Custom motorcycles always looked more impressive and gave their owner much more positive emotions than a regular factory model. The idea of modifying and reincarnating motorcycles appeared back in the 50s. American bikers began to actively remodel their motorcycles, not only painting them in the original color, but also modernizing power units. Some created completely unique models, installing a new exhaust system, beautiful wheels on their motorcycles, modifying the optics, and even such elements as a tank or wings. But what if you try to modify a Soviet motorcycle, for example, Ural or IZH. After thinking a little, we decided to tell you about how to make a chopper from the Urals.
What is a chopper?
First of all, you should understand what motorcycles of this class are. The first choppers appeared in the USA around the 50s. This class became very popular due to the fact that it had a very comfortable seating position, which made traveling on a motorcycle a pleasure. The thing is that the chopper has a high steering wheel, with a clearly inclined front fork. The front wheel of this class of motorcycle is narrow, and the rear wheel is much wider.
Choppers are also distinguished by a small tank and a large engine. And what is important, the very first choppers were made by the same American bikers who created a chopper from an ordinary production motorcycle. Most often these were bikes from the Harley Davidson company, until engineers began producing serial models of Harley choppers.
Choppers are not only a cool and unusual appearance, but also a comfortable ride. The upright riding position allows you to ride a bike like this for quite a long distance before you get tired, which is not the case with sports bikes, for example. But creating a custom chopper with your own hands allows you not only to have a lot of imagination, but also to create a motorcycle just for yourself, which is good news.
The Ural 650, assembled in the Ukrainian workshop DoZer Garage, is something special. It wasn't just the stunning details on the bike that caught my attention, but the history lesson I received as a result. The history of the Ural motorcycle began before World War II. To protect the Motherland from the invasion of German tanks, infantry and special forces, the Red Army needed a combat motorcycle. One version of the history of the Red Army combat motorcycle goes something like this: five copies of BMW motorcycles were purchased in Sweden and smuggled to the USSR. These five motorcycles were taken apart by Soviet engineers in Moscow. Every detail of the design was carefully copied. Molds and blanks were made for the production of our own engines and gearboxes. At the beginning of 1941, the first prototypes of the M-72 motorcycles were shown to Stalin, who immediately approved production. The design took the Germans decades. It took the Russians only a few years to reproduce the design. Let's return from the history lesson to our motorcycle. Let me introduce you to Sergei Shvets. “My friends call me “Dozer”, I live and work in Kyiv. My interest in motorcycles awoke at the age of ten, after I watched “The Terminator”. At the age of fifteen, I ran away from a Christian children's camp and bought my first dirt bike." Dozer has experience in a variety of fields, from professional cooking to auto mechanics, from welding to film and commercial production. The combination of his skills allowed him to be the most creative in creating his custom Ural 650. Dozer said: “I don’t know what to say about my style, I just like to create bright and positive things. Over the years I have built many different styles of motorcycles. Now my friend Taran and I have our own workshop. Ukraine was characterized by a lack of motorcycle culture. I was inspired by the works of European and Japanese masters. We now have excellent relationships with clients who often become friends. The most enjoyable part of working on a custom is the joy of the client after its completion. Today, Ukrainian motorcycle culture is developing, more and more people ride motorcycles.” The basis for the custom was the classic Ural-650. It was stripped down to the frame, which required significant modifications to achieve the new style. The standard Ural engine was mated to a Dnepr four-speed gearbox and a specially designed exhaust system. The use of copper gives the model a retro touch. Matching the brown paint is a Doser-made brown leather seat. Up front, the custom Ural has a v-shaped steering wheel with chic brown handles. The front headlight is “Dnepr”, the rear light is GAZ-69. The motorcycle rides on classic Shinko tires. By creating the Ural 650, the DoZer Garage workshop has set the quality bar for Ukrainian customization.
Source: https://motorivista.com/ural-650-motorcycle/
What will you need to build a chopper from the Urals?
Many bikers who have ever thought about building a custom motorcycle have never even tried to get started. The thought that this requires a good understanding of technology, and the whole process is very complicated, completely discourages the desire to create the motorcycle of your dreams. This is completely the wrong approach. In fact, as soon as you start making your first chopper from the Urals, you will realize that everything is actually very simple and you were worrying in vain.
So, in order to make a real chopper out of a Ural motorcycle, we don’t need much. First of all, of course, you need a donor if you don’t already have one. If you are just planning to purchase a Ural motorcycle, then it is better to immediately look for a working bike so as not to waste time. Here it’s worth saying right away why we choose the Ural and not another motorcycle.
Firstly, the Ural is equipped with a fairly powerful engine, which is very similar to the displacement engines of chopper motorcycles. And secondly, the Ural motorcycle has everything we need to build a chopper. Otherwise, apart from spare parts from an old VAZ or ZAZ, we will need practically nothing.
Motorcycle Dnepr: do-it-yourself custom
Any tuning or customization of motorcycles entails difficulties. The Dnepr motorcycle, despite its simplicity, is also no exception. But these difficulties more than pay off when the result exceeds all expectations. At such moments, the problems associated with finding parts and fitting them to the motorcycle simply fade into insignificance.
A converted Dnepr motorcycle should not only be beautiful, but also elegant and not bulky in appearance
If you replace the fork with an extended one, the old Soviet Dnepr motorcycle will immediately turn into a chopper. Of course, it must be paired with a disc brake system and a drum.
There is another goal that is set during tuning or customizing a motorcycle - reducing gas mileage. The lower the weight, the lower the fuel consumption. An obvious fact. Therefore, everything that weighs it down changes. Even the gas tank and seat are used up. Not to mention the modification of the body.
MOTORCYCLE FENDER COVER
Chopper from the Urals - start of work
Having selected a decent motorcycle and checked its engine for performance, you can begin to create a motorcycle - the Ural Chopper. All we need to do to create a chopper is to lengthen the front of the bike and work on the rear wheel and suspension. Let's try to break down the construction process step by step.
Drawing
The process will go much faster if you make a drawing or approximate picture of what the resulting motorcycle will look like. There are quite a lot of drawings of chopper frames on the Internet, so choosing the right one will not be so difficult. If you are confident in your abilities, then you can do without it.
Frame
Perhaps the only difficult stage that you will have to face is the alteration and welding of the frame. The whole secret is to place the steering rack at the right angle, which will ultimately change the angle of inclination, allowing you to set the front fork at the required degree. It is worth saying that a lot of attention needs to be paid to welding this place, since this area will receive quite heavy loads.
Having finished with the front fork, you need to work on the rear part of the future motorcycle - Ural Chopper. As a rule, bikes of this class are quite long due to the large rear wheel. That is why we need to weld the frame so that we can install a wide wheel on the axle. Naturally, this part of the frame should also be given a lot of attention. In general, if you have not done welding before, then it is better to entrust this task to specialists, because safety comes first.
Soviet motorcycle Dnepr and fuel system
Many of those who have already owned a Dnepr motorcycle know that it has problems with the fuel system. It is for this reason that some people replace the engine during tuning. In my opinion, this is a controversial idea.
It is better to purchase an enlarged pan with a filter and install it on a standard engine. Our model allows you to screw in a magnet and thereby add magnetic separation. There is also a small modification inside in the form of an oil bath. You can find out more in the previous article: Enlarged pallet for the Dnepr motorcycle.
Latest improvements
If you manage to weld a high-quality frame, then you can assume that most of the work has already been done. The only thing I wanted to add was the angle of the front fork. We do not recommend tilting it more than thirty-three degrees. This value is the most optimal for choppers, because the greater the angle of inclination of the front fork, the worse the motorcycle will handle. In our opinion, 28-30 degrees will be more than enough to make the motorcycle look like a real chopper from the Urals, and at the same time handle well.
The last stage is the final assembly of the motorcycle. The engine and other main mechanisms are installed on the frame. The front wheel and handlebars are finally in place and we can see for the first time what our bike looks like after the rework. But in general, the frame is not the only thing that can be done with a Ural motorcycle.
True motorcycle enthusiasts can put all their soul and money into their custom motorcycle, and end up with a Ural Chopper that will delight them for a long time. Installing and reworking the exhaust system, upgrading the fenders, seats, lighting fixtures are just a small part of what can be changed. When modernizing the appearance, you can fully express your imagination or borrow ideas from ready-made choppers.
Ural motorcycle engine tuning
Since we are talking about engine tuning, after repair and debugging it’s a good idea to work on the appearance. You can change the ignition cover to a custom one or replace the valve covers with a custom option. Ideally, make sure that not only the factory ignition cover is installed, but also valve covers made in the same style.
Ural engine as standard
Our workshop offers such covers both separately and in sets. If purchased as a set, a discount is offered.
Budget
So, let's take a closer look at how to make a chopper out of a Ural. The first thing you need to do when deciding to remodel is to count all the necessary materials. Of course, when you have the skill to work with metal, as well as equipment, everything becomes much simpler. But, as a rule, novice motorcyclists have none of this, so the bulk of the money will be spent on material and, of course, on a “donor” motorcycle with all the necessary documents.
Chopper: characteristic features
What distinguishes the chopper most from other motorcycles is its elongated and high handlebars. The rear wing is deep and absent, and some do not have the front wing either. Another insignia is the wide rear wheel or, more correctly, the Great Wide Wheel. That's what bikers call him.
Choppers have a small tank and a characteristic low landing. Driving fast is not for them. Therefore, there is no smell of aggressive dynamics here. This motorcycle is a status motorcycle and is designed for maximum comfort, and not for high-speed rallies.
You can also note soft shock absorbers and high torque, when you can calmly, without straining, drive at high speeds. Its closest “brother” is considered to be the cruiser.
