War time hacks

[gspell68]

Just to clear up a few errors and throw out some other other facts:
1) The R-71 was a 750cc bike (someone said a 600cc) that was the grandfather of M-72's and CJ-750's (not the R-75 as someone said).
2) The R-71 was never used by the German military (except in minor, non-tactical, homeland defense roles in the same way US Army would use a Ford Econoline van!). Plus, ever notice that the KS-750's frame is one big piece of stamped steel and the R-75's frame is a bunch of bolt-joined sections?!?!? Welding technology was in it's infancy and the tubular steel frame was still not up to off-road rigors (The Germans knew this when they gave the plans to the Soviets, but the Rooskies welded in gussets at the weak joints). Plus, the Army was already heavily vested in flexible steel framed R-12 whose drive parts weren't really interchangeable with the R-71. The R-71 was already obsolete during it's production and was the last flathead BMW ever designed!!! Olny about 3,500 were ever made.
3) The KS-750 and R-75 weren't designed concurrently. Zundapp (who probably copied theirs from the Gnome & Rhone AX2 design or that other Belgian factory I can't remember right now) rolled out their rig well before BMW even had an R-75 assembly line. The Germans wanted BMW to start producing the Zundapp design, but BMW insisted they could make their own version in a timely manner. The R-75 was the first motorcycle with hydraulic brakes.
4) The K-750 from the KMZ (later Dnepr) factory in Kiev, Ukraine was merely a suspension improvement of the R-71/M-72's plunger frame to cope with harsh Russian terrain and had nothing in common with the German rigs. The rear swingarm remained the same on every Dnepr bike until the factory closed. The front leading link fork design flopped though. The engine had a few minor upgrades that boosted it up by a whopping 4hp over the M-72! Yeehaw!!! In the 1960's Dnepr came out with a gearbox that had a reverse and an awesome auto-clutching feature. They also had 2WD versions, but as I understand, there was little in common with the German design. Later the Dnepr 2WD was full-time, not a locking diff like the Ural, Zundapp, or BMW.
5) No post-war KS-750's or R-75's were made probably because the factories were destroyed and there were Allied enforced displacement restrictions on motorcycles. I read that there were about 100 civilian model R-75's made in 1948 from leftover parts, though.

[fyr]

RRVT, Thanks for sharing that story!

gspell68- Great info. I absolutely love hearing about all of these bikes.

bmwhacker...............

[bmwhacker]

Originally Posted by fyr

RRVT, Thanks for sharing that story!

gspell68- Great info. I absolutely love hearing about all of these bikes.

bmwhacker...............

I'm quietly and patiently counting down the days.....Tuesday, around noon, is meeting time. I've even located the location via Google Earth so I know exactly where I'm going.....it's kind of out in the sticks.

[D.Bachtel]

Well....

If you need storage out here in California or help transporting you know how to reach me. Hope this one isn't ______!

Don in Nipomo

[pfestus1]

[bmwhacker]

Gettin' closer.....I've been brushing up on WW2 BMW model identities.
Hopefully I won't need my Chinese / Russian Dictionary....

[Winterbiker]

Here my two cents ...two pics... to this thread!


Winterbiker

[RRVT]

Originally Posted by Winterbiker

Here my two cents ...two pics... to this thread! Winterbiker

Those are very cool. I like that your riding gear matches the character of the bikes.

[GreatWhiteNorth]

We've all seen German and Russian WWII military sidecar rigs, but were there Harley Davidson sidecar rigs built and actually used operationally? I've only seen HD motorcycles alone; i.e. without sidecars.

[bmwhacker]

Очень плохой двор орнаментом.
Этот мотоцикл не стоит порошка чтобы взорвать его в ад.
(Very bad yard ornament.
This bike is not worth the powder to blow it to hell.)

Я не уверен, что это такое .... может быть, IMZ или Dpner?
(I'm not sure what it is .... may be, IMZ or Dpner?)





Кадр коляской, возможно, какое-то значение для кого-то?
(Sidecar frame, perhaps some value to someone?)






Кто-то в прошлом написал "BMW" на поршень с волшебным маркером ... вот как нынешний владелец решил, что это был BMW.
(Someone wrote in the past "BMW" on the piston with a magic marker ... Here, as the current owner has decided that it was BMW._






Итак, я предложил вернуться и haulit далеко за стоимость моего газа прийти и получить его. Даже, что это растяжение ее «ценность.
(So, I offered to come back and haul it away the cost of my gas to come and get it. Even that is stretching its "value.)

Так много для моего мечтает о ценных "сарай найти" ... все я нашел, было навоза на сарае пол ...

(So much for my dreams of a valuable "barn find" ... All I found was the manure on the barn floor ...)

[D.Bachtel]

OK....
Translate please, my Russian is a little weak.
Did you buy it or what!


Don in Nipomo

[D.Bachtel]

Looks like a promising project to me!
Something about the way it's all tarted up with red paint.

Drop the pieces off in my front yard, I'll sort it out.
I could use some more parts...

What exactly is it or is that yet to be determined.


Don in Nipomo

[bmwhacker]

Originally Posted by D.Bachtel

Looks like a promising project to me!
Something about the way it's all tarted up with red paint.

Drop the pieces off in my front yard, I'll sort it out.
I could use some more parts...

What exactly is it or is that yet to be determined.


Don in Nipomo

Old Russian POS. I don't think there is any way to date those things. I'm not sure what it is but not a BMW.
A guy with a lot of time and money might be able to graft a different engine into it.
A lot of things missing and the engine was a rusted up mess.
Only way i would haul it home was for free.

[fyr]

Well.....
I read your sig line. It has two wheels...

[zundappuk]

Thats a shame,=.

Looks like an early-mid Russian M72. A lot better than the Chinese version, and starting to get a following. Could be worth a go provided the price is right.....

Best

David