FRAME AND SUSPENSION

   If you are reading this chapter, it’s either because you are totally bored, or you are totally rebuilding your Dnepr.  After hours of listening to your motor and wondering when that darn thing is going to blow up and take off one of your legs, you got a little too deep in the Vodka.  It’s not always smart to keep a bottle hidden away so close to a whole box of new tools.  You were wondering what that noise really might be, and hit yourself in the head with a brick a little too hard, and now you woke up on the garage floor with a monstrous headache and your precious Dnepr has valiantly defended you overnight, but has become completely disassembled in the process.  You find yourself surrounded by a host of bits of motor and other things, and now you have got to put the whole thing back together. 

   The problem here is that you don’t even have more than the faintest memories of the battle of the Busted Knuckle and have no ides how every nut and bolt got put into the Christmas Punch Bowl in the middle of the garage floor.  Especially considering that it is the middle of March.

   This is where you come to see what all the things that you took off of the frame actually came from.  Chances are, that last night was just a nightmare flashback and the reality is that you have had the thing stripped down and painted and all sorts of things got done that you never even considered before the teardown have mysteriously all become priority of some sort and each little project has been completed while waiting for parts to come from The Mother Land, or gosh only knows where else.  It is finally time to start putting everything back together.  Gosh there were a lot of nuts n bolts that got put into that punch bowl, and now is the time to sort it all out.

   The Dnepr changed the frame when they started to build the MT11, but everything is fully interchangeable between the two models, and inclusive of the MT16.  The only real differences were a few stop stirrups and gaskets.  You can refer to the diagrams on the following page to see the differences.  The key to the neck lock has been left out of the diagrams, as it is nearly impossible to replace, and doesn’t work very well at the best of times.

   While you have your frame stripped down, you should wash it thoroughly and remove any rust and paint chips.  Check your frame for cracks and other defects, and do a visual check for straightness.  Place the frame on a level surface and put a level across the lower frame rails to be sure that they are level.  Use a plumb bob through the frame neck to visually check the frame for straightness.  Weld any minor cracks, or apply lap plates to damaged areas.  File the welds smooth and apply paint or powdercoat.  Your frame is now officially ready for re-assembly.  Take your time, and be prepared for all sorts of minor setbacks and delays.  This is the nature of rebuilding a Dnepr, or any sort of motorcycle or vehicle.

 The footsteps and the center stand support are grouped with the frame because they really don’t have enough information to warrant a chapter of their own.  Ironically they could just as well be included in the engine section of this guide because the rod that has the footpegs attached to it is also the rear motor mounting rod, or motor mount.  These are both held into place with a pair of 12mm X 1.25 nuts with locking washers.

   To remove the rear wheel lever assembly you begin by removing the screws clamping the rubber bushings, outer covers and lock washers; removing the outer rubber bushings.  Undo the swingarm coupling bolt nuts and remove the inside coupling bolt.  Next you remove the L.H. pin, press the swingarm to the left by its base, and turn the open end to the right to remove the entire assembly.

   Clean the entire assembly thoroughly and check it for any defects, and repair any defects that you may find.  Pay special attention to the rubber bushings, making sure that they are in good condition.  If they are damaged or worn, they need to be replaced.

   Once the bushings have been replaced (if necessary) you replace the entire assembly back into the frame, using the open end as a lever twist it to the left, pressing the base to the right side.  Tighten up the silent blocks with the swingarm in a horizontal position, being sure that the silent block inside bushings are tightened as required.

First of all I would like to make a suggestion before we even get started on how to rebuild your Dnepr shock absorbers.  These things are a real pain to rebuild, you need special tools to do the job properly and there are tons of little delicate parts to lose or damage.  If your shocks are worn out or damaged I would suggest that you just go and buy yourself a new pair of shocks.  They are not that expensive, and they are really easy to change.  Another thing to keep in mind is that you will need a special wrench to undo the reservoir nut.  That said, if you must insist on doing this yourself, go clean up your workbench, and get ready to go to work.

   Once you have removed the shock from the frame and cleaned the shock thoroughly, bring the shock over to your vice.  If you don’t have a vice, you have two options.  You can either go out and buy yourself a good vice to work with, or you can use that money to buy a new pair of shock absorbers, which will probably be cheaper than a good vice.  A word of caution here; a cheap vise is not worth the money you spend on it.  Clamp the lower end of the shock into the vice keeping the shock vertical.   Press the top casing to contract the shock absorber spring about 5-10mm.  Now you should have enough clearance to remove the blocks.

   Remove the casing, spring, thrust ring and moveable cam.  Now you should be able to pull up the upper end of the shock as far as it will lift.  This is where you need a special tool.  Using the special wrench, undo the reservoir nut and lift up the rod assembled with the gland and the cylinder to remove them.  You must be careful that you do not damage the reservoir nut gland.  Using one hand to hold the working cylinder in place, remove the rod, complete with the gland casing, rod guide and plunger assembly.  Into a waste container drain the old oil from the working cylinder and the shock absorber housing.

   Next you press the compression valve body assembly off of the working cylinder by lightly knocking on a wooden extension.  Hold the rod tightly by its upper end, and undo the rebound valve nut.  Now you can remove the plunger with the valve parts, rod guide, spring and gland casing assembly.  Before you remove the reservoir nut gland and the rod rubber gland, you must first remove the felt gland that is inside the casing. 

   Now that you have removed all of the parts, you may begin to carefully clean each part in fresh solvent or kerosene, and insect each part for dents, scores in the surfaces, wear marks on the surfaces or cracks.  Any defective or worn parts should be replaced.  You are now ready to re-assemble your shock absorber.  Now is not the time to take a drink from the bottle of Vodka, because you are just getting to the tricky part.

   Take the rod rubber gland, the reservoir nut gland and the felt gland, and return them into the casing.  Now take the gland casing assembly, spring, rod guide and valve parts which have been returned to the plunger, and replace the entire assembly being sure to tighten the rebound valve nut while holding the upper end tightly.  You need special tool B3-4637 to avoid damaging the rubber gland when you return the nut with gland onto the rod.  Return the working cylinder back into the compression valve body assembly. 

   To ensure normal operation of the shock absorber, fill it with 150cm3 of shock absorbing fluid.  (Ivan says that this is made by adding equal parts turbine oil T22 and transformer oil or oils) 

   With the shock gripped in your vice by its housing, (be sure not to over tighten and damage the housing) and the working cylinder and compression valve body fitted in, pour the fluid into the shock absorber.  Now fit the rod which has been assembled with the plunger and the gland casing assembly into the cylinder.  Carefully fit in the seal ring, and tighten up the reservoir nut.  Once you have the reservoir nut tightened properly, take the rod with the plunger and manually move it to and fro to bleed any air that has remained in the working cylinder. 

   Finally you should check the silent blocks for wear and damage.  If they are in working condition, attach them as required.  If they are worn or damaged they must be replaced before re-attaching the shock absorbers.

   Now you are ready to bolt the shocks back into place between the frame and the swingarm, and sit down and take a break.  Now is a good time to get out the Vodka as if you have accomplished rebuilding your shock absorbers you deserve a reward.  On the other hand, if you were not successful in the rebuild, you will need to have a few drinks, and you have plenty of time to recuperate until the new shock absorbers arrive.