Dnepr

Dnepr (Днепр or Дніпро) has been the brand name of motorcycles produced in Kiev, Ukraine. It has been in use since 1967.

History
Motorcycles have been produced in Kiev since 1946 at the Kiev Motorcycle Plant (Киeвский Мотоциклетный Завод, КМЗ). Initial production was of a 98cc 2-stroke model that was confiscated from the German firm Wanderer as reparations. The original design for KMZ heavy motorcycles, and their cousin the IMZ, is taken from the pre-WWII German BMW motorcycle R71, which the Soviet Union licensed in 1940. The plant and equipment needed to make the M-72 (the Soviet derivative of the BMW R71) was transferred from the city of Gorkiy (now known as Nizhny Novgorod) in 1949. The first batch of M-72 motorcycles was produced in 1952 with the supply of 500 engines from IMZ. In 1958 KMZ replaced the plunger framed M72-N with the swingarm framed K-750. (This frame may have been modeled after the post 1955 BMW duplex frame). In 1964 KMZ introduced a military model, the MV-750 with a differential two-wheel drive to the sidecar wheel.

In 1967, to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Great October Socialist Revolution, KMZ released their first OHV engine in the "Dnepr" K-650. Unlike the earlier sidevalve engines with their roller bearing crankshafts, this engine featured a sleeve bearing crankshaft as found in the WWII Zündapp KS750. The K-650 was superseded by model MT-9 650cc, which was available in both solo and sidecar models (often referred to as the best "Cossack") as it was reliable and featured a new transmission with reverse gear and an automatic declutching mechanism incorporated into the riders foot pedal. The MT-10 was the first Soviet motorcycle to feature 12volt electrics.

The Dnepr is famous for its off-road capability. Armed services models equipped with sidecars had two-wheel drive and as much as fifteen centimetres (6 in) of ground clearance. The present engine is a 650cc OHV boxer twin. Modern models are sold with engines ranging from the factory standard 650 to 750 and 1000cc. Some models have been spotted sporting aftermarket 1000 Hatz diesel, BMW, and even VW car engines.

These motorcycles have featured in films, like Indiana Jones and used prominently in the movie Garden State, with Zach Braff.

Between 1973 and 1979, Dnepr motorcycles were sold in the United Kingdom by SATRA under the brand name Cossack.

Current availability
Since the collapse of the USSR, the factory had fallen on very hard times. It seems that production stopped soon after in the early 1990s. Some Dnepr motorcycles are sold today as new; however, these are mostly built from parts and vary widely in quality.

Dnepr (along with the Ural and the Yugo) is one of the few Eastern Bloc vehicles that is relatively common in the United States.

Images
