Dnepr MW650 1979

Dnepr MW650

This is the poor mans WW2 German Heavy motorcycle with side car. Poor mans I say as a genuine BMW or Zundapp from WW2 cost tens of thousands, where as these Soviet bikes are very cheap to buy. They made millions so theres a few about and spares are easy to find.

Theres lots of different designs that all look similar and to the unknown they all look the same and you really need to do your research to pin point what model you are looking at.

The story goes early in the war BMW gave all the info to build the BMW R71 – then called the M72 – these are really rare as they were destroyed in the war. Another story is Russia captured one and copied it and there are other stories, it depends on who you believe but the stories are interesting. Models developed over time. This one is the big daddy the heavy Russian army motorbike with sidecar, with a driven sidecar wheel and reverse gear and raised suspension. The rack at the front mounts a machine gun, which you can still buy decommissioned for a few hundred Euros.

I call it the Afghan bike, well it’s about the right time the Russians invaded.

I was looking out and researching German WW2 motorbike with sidecars, trying to see if I could afford one to do some 40’s weekend ride outs and came across a Soviet one been sold. I wrote to the guys who were Polish and we talked about what was available. They had this baby a rare beast indeed, the biggest and best of the Soviet Army bikes. Their job was restoring these types of bikes and shipping them around the world, we struck a deal and a few months later it turned up with step by step photos and video of it running before I passed money over and took delivery.

These are so big the sidecar had to be removed to get the bike in a Sprinter van. I fitted the sidecar and then I’ve done nothing with it. The history of these things is a bit sketchy and I’ve got to know the main man who does the age relating for all these Soviet bikes. Not only did I buy this one, I bought another 3 different types.

If I don’t get too old, I’ll get it on the road and take the kids for a drive and of course I’ve got all the Russian army gear to become a dispatch rider.