Manky Monkey Motors

If I put some pics of my Ural on?
I have not done much more to the frame as my little angle grinder went bang and I have to buy another.

Yeah, let's have a look!

ohhhh go on, show us.....promise not to laugh.....someones got to own them. ;) ;D

OK, you asked for it!

And some more.

Hi Doug, I'm NOT taking the piss but what is the fire extinguisher for?
Is it in case you go so fast you set fire to the road? Or a fuel tank or what?
Regards
Keith

And what's the bike tank from? I like the rubber saddle -comfy?
That's an unusual sort-tail set-up. Hurry up & build it so we can see how it goes!  :)

Don't worry about the comments, I'm sort of feeling my way along.
I started off by wanting to just chop the bike, and spent nearly a year dithering about. Then I decided to trike it, but with the option of being able to put it back to a bike so that it just needs a change of wheel plan on the V5, and not a full test.

 The look I am after is the rat rod style, as although the bike was from 76, the frame looks a lot older. To this end I am trying to keep body work to a minimum, and want to go with skinny tyres and a small tank.
The rubber seat is standard, but moved about eight inches back, and the last couple of pics show a cut up Subaru Sumo van bull bar (best thing for them) which might be a rack, and perhaps the fire ex as an extra petrol tank in case the russian Minsk 125 tank is not enough.

I reckon that has strong possibilties of becoming a good-looking trike!

I'm all for the minimal bodywork idea.

Thanks Gran.
Just seems like every time I get some money put aside, something comes up to knock me back.
I just had to pay a £40 fine for not re-sorning the pig I had here. I can't even remember getting a reminder letter off them.

They don't always send one - I tend to check my SORNed bikes online every so often.

I used to own a Neval. I have no right to laugh at anyone!

Nothing wrong with Russki bikes. I think they're cool.  8)

Its ok, I go to meetings and stand up and say, ' My name is doug and I have a Ural'.
There is even a support group, The Cossack Owners Club.

And if you think thats mad, I still have plans for a Reliant engined bike. ;D

I love it mate, think the ruskie bikes are cool. Liking some of your ideas as well ;D ;D

Thanks all.

<waves> I had a 650 Dneiper.

Hi Reliantman (Im asseming the hinge by the seat is a pivot for the rear suspension?)

How are you going to stop the rear subframe from trying to climb under the bike section under acceleration. Also where are the tie rods going to go to prevent axle tramp and the twisting loads?

Wave back.

Its going to be a solid mounted hardtail. As I mentioned above, I wanted to leave the frame alone so it could be put back to a solo. There are two mounts which come off the swing arm brackets, and there are going to be two more small mountings at the back, just to stabilise it.
After talking to the DVLA in Cardiff, they said that it only needs a change of wheel plan on the V5 as long as there is no change to the frame.

I have taken a risk by (tacking for now) welding that plate on top, but I can always say it is a seat  mounting, for solo use. Seat springing will be taken care of by two honda 90 shocks laid flat under the seat, worked by bellcranks.

There will be more tube coming out of the sides to secure the axle, when I can afford more metal, and I am going to fab a mounting using a U bolt just behind the U/J on the diff nose, to stop it twisting.

Here is my Dnepr, from about a million years ago, and one of the lower mounts.

Cool mate, sorry I misunderstood.
I used to love leaving mine in reverse and offering mates a go!!
They really ar ehardy, mine started to lose the helical gear that was part of the shaft drive built into the rear wheel. The FRONT wheel also had this gear built in for swopping if you were in the middle of some frozen tundra somewhere!

Brilliant! There should be more basic, good solidly built bikes like that on the market.

When my kid's were young we could'nt afford much  :'( and so owned a neval cossack outfit ,travelled many a mile on her and had to adapt the sidecar a few times to accomadate the fast growing sprog's and two dogs.We even belonged to the "jumbo" sidecar club.  :D :D

SpeedMaster keeps expressing a desire to own such a beast. I've never tried riding a combo. Been on the back of a bike fitted with a chair, which was a truly scary experience.

'The FRONT wheel also had this gear built in for swopping if you were in the middle of some frozen tundra somewhere!'

As the bike came with a 16 inch back wheel, I am hoping to put it on the front, if it will fit in the forks with a 130 tyre on.

I sprayed mine desert camo and had ammo boxes as panniers. A good laugh untill some old duffer attacked me with his walking stick calling me a Nazi after I stopped at a zebra to let him cross.



A double tap to the head from my Luger soon settled that tho. <clicks heels>

"I fought in the war for people like you -but I didn't get one."
                                           -Kenny Everett.

At the time of owning our neval my hubby gave me a few lessons on "how she should be ridden" .My first lesson was near meridian t v studios , i very nearly was the meridian news when i tried turning left!! My next lesson was near to a bike club in st denys(the club name escapes me but i think that they have red and white in thier patch  ;))I was doing ok until thier clubhouse came into view and i again had prob's turning left!!! I then went onto two wheels with an engine.

I was chatting to Tony this evening, (Retro 900). He reckons I should try building a "reverse" trike -2 wheels at the front. Wonder how they handle?

A lot better than the other way round, from what I've been told!

I think he said he had some photos of one. I'll chase him to dig them out & post them.
Saw a very tidy V Max reverse trike at the NEC a few years back & also at the BMF show in Peterborough. Had a one off fibreglass nose cone that flowed really well into the original bodywork.
Eek! Just noticed the time! I've got to get up for work in 3 & a half hours time -& with Taz away for the weekend I've got no-one to make sure I get up. I'd better sign off for the night.
G'night all.

Did'nt know you were up that late. We were good little bunnies and went to bed at eleven.

I had a 750 Bonnie & bought an old watsonian chair for twenty quid. Decide to put it on to see how it went, and I persuaded my mate to sit in it for ballast.
I was at RAF Chivenor in Devon at the time, and managed to get the outfit off the married quarters, and into the carpark of a campsite opposite. I then turned it around to go back, and misjudged how close the chair wheel was to a big concrete bollard. After cracking the thing with the chair wheel, and shaking my mate up, he decided to walk back and left me too it.
I kept it on for a while after that, but then sold it to a local who put it on a Honda 360 twin. I was sure it would not pull the watsonian, but I used to see him at beach parties with six or seven people in/on it, bombing up and down the beach.

The Dnepr in the pic above was owned by a mad armourer, and was supposed to have been taken across the sahara dessert. I was a bit dubious, but when I stripped the carbs they were full off red sand, so you never know. The wheels were a special fitting from morris mags. I flogged four for twenty quid and then found out they were like rocking horse s**t to find.
A few years later I bought another Dnepr in bits, and have recently found a complete one in bits in a shed close to me. The same bloke also has a 2CV-engined chop, but he won't sell that.

If you are serious, how about finding a Kitten, and hacking off the back chassis?
Then just fit a CX500 swing arm and Bob's your auntie.

It'd have to be a bit prettier than that, but not a bad idea. You don't think 2 trikes & a hotrod's enough for me to be going on with for now then?  :D

If I can find the pic, and get our ancient steam driven scanner working, I have some shots of a lovely single seat, reliant engined hand built special.

Sounds interesting.
I liked this one.

I have in mind an Indian type bobber,  with the lump mounted fore & aft with a Dnepr gearbox & shaft drive.

Build it, build it!!

I think I mentioned it when I first started posting on here, but things got in the way. I might get it done eventually.
This late Indian Four is what I would aim for it to look like, but without the leaf spring forks.

See, now I really like leaf sprung front ends. Something a little quirky about them that appeals to me.

I would love to have a set, but have you seen the price?

or ..a sunbeam s7 with reliant power,yum

Or a Reliant with Reliant power   ....sorry. :P

OR a mm built trike with s7 front end converted to hydraulic drum brake and s7 tinware.? :)

Mmm, now you're talking!

gwan gwan  ;D

I would like a sunbeam frame, but would rather build my own hardtail using a Ural or Dnepr front & headstock.

the problems that i've found with russian bikes are...... 1 / the bearings,bushes etc need to be replaced with quality iems,easy if ur doing a complete rebuild. 2 /the electrics,mainly the reg box and main switch (never seen a more complicated one )easily replaced.but i think the most important is,choice of engine oil,DONT use expensive oil,they were meant to run on terrible quality russian stuff and using good stuff does them no favours.over the years ive had 5 ruskies,and ran a 650 ural for 6 or 7 years with these mods and done a lot of mileage.aparently the latest ones are much improved and i wouldnt mind one again

Their basicness is very appealing. I think I've managed to make a Reliant even more basic than it was originally!

true,but for anyone that does a decent mileage the older ones do need work,and need to be maintained brit-bike style.

Check ebay, a guy from the Britchopper forum is selling weld together leaf front end kits for £395.00

Once I have the thing re-registered as a trike, I am going to make some leading links for mine , using the old fork legs.
I agree that russian bikes are labour intensive, but I think thats half the fun. Gives you a bit more room to mess about with them.
I had a go on a Wolf at F2 motorcycles when they first came out, and would have one if I had the readies.

leafy spring type things
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=280154810981&ssPageName=STRK:MESE:IT&ih=018

just tell him I sent you, you will not get a discount but I might  ;D ;D ;D

Nice. Doesn't say what car the spring should come from.