Black and white: “Ural-Retro”

It has become popular, at the same time, and expensive to have a high-quality and powerful motorcycle from well-known global suppliers. Ural motorcycle is not far from foreign motorcycles; if you look at the prices, you’ll go crazy, the price is like a car. Therefore, new Urals are rarely bought on the domestic market, although they are supplied to the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation and other law enforcement agencies, but abroad they are in, albeit small, but definite demand. Most of the motorcycles available to the population are outdated models produced in the last century; prices in those days were affordable. Speaking about the Ural motorcycle, the first thing that comes to mind is what kind of IMZ-8.103-10 (IMZ-8.103-30, M-67-36) engine it has, are there any shortcomings and weak points because it is the qualities and characteristics of the engine that underlie the characteristics motorcycle Ural.

Weaknesses of the IMZ-8.103-10 (IMZ-8.103-30, M-67-36) engine of the Ural motorcycle

• Foot starter (kickstarter);
• Gas and clutch cables;
• Generator;
• Carburetors;
• Cylinder heads;
• Reverse gear (gearbox).

More details about the weak points of the motor...

Foot starter (kickstarter)

The foot starter of the IMZ-8.103-10 engine is a weak point due to the slippage of the pawl. The malfunction is eliminated after dismantling the gearbox and disassembling it with rearranging the pawl with the other side or replacing it. I have an assumption that the metal of the dog is of low hardness. On the other hand, if the pawl is made harder, the gear will fail. You need to choose the golden mean.

Throttle and clutch cables

The clutch control and fuel supply cables are a weak point due to their short service life. To put it simply, they tear, and before that they stretch, which makes it necessary to adjust the timing of the supply of the fuel mixture, as well as the clutch.

Generator

The generator does not run for a long time.

Carburetors

Gasoline gets into the floats, after which the cylinder is filled with gasoline. In addition, carburetors are not matched to these engines; half of the fuel goes to waste, which is not economical. It would be nice if the engine had one carburetor instead of two.

Cylinder heads

Do not overtighten the spark plug heads; the threads break off quite easily. You cannot overheat the engine, the result will be clearly visible on the heads, the studs are pulled out, leading to the landing plane of the heads. If you are unable to avoid breaking the spark plug thread, contact a familiar turner; he will be happy to repair it and install a steel threaded bushing for a modest fee. I can recommend the same for wear of valve seats and chamfers. It is much cheaper to repair heads than to buy new ones; a good turner can do this in no time.

Reverse gear (gearbox)

The reverse gear does not work for a long time due to the rapid wear of the reverse gear in the gearbox.

Disadvantages of the IMZ-8.103-10 (IMZ-8.103-30, M-67-36) engine of the Ural motorcycle

• Small resource;
• Starting is difficult or does not start at all;
• In hot weather, it gets very hot in low gears;
• Interruptions in the operation of the cylinders;
• Knocking;
• High fuel consumption;
• There are a sufficient number of cases of inaccuracy in the manufacture of the engine crankcase at the cylinder mounting points;
• It is difficult to select timing gears to replace worn ones;
• Oil is leaking at the joints.

More details about the disadvantages...

Small resource

Unlike engines of analogue imported motorcycles, the service life of the IMZ-8.103-10 engine before repair is small, from 20 to 45 thousand km, which is explained by increased wear of the crank and piston group parts. Increased wear is a consequence of insufficient air cooling, as well as not very good quality of parts (material, manufacturing accuracy).

Difficulty starting or won't start at all

For the most part, starting the IMZ-8.103-10 engine is difficult when the ignition, fuel supply and clearances in the valves of the gas distribution mechanism (between the rods and rocker arms) are not adjusted. The reason may be reduced compression in the cylinders, clogged carburetor jets, water in the carburetors, spark plugs not working, a failed condenser, a lean mixture of fuel coming from the carburetors (too much fuel).

In hot weather it gets very hot in low gears

Unfortunately, air cooling has a detrimental effect on the engine when operating in hot weather. Therefore, in hot weather, when driving in lower gears, overheating should not be allowed, so it is necessary to stop more often to cool the engine. If the engine is new, it can easily overheat.

Interruptions in cylinder operation

To a greater extent, interruptions in the operation of the cylinders are caused by the lack of synchronous operation of the cylinders due to different amounts of the supplied combustible mixture, and by a violation in the adjustment of the valves.

Knocking

The cause of engine knocking may be: pre-ignition; overheat; wear of pistons, rings, fingers; wear of the crankshaft main bearings; valve adjustment is incorrect.

High fuel consumption

Carburetors are simple and uneconomical, the consumption even according to the instruction manual is like that of a Zhiguli, but in reality it is even higher. During the Soviet era, they didn’t think about efficiency, and drivers poured gasoline into the ground; there was nowhere to put it. These fuel costs are too high for a motorcycle these days.

There are a sufficient number of cases of inaccuracy in the manufacture of the engine crankcase at the cylinder mounting points

This leads to overheating of the cylinder due to the difference in size until the upper plane of the pistons at top dead center aligns with the upper edge of the cylinders. In the event that one of the cylinders overheats and there is no cure for this, as an option it is necessary to check whether the piston at its highest point reaches the upper plane of the cylinder; if not, then this is the problem. To eliminate overheating, it is necessary to achieve symmetrical dimensions, for which purpose the gaskets are removed from under one of the cylinders, and in its place a heat-resistant sealant is used when installing the cylinder. It is possible to install a thinner gasket.

It is difficult to find timing gears to replace worn ones

This problem is associated with the difficulty of finding a set of gears (gears) corresponding to the size group of the crankcase with the dimensional indices. There are a lot of these gears on sale, but there are no markings (indices) on them, or there is a designation, but it is not suitable. You can read about the correspondence of gear indexes and crankcase size groups here.

Oil leaks at joints

This disease does not affect engine operation, leaks are minor. But the engine, which is dirty with dust adhering to the oil, has to be washed. Tightening the head covers and oil pan does not help. After replacing the seals, after some time the oil begins to leak again. It also leaks along the valve rod guide bushing seals.

In conclusion, many people probably thought that the IMZ-8.103-10 engine is just a bucket of bolts... Well, what can we do, since childhood we are accustomed to delving into motorcycles, or rather, repairing them. Therefore, many people miss rebuilding the engine with their own hands. This is of course a joke, but every joke has some truth. In general, if you properly monitor the engine and carry out timely maintenance, then of course you can take it. With high consumption, the problem is solved by installing one carburetor from the car. The engine is very simple and very easy to repair. The engine, like the Ural motorcycle itself, is well suited for tuning.

PS Dear owners of Ural vehicles with IMZ-8.103-10 engines! You can write about your identified shortcomings and weaknesses or ask your question.

Rebirth of an old man. It was September 2012.

Thoughts about a brand new motorcycle were spinning in my head; I wanted something from choppers or classics. But no matter how hard I tried to save up the required amount of money, it often went somewhere for everyday needs (here... It was decided to buy some kind of Soviet-made motorcycle and tune it. Sunrises, Izhi immediately disappeared, since I rode them as a child and knew all of them illness. Long weeks of searching for a suitable one on the Internet did not yield results. Either the prices were high, or the motorcycles were without documents, and initially I set the goal of buying a motorcycle with documents so that there would be fewer problems later. Then one day a friend called me, also a biker, and says: "Listen! A friend of mine is selling a Ural M 66, manufactured in 1971, with documents + a full carriage of new spare parts, a motorbike in a neighboring village, only 10 kopecks." I was interested in this! A week later, my friend and I went to a neighboring village. We looked at the Ural, I liked it, and the person I knew turned out to be a grandfather, maybe 70 years old, I think so. Since the owner turned out to be a good person, it was definitely decided to buy a motorcycle. Since I know from experience that older people’s equipment is always in good, perfect condition. Of the spare parts, I got a full box of small parts, a new gearbox, a new block for a 12 V generator, all the electrics and a bunch of other goodies for the Urals, everything was new, packed in Soviet boxes and bags. I was pleasantly surprised by the fact that the quality of the spare parts is excellent, not like what they sell now!

It’s September 13th, early rise, quick breakfast, rushing to see a friend, an hour later we’re flying along the highway on his Patron 150 to a neighboring village to visit my grandfather beyond the Urals. We pick up my new bike and rush to the city. Then another half day of running around, paperwork, checking numbers and 5 cups of coffee with three hot dogs at the regional MREO of Chelyabinsk, and by evening my new friend is in my garage! I'm glad

He just didn’t have a cradle or a back saddle, he rode alone)

In general, this is what he was like

It was decided to completely rebuild it, paint it, put the engine into a new block, since it had a 6-volt ignition, and it upset me because the headlight didn’t really shine, and in general, it seemed like a backwards solution to me. All the work to create the miracle took about four months, the work was not in a hurry, since some of the spare parts such as the saddle, arches, and footrest were ordered from websites and I did not have to wait long for the packages. The wheel rims are new, I bargained at the market, they sold it cheap) I left the original exhaust pipes, or rather they are sawed-off cucumbers, the sound is gorgeous, I like it, and no matter how collective farm it looks, it will do for now, the budget will allow me to buy direct flow. I also bought a drop tank in more or less normal condition, it was a little rusty. The generator and everything else can be seen in the photo. The process of creating your dream is below, please love and favor! I just apologize for the lack of photos of the garage customization process itself)

First of all, the frame.

Already ready, painted.

The tank and wings are waiting in the wings.

I also decided to paint it.

Assembly has begun. Installed the engine.

First I prepared the tank, for three days I scraped it, puttyed it, primed it, painted it and in the end what happened. (painted elsewhere)

The parcel with the arcs has arrived =) Hurray!!!

The rear wing is ready.

So I painted the front one, I also assembled all the wiring and other important mechanisms)

A week later I rolled the wheels.

I try on the saddle I ordered with my eyes.

Finally my happiness has arrived!!! Basking in the sun =)

There's already a garage here. I put the turn signals on, and there are trimmed cucumbers at the bottom.

So the light bulbs are different.

I bought some levers. What’s most interesting is that they are made in Taiwan, but they are made much better and of higher quality than our Russian ones.

Here it is, as it is now, almost ready, it has already been broken in a little, there are a couple of touches left and that’s it. We are waiting for the new 2013 season)