Soviet motorcycles. Motorcycles of the USSR (photo)

2024 Author: Erin Ralphs | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-19 11:42

The history of the domestic motorcycle industry is an integral and bright part of the global production of bikes. Izhevsk, Kyiv, Minsk and Kovrov factories can boast both famous victories and bitter defeats. Ultimately, the entire production of Soviet "iron horses" ended in complete oblivion.

The very first bikes (two- and three-wheeled) were brought to Russia at the end of the 19th century. It is clear that these were models of a foreign manufacturer. Domestic tales appeared with the beginning of the 1st World War. The Duks plant located in Moscow, together with the workshops of the Riga bicycle plant, produced the first light motorcycles of the USSR. Most of the parts were bought from the Swiss company Motorev. For 5 years, Dux produced only 500 motorcycles. Mass production never started. This was prevented by the war, as well as the outbreak of the revolution.

Soon, Soviet motorcycles got a second chance at life. This happened in the mid-1920s after the end of the war and mass upheavals. Moscow engineers led by P. Lvov triedto revive the domestic motor industry. The model called Soyuz turned out to be excellent, but it never went into mass production.

Serial assembly period

In 1928, the Izhevsk plant created a design bureau, all of whose forces were directed to engine building. Engineer Mozharov became the head of the bureau. He and his colleagues designed and tested 5 IZH motorcycles. Each of them was a four-stroke two-cylinder engine with a displacement of 1200 cubic centimeters. After such a successful project, the enterprise was reorganized into the Izhevsk Motorcycle Plant. It quickly became the industry leader.

Soviet motorcycles, photos of which can be seen in the article, were not mass-produced. Nevertheless, for that time it was a real progress in the field of bike production. Especially the creation of the L-300 motorcycle.

Model "L-300"

Initially, it was designed by specialists from the Izhevsk plant, but mass production was launched at the Leningrad plant "Red October". The L-300 bike was produced from 1931 to 1938 and was considered the most affordable model for citizens. Of course, he was far from perfect, but this did not prevent him from competing with imported motorcycles in various crosses. L-300 racers won quite often.

The bike was powered by a 300cc two-stroke single-cylinder engine. But due to only 6 horsepower, it was only possible to accelerate to 75 kilometers per hour. The roller chains carrying out the motor transmission were of poor quality andconstantly stretched or even torn. Transfers were switched manually. Gasoline consumption reached almost 5 liters.

Soon, production was moved back to Izhevsk, where the L-300 model began to be produced under the new name IZH-7.

Soviet motorcycles after World War II

After the victory of our troops, the production of bikes moved to a new stage of development. It was then that the mass production of these "iron horses" began. In addition, spare parts for Soviet motorcycles were actively produced. The production was carried out by the same factories that did it before the war. The leadership of our country decided to adopt the experience of the Wehrmacht, which uses bikes in military units. The effectiveness of this solution has been proven by the experience of military operations.

During the occupation in Germany, several large motorcycle factories were seized at once. Among them was the DKW based in Zschopau. It really was considered one of the largest in the world. All technical documentation and equipment was sent to the USSR on absolutely legal grounds. This was reparations for the winner from the overthrown Third Reich.

Mass production of Soviet motorcycles was not established by chance. Thus, the authorities attached to the work of specialists from various defense enterprises to be disbanded after the end of the war.

The arms factories Izhmash and the Kovrov factory became the centers for the post-war creation of domestic bikes. The first made a copy of the German motorcycle "DKW NZ 350" and called it "IZH-350". Kovrov, on the other hand, set up serial production of a copy of the GermanDKW RT 125.

Several decades after the end of the war are considered the "golden era" of the domestic motorcycle industry. In the 50s of the 20th century, factories actively stamped scooters and mopeds. In terms of the pace of modernization, domestic producers have far surpassed their foreign rivals.

Last decades of the motorcycle industry

The period from 1970 to 1990 was both the most successful and the most tragic time in the history of the domestic motorcycle industry. At that time, they came up with the most reliable Soviet model IZH Planet-4, the first water-cooled motorcycle IZH Jupiter-5, the best tuning bike Dnepr MT-11 and many others. Also, many could see the chopper style (“IZH Junker”) live.

Soviet motorcycles began to be made specifically for people. At the same time, not only functional characteristics were taken into account, but also the wishes of citizens about the appearance of the model. Well, the most striking event in the world of the domestic motor industry was the appearance of such a bike as …

Legendary "Java"

Of course, this brand cannot be 100% categorized as "Soviet motorcycles". They were made in Czechoslovakia. But the main buyer was the Soviet Union. The most famous was the Java 350 638 model, which was sung by the lead singer of the Gaza Strip group. By the way, the second most popular was the Soviet motorcycle Minsk.

All Soviet rockers of the 80s and 90s rode on Java brand bikes. The Java 350 638 model had a two-cylinder engine with a volume of 343 cubic centimeters and a power of 26 horsepower. This made it possible to accelerate the bike to 120kilometers per hour. Given this fact, as well as the low age of the owners, it is easy to guess the high number of accidents. People called the owners of "Java" suicide bombers and were very skeptical about the bikes of this brand.

Conclusion

Motorcycles of the USSR ceased to be produced with the collapse of the Soviet Union and the violation of economic ties. A certain role in this was played by hyperinflation and widespread impoverishment of the population. But, despite this, people who lived at that time recall domestic stories with warmth. And some patriots still race on Russian roads on restored Soviet motorcycles.