introduction

My first post will be a short intro about myself, my dog, and my DNEPR-MT16. My name is Joshua and I currently reside on the South side of Chicago with my dog, Hendricks. I have for years thought of traveling via motorcycle to the furthest reaches of South America but figured it to be impossible when I adopted a six month old pit bull who had been abandoned in a warehouse.

The first summer I had Hendricks, I decided to adapt a bicycle trailer meant for children to suit the needs of my dog. It was a rough looking contraption but it served its purpose well as I lugged Hendricks around the streets of Chicago to the delight of many awestruck observers. Children pointed and laughed, grandparents smiled and waved, and others just stared slack-jawed. The next summer, I realized that I didn't necessarily have to give up my thoughts of moto traveling if I could get Hendricks to ride safely in a sidecar.

So began my first affair with a sidecar rig. I bought a yellow 1975 Honda GL1000 that came with a sidecar, though not attached,

and even a "taxi" theme. I got the old beast running, mounted the sidecar, rigged a short lead to hook into Hendricks' harness, and hoped for the best. It took only a ride or two for me to see that I was not the only one who loved riding on two (or three) wheels. And again, children pointed and laughed, grandparents smiled and waved, and others just stared slack-jawed. We took a couple long trips and he did well as a sidekick.

I soon realized that this would not be the ride which would take us through Central and South America. Though a blast in

the city and a great ride on the highway at 70mph, it was a bit too flashy and lacked the rough/off road capabilities that I saw necessary for travels on rural mountain roads and occasional off road stints that are in our futures. So, it was off to the auction block and away it went to an Ebayer in Florida.

I soon found a DNEPR MT-16 on craigslist froma very kind and honest gentleman in New Hampshire. It wasn't the prettiest sight when it arrived but I knew its poten

tial. Here you see the first photos I took before doing any extensive work to it.

I have done some minor work to it in the past several weeks which I will detail in posts to follow. For now, I will end with a picture of the DNEPR's current state, one which I hope to improve over the next few days to continue my riding and testing.