1988 DNEPR (Rocket) MT11S Motorcycle with Sidecar

Description

Dnepr was a motorcycle brand produced in Kiev, Ukraine since 1967. Motorcycles had been produced in Kiev since 1946 at the Kiev Motorcycle Plant (KMZ), initially 
a 98 cc two-stroke model that was later confiscated from the German firm Wanderer as reparations. The original design for KMZ was based on the pre-World War II German BMW motorcycle R71, which the Soviet Union licensed in 1940. The first batch of M-72 motorcycles (the derivative of the R71) was produced in 1952 with the supply of 500 engines from IMZ. In 1967, to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Great October Socialist Revolution, KMZ released their first OHV engine in the "Dnepr" K-650, thus introducing the brand. Unlike the earlier sidevalve engines with their roller bearing crankshafts, this engine featured a sleeve bearing crankshaft as found in the World War II Zündapp KS750. The Dnepr K-650 was superseded by model MT-9 650cc, which was available in both solo and sidecar models and featured a new transmission. The MT-10 was then the first Soviet motorcycle to feature 12-volt electrics and was followed by the MT-11. The Dnepr is famous for its off-road capability, with armed services models equipped with sidecars having two-wheel drive and as much as 15 cm (5.9 in) of ground clearance. The MT-11S engine is a 650 cc OHV boxer twin, though engines ranging from the factory standard 650 to 1000 cc were available.