Ministerofsillywalks wrote: ↑Sun Jan 05, 2025 5:57 pm The Cossack/Dnepr was a copy of a 1930s BMW.

No.

The Soviets bought the obsolete R71 design from BMW under the terms of the Molotov-Ribentrop pact sometime before May 1941. They might have thought they were getting the more modern R75 design. Either way, given the events between May 1941 and May 1945 the Soviets were never going to shout about it, especially as what they bought was basically useless. Soviet standards are based on Victorian/Edwardian Krupp and Vickers documents,
not SAE or ISO, so lots of ultra fine threads and weird alloys. When you can't source what the Bavarians used you have to redesign*. Both the Dnepr and Ural are what you get when you tell a Soviet Engineer to design from scratch but hide the waste of dealing with BMW by making it look like one. They'd have done better not worrying about the last bit, but no one was going to volunteer to tell Stalin and Co. Not one single BMW part fits.

*An even better example is the Tupolev TU-4. They wanted a B-29 but Boeing worked with 1/4 inch alloy skins. 6.25 mm is too weak, 6.5mm too heavy. It took them longer to "copy" than it did Boeing to start from a blank sheet and the resulting performance is lower.

The military urals varieties are a similar story. Once you have the factory you need to justify it. As a military vehicle they were pretty useless but better than walking. When your economy isn't up to making the jeep you'd like (try carrying three wounded mates in a sidecar) you take it. Ural marketing never gave up though, I've got brochures from the 1990's showing some unfortunate squadies lugging anti-tank rockets about on the benighted things complete with lurid orange cammo (but it has no room for any reloads). I think they dumped a few on the Egyptians and others in the beggars not choosers level of Soviet "Ally".

Andy

Ministerofsillywalks wrote: ↑Sun Jan 05, 2025 5:57 pm The Cossack/Dnepr was a copy of a 1930s BMW.

Yeah, I'm not so sure on that one. I did know the full facts once but it's been lost in the back of my brain somewhere. Any prospective Ural/Dnepr owner thinking that they'd upgrade some bits to BMW standard were in for a rude awakening. They may have looked like BMWs but had absolutely zero compatibility.

Having said that, you could fit an R75 (and possibly an R80) motor/gearbox in a Ural/Dnepr but it took a hell of a lot more doing than you'd hope for. Literally the only "conversions" I've seen where where a Ural frame, forks, sidecar chassis and sidecar were fitted with what remained from a written off R75 with a bent frame.

knight2 wrote: ↑Sun Jan 05, 2025 2:46 pm One of the neighbours gave my mother and me a lift into the local town. There were a lot more around in days of yore

In the '70s it was usual for every town or city to have at least one greasy individual with a tatty black BSA, fitted to a flat bed sidecar carrying a metal toolbox, and a large German Shepherd on a chain. Usually on L plates as you could ride one of any capacity on a provisional licence at that time.

Ministerofsillywalks wrote: ↑Sun Jan 05, 2025 5:57 pm In fact because they were used by the Soviet military some of the sidecars had a mounting for a machine gun!

Mine didn't have that option fitted. It might have been useful at times, though.

Ministerofsillywalks wrote: ↑Sun Jan 05, 2025 5:57 pm Capitano - I remember now there was a box version for tradesmen. Or tradespersons as we should say now.

This should bring back memories of back then

http://www.jawaczownersclub.co.uk/docs/ ... desman.pdf

Our plumber, a man whose name was Clarringbull, had one, as did the organist/choirmaster at my church.

knight2 wrote: ↑Mon Jan 06, 2025 1:10 pm One of my neighbours had one of those German WW11 outfits complete with machine gun back in the late 60's. I lived in the Channel Islands which were occupied by the Germans so I assume it was one that was left behind. I don't know if the gun worked, probably not, but the gun laws in the islands were a bit lax to say the least.

Lax? They would have to be really lax to allow a machine gun! In the USA even the most lax states won't allow machine guns.

I've never been tempted to own another outfit.

If one came up like this locally though, I might be.

Capitano,
You and me both, that sidecar is the type of Velorex I was thinking of, easy to get in annd out, plenty of wind and weather protection and that seat looks comfy. Not sure I fancy messing about with two stroke oil every time I fill up and I know I'd get complaints about the smell. On the other hand dead simple to look after, nice torquey engine and a fully enclosed chain that would last for ever.

Ministerofsillywalks
I don't know if it was for sale but the local gun shop had one in the window. One of the lads I worked with had a german luger he used for rabbit shooting. It was an unusual one the holster was very strong and had a clip on the end which fitted on the end of the butt on the back of the holster there were two pockets one held a barrel extension/silencer the other a sight of some sort. It turned it into a little rifle. He had a licence for it I'm not sure if it covered rabbit shooting though. When the Germans left the Islands they left loads of stuff behind, the islands were part of Hitlers Atlantic wall and there were massive concrete bunkers, towers and gun emplacements which as kids we were constanly breaking into despite being told not to.