as well as checking the engine oil pressure and if the carburetors are setup correctly. The speedometer will function with the tire off the ground so you can watch it so you don't over speed the engine. If you hook up the alternator with a battery and regulator you can test it as well when it's running. Just connect a volt meter to the battery and if the voltage is around 14 VDC above idle the alternator and it's regulator is working. I hope you can get it running and driving and have it ready to go when you can start driving and register your Motorcycle. You will always remember your first motorcycle the rest of your life. Be sure and take a picture of you and the motorcycle together because you will find joy in it when you get old like me. Working on and getting that first motorcycle going makes it even better. I had to fix my first motorcycle too. It was about to be taken to a scrap metal yard when I asked if I could take it, and he let me. Soviet Steeds forum is filled with rich people that only know how to pay others to work on their motorcycles. It's also useless to try to help them because their mechanic shop fixes their motorcycles for them and no one else can do it as well in their opinion.

Do not be worried about going into the gear box. It's very simple in there. You will more than likely need new gaskets and seals if the bike has been sitting a long time. I have no idea why they have a zip tie on the clutch lever unless they thought it would spring apart when they removed the clutch cable. You need to pull out the clutch throwout bearing assembly and inspect it. Simply remove the Carter or split pin holding the axle for the clutch arm. Then remove the axle and then the clutch arm. Then pull out the plug the clutch arm pushes in and below that you will find a ring of ball bearings captured in a plastic or brass ring between two flat bearing plates the balls ride on when the handlebar clutch lever is pulled in. Don't be surprised if it's damaged. This is one of those assembly’s you keep as ready spare parts. The problem is mostly with the operator sitting stopped with the gear box in first gear and the engine idling. The throw out bearing assembly is located above the gear box oil level and receives oil only when the input or output gears are rotating. When you come to a stop for a red light or stuck in non moving situations you should always find neutral and release the handlebar clutch lever. This will allow the input gears to spin with the engine slinging oil inside the gear box to lubricate everything including the clutch throw out bearing assembly so it will have oil in it ready for you to pull the clutch lever in and start the bike rolling again. The out put shaft turns when the gear box is in neutral without being connected to the final drive from the viscosity of the oil in the gear box. It creates a sloppy sort of fluid drive between the gears in the gearbox. If the bike has been sitting then as others have commented the clutch plates could be stuck together or the throw out bearing could be damaged. Here is a drawing of the clutch throw out bearing assembly.

Some Dnepr Gear boxes have a semi automatic function. When you press down on the toe or heal pad a pin below the clutch throw out bearing arm presses the clutch arm disengaging the clutch for you. You can not use it in first gear with the bike stopped! In that case you must use the handlebar clutch lever to get the bike rolling. It does not work for the reverse gear as well. To use the semi automatic clutch function when up or down shifting and the bike is moving simply let off the throttle completely, press down firmly on the toe or heal shifting lever, then gently and slowly take pressure off the shifting lever as you add throttle just as you would do using the hand clutch lever. It's typically used when a firm grip on the handlebars is required. You can up or down shift without needing to remove a "Death Grip" on the left handlebar grip. Remember that Dnepr Motorcycles were originally built for military service and so the Driver may be operating the motorcycle at fearful speed on poor or no roads and loosening the grip on the handlebar could be dangerous under those conditions. There is an adjustment bolt and locking nut that needs to be adjusted properly if you intend to use the semi automatic clutch function. On the end of the clutch lever part #KM3-8.15503611 (Throwout bearing clutch arm) is a bolt and locking nut. The head of the bolt should be touching a pin sticking out of the gear box. Pressing this pin in with a long screw driver should indicate a necessary small gap. A small spring keeps pressure on that pin. The gap should be about the thickness of two credit or bank cards. You must check this clearance regularly! As the clutch wears from use that gap is reduced unlike the handlebar lever where the cable slack increases. If the gap disappears completely the clutch can slip and be burned up. If you do not intend to use the semi-automatic function simply run the adjustment bolt into the clutch lever so the gap is very wide. To test for proper function simply press the toe pad down into 1st gear with your foot while you are standing beside the bike and push it forward. The clutch should be pressed in allowing you to push the bike forward without the clutch dragging at all as if the gear box is in neutral. When you take your foot off the toe pad the clutch should engage with the gear box remaining in 1st gear. When parked with the engine off with the bike in first gear you will need to pull in the hand clutch lever in order to find neutral for starting the bike running. It's very difficult to find neutral on bikes with semi-automatic Dnepr gear boxes without pulling in the hand clutch lever to defeat it's operation when not desired.