North American Russian Motorcycle Association (NARMA) Dnepr motorcycle's current state

Dnepr Motorcycles

October 15, 1999 Check out the latest from RAMco

September 2, 1999
The ship has arrived, the bikes are being prepped and it looks like RAMCO will begin selling bikes within two weeks.

The current (11/13/98) state
of Dnepr in Russia and America

From Sheldon Aubut:
Richard queried the folks at RAM about the Dnepr story... Here is their response.

The way I look at it, the more Russian machines we have here, the more fun we will have. Ural America has agreed to take the negative Dnepr content out of their web site and hopefully we, the consumers, will end up with more variety, more depth to our Russian Motorcycle experience, more technical wisdom, and more fun from the, if not cooperation, at least peaceful coexistence of the two marques.

Dnepr (KMZ) and Ural (IMZ) both are great bikes, only with somewhat different attributes. Now I find myself wanting one of each. Scary thought...

Read on folks:

-----Original Message-----

From: Richard Maund [mailto: ]
Sent: Friday, November 13, 1998 5:09 AM
To: Doug Spillman; CHUCK SHERMAN; Rick McNelly; Sidney Pollard III; Scott and Lucia Durward or Scott Dew; Sheldon Aubut
Subject: Fw: Bankrupt in Siberia? Quick, barter a nuke!

Here's the word straight from RAM. Personally, I want to see both Dnepr and Ural succeed well in this country. I like the choice of having two cool modern retro bikes to choose from! Sheldon, I don't have NARMA in my auto-address book. Not sure why. Please forward this to everyone. I wish Robert well on this venture!
Rich Maund

-----Original Message-----

From: ROBERT LOUNSBURY RAMCO.COM@worldnet.att.net
To: Richard Maund
Date: Friday, November 13, 1998 5:09 AM
Subject: Bankrupt in Siberia? Quick, barter a nuke!

Rich!
If it looks, walks and yes!, even talks like propaganda it generally is proven to be. The spin-meisters and naysayers of negative and disengenious Dnepr remarks as well as unintelligent and disinforming technicals comparisons and data which mislead the buying and owning public, dream of autonomously controlling and severely exploiting our little(currently) world of ex-comm.bloc.sidecar motorcycles. Sad, but argueably true in the web-circles me and a few friends have travelled in based on sight,sound and personal experience, if you know what I mean.

Time for Truth.

1. Dnepr Plant in Ukraine continues to operate and disfunction like most other state-controlled enterprises in Ukraine, that is to say they are generally inefficient and by necessity put a majority of their workforce on mandatory hiatus in between production periods because the workforce is more comfortable sitting at home than sitting at a cold factory while they are waiting to be paid back-wages by their government. The Directors and Management work year-round as do key personnel and security. We know this from experience as we are in contact with them no less than a few times a week by phone or fax. This entire scenario is commonplace in Ukrainian as well large Russian factories.

2. Dnepr Plant is in the translated words of the foreign Minister we deal directly with who overlords RAM/Dnepr Plant dealings, " The Pride of the Ukraine!". There is a tremendous amount of history and importance placed on this factory by its government and the people. After all, pride in key enterprises is about all they have got right now, but they will stuggle and survive as they have done for many centuries before. Ukrainians are no stranger to adversity.

3. We have sold most everything we've been fortunate enough to get but we are badly in need of bikes and spares due to overwhelming unsolicited demand. We have containers of bikes and spares promised to arrive dockside Seattle in late December. RAM can sustain and survive as we are currently a small, tightly-wound organization with very low overhead and a passionate dream to succeed which we all share in common. Our Ukrainian counterparts have taught us well. Remember where BMW was after WWII?; near extinction. We have no choice but to be patient and understanding of the hand we've been dealt and are not in any hurry.

4. We have all US.entitlements in place to become a very successful small or large company. RAM is EPA and California certified and RAM has actually performed and passed DOT FMVSS-122 brake and safety testing program as federally mandated and required of any Motorcycle Manufacturer/Factory Distributor. RAM is long on organization and planning, short on product and market-entry. RAM is a privately held corporation with no outside investors, has never solicted for such and has no current intention of doing so. RAM will be internally capitalized the moment we begin selling container quantities of bikes and spares. We intend to be a virgin company, responsible only to our customers, dealers and suppliers. We have had a lot of time to study the competition and know quite clearly what not to do and particularly who not to do it to.

5. We may be open for further comment and Q & A if anyone has interest or would like to know a factual Dnepr History and technical analysis. We have intended to publish the plants own words on our future website which will be quite different than anything anyone has heard,seen, or been told before since these bikes have surfaced in the last few years. We hope to enlighten interested parties with the truth.

Please feel free to pass along information which may answer any questions which may have come your way re:Dnepr and RAM and our status. I'm glad you reconsidered to keep Mir. Your interest and support is deeply appreciated and adds hope to belief that we share with the plant that believes many an American rider could benefit from having the Hummer of Motorcycling as a first or second bike.

By the way, UralMoto in Siberia shuts down at various times during the year for different reasons at different times. This is so newsworthy that perhaps RAM should inform CNN or maybe the Wall Street Journal of this world-shattering expose from our exclusive sources abroad?! What a joke!
Sincerely,
Robert
RAM Co.Inc.
Seattle,WA USA (yes!,right on Boeing Field's active runway)

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