Thumper Club Forum
Technical => Project Progress => Topic started by: timbo on November 26, 2016, 05:13:32 PM
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So stripped the Minsk, and its amazing just how basic it is. But then, it was made for all terrains and all weathers, and to be easily repaired, with a big hammer and a screwdriver :-\
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Just in from my toasty warm shed. I know my double Minsk project, ie. doing up two of the the wee beasties, doesn't really compare to some of the proper engineering projects on here, but anyway, today I totally stripped an engine, now ready for blasting and painting, and barrel and head to be vapour blasted and kept as bare alloy. Touched in a few bits on the frame.
Just sent an email to some guy in Romania, for some expensive parts. Set of rubber engine seals 6 euros, full gasket sets 7euros and chain gaiters 14 euro per set ;)
Apparently, you have to send this guy cash euros in the post, but I've a mate who has been through the process, and his parts duelly arrived :-\
The NOVA process was interesting, as I had no paperwork at all. So, I did the process online with HMRC as per usual, but I had no sellers details. So put in a Russian sounding name, and then googled a random address in Tallin, Estonia, (needed an EU country). All went through, no problem, and with no charge :)
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I once stripped a spare Ural engine down as far as being about to remove the crank with a dogbone spanner from a bicycle tool kit! Of course if you are going to get serious about maintaining your Soviet bikes you will need some specialist tools. The main ones are a balance set for precision Ukrainian Percussion wrenches, you can find these in your local MachineMart or similar under Hammers...sizes ball pien, lump and sledge will be suitable for most Soviet engineering applications.
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Seriously, on the Urals the rear main bearing housing was fixed to the back of the crank case with 8 M6 bolts drilled and wired together - easy enough. The only thing holding it on then was the gasket cement which looked like a mix of red hermitite and shellac.....THAT STUFF IS EVIL!!!.. it took 2 hours to get it to come apart with boiling water, heat, more heat, much more heat than was sensible and finally beating the crap out of it with a 1/2" steel drift through the crank case mouth and a 4lb lump hammer!!!
God knows what that stuff is but it doesn't come apart, I don't know why they thought they need to wire the bolt heads!
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Ooooo! Nicely composed technical rant! ;D ;D ;D I especially like the way, at 08.41 you had a warm-up rant, before returning for the full-on event some 9 mins later once, presumably, you'd reached a state of critical mass!?
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Would you send cash to Romania for parts? :-\
I just have. Will be interesting to see if the parts arrive ;)
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Really rare parts, are they? Or a bargain? Fingers crossed for you, I'm not sure I would have the testicular fortitude!
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Chickened out, plus I can hopefully Paypal the supplier, or MoneyGram him.
Progress so far....
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Two engines blasted, primed, and painted for £20 each. That's what I call a bargain :)
Now I just have to wait for the parts I ordered to come from Romania :-\
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Looking good mate...specially for £20
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Yep, the two engines are empty shells, all the innards are neatly cleaned and boxed up, awaiting new seals. So if any shotblast has got inside, it won't matter, as they'll be opened up again for the rebuild. Dont know whether to use the existing slotted engine bolts, or blingy stainless socket heads for the rebuild?
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Lipstick and pig come to mind?
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Dont know whether to use the existing slotted engine bolts, or blingy stainless socket heads for the rebuild?
Thats a very slippery slope mate!! A guy in the COC rebuilt a Voshkod and made that mistake, ended up spending hundreds on powder coating, chroming etc. The finished bike was beautiful, but he'd spent far more than it was ever going to be worth.
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Yep, i know its a pig, i think thats the appeal, in a strange way :-\
I know how easy costs can spiral, but ive pretty much done the wee Minsk up on the cheap. Costs have been £40 of shotblasting and priming and painting in 2pac, £30 of vapour blasting. Wheel bearings, gaskets, engine rubber seal set, and chain gaiters 40 euro. I always keep a stock of stainless socket bolts in the common sizes, so they aren't a problem. I think I paid about £400 for the bike, and that should be her well sorted, hopefully ;)
I plan to stick the two Minsks in a couple of the small local winter bike shows, just cause theyre something different, and do a couple of articles for the COCs excellent club magazine, Horizontal View.
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and do a couple of articles for the COCs excellent club magazine, Horizontal View.
I edited that for a few years along with the newsletter 'Horizontal News' - nice to know it's still going strong.
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It certainly doesn't look like a cheapo job Tim, very well done!
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To be honest, most of the Russian bikes can be made into reliable machines if you build them up properly with decent bearings, seals, brake linings, cables etc. Problem was they were thrown together in the factory with low cost parts and no quality control as no-one gave a toss. They did get better in the Uralmoto era but prior to that it was a lottery. Dave Angel at F2 motorcycles always use to completely strip and rebuild the engines of the bikes he sold and had far less problems.
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So heres a couple of quotes from Bike circa 1977, regarding the Neval Minsk 125, in a comparison test of eleven 125s.
'Neval Minsk is in fact a dirt cheap Russian motorcycle, which starts easily, arrives complete with a small carrier, an MZ style rubber case enclosing the rear chain, and a well made tool kit with tyre pressure gauge and pump.'
All good so far then :)
'Having said that, we've exhausted the list of good points on what we feel is one of the most objectionable examples of almost Neanderthal motorcycle engineering available in Britain.'
Mmmm, not so good then :-\ I wouldn't like to repeat some of the rest, but here's a further quote from the summary,
'And finally, the Minsk avoids serious comparison with the other bikes - even the lunchbox commuters - because its too damned dangerous. Of the three Russian two-strokes that Bike have tested over the years, two have had appalling brakes and one has just managed to stop in vaguely acceptable distances.'
And
'We just cant recommend anyone to buy a Neval Minsk,'
Ha ha ha, the mad thing is that I had read this write up before purchasing the two I own. I just see the whole thing as a challenge, and a lot of fun. I mean, the front brake on my 2002 RE is woeful, but I love the bike to bits. you just ride it accordingly, though, I must admit, I've had the odd a$$$ clenching moment!
Anyway, here's the project so far. Now stripping the second one for a tidy up, whilst I wait for my bits and pieces to arrive from Romania.....
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On the 650 twins if you had the brake shoes relined with Ferodo MZ41 and fitted a heavy duty front brake cable from F2 m/c's the brakes were pretty decent - I would think the same thing may apply to the Minsk.
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So, Minsk number 2 update. Almost looks like it would make a nice little 'street scrambler'....
And then, with its clothes on, but still minus its engine....
Now just waiting on engine seal kits, and gaskets, which I'm assured are on their way from Romania, so I can get the pair of little rascals finished :-\
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Looking good.
I now feel suitably ashamed of my "pig" posting........
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Not at all Ian :) I just look on them as a Russian, sorry, Belarusian Bantam. We copied the DKW RT125 to produce the Bantam, and they copied the DKW to make the Minsk. Then DKW went on to become MZ.
Learning all this stuff has been part of the enjoyment. The main thing, is its given me the kick up the backside I needed to get me back out in the shed, after a severe lack of interest for a while.
Watch this space, as I'm now also rebuilding a much rougher Motobelo Regent 125 :-\
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Oner reason I abandoned my decades-long loyalty to Nortons was exactly that "learning opportunity" as I felt I'd probably seen it all by then. A new (old) bike every year or so certainly makes you think especially when it's a rare / unpopular bike.
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After trawling around the local area, looking for someone to straighten my bent frame, I gave up :(
So, today I decided to have a go with my mate Geordie. Pressing out one of the bent side rails, with a trolley jack was the easy bit. Straightening the top tube is a different ballgame. Finally resorted to cutting it, to allow us to twist the headstock straight, in a home made Heath Robinson set up which we've left under pressure over night :-\
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Right, b******* to this! I've managed to straighten every bit of frame tube, but the headstock is still at a bloomin angle! So its disc cutter time. I'm going to cut off the headstock and gussets, and reweld the whole bally lot. Every days a school day :-\
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Off with its head(stock) I say! Well, not quite, but I cut off the gussets, plus a couple of other welds, then straightened the offending bits, and welded it all back together. its now built like the Titannic! (maybe not the best analogy :-\ )
Wish I'd done this at the start, instead of all the fri@@@@@ about >:(
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Surprised anyone managed to bend it in the first place if it's built anything like the flat twins !! The frame walls on the Ural were a good 6-8mm thick and really solid welding - not pretty but solid. I knew a bloke who bought his outfit after it had spent a year propping up a big tractor with no ill effects!!
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What a cracking pair of bikes you have there Timbo. Right up my street things like that find something everyone derides and then build it how it should have done.
Anyone got a pair of commie 250 twin motors languishing in the shed ?
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This evening I finally learnt how to lace up a wheel. I know you can probably learn this stuff from a book, or online, but nothing beats someone with over forty years experiences teaching you face to face. I definitely picked up some great tips, and the confidence to do it in the future. and I now have a smile on me like a Cheshire cat :D
Just have to build a jig now :-\
Also well pleased with this repair to a plastic rear inner guard, with a cricket bat soldering iron. It really was a mere five minute job.
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So, still no parts for my Minsks, from Romania. I know the sender definitely sent them, and that they left Bucharest on 17th December. But where the heck they are now, I've no idea. Means I've had to build up the the bikes with no engine internals, as I'm putting them in a little local bike show over the weekend :(
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This beats Xmas! A parcel arrived today :)
And here's what £120 plus £20 postage got me;
Two pairs of rubber chain gaiters
A complete piston kit
4 x complete gasket sets
4 x engine seal sets
Speedo, clutch, brake, and throttle cable
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Keep the Faith! ;)
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So here's were I'm at with the three Minsks. Yes, you read that right, THREE!
Had them in a wee bike show at the weekend, and won a prize for Best European, (it was a very small show and there weren't many bikes!)
From front to back, they are a Neval 125 Electronica, Minsk 125, and the makings of a Motovelo 125 Regent. All different, but the same, if you know what I mean :-\
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Very 'andsome.
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Congrats on the win!
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Which is the one you are doing up for me?
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None of them are up to your standard yet Mart ;)