"Izh-350 Planet Sport" - a frisky Soviet bike

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

It is believed that of the entire line of Soviet motorcycles "Izh" is only one truly sporty. It is easy to guess that this is the Izh-350 Planet Sport.

Motorcycle history

In 1973, the Izhmash plant made a real breakthrough: the first sports motorcycle rolled off the assembly line. It turned out to be the Izh Planet Sport bike. In its appearance, "Izh PS" was not at all like the rest of the motorcycles of the "Izh" line. Its design, most likely, was borrowed from Japanese colleagues, because the Izh-350 Sport motorcycle resembles some models of Yamaha, Suzuki, Kawasaki.

At that time, the motorcycle looked quite modern. No less good was the workmanship of parts and the level of assembly of the unit itself. Thanks to this, Izh Planet Sport was popular not only in the USSR, but also abroad. Izh-350 Planet Sport was exported to the nearest countries - Great Britain, the Netherlands and others.

PS could easily compete with the Czech CZ or Jawa of the same category (350 cubic centimeters).

The cost of "PS Izh-350" in the first years of its productionwas 1050 rubles. At that time it was a lot of money. Only a little later, the price of the bike decreased by 50 rubles. The release of the motorcycle continued until 1984, then it was discontinued.

It is believed that it is the first models of "Izh Planet Sport" that are distinguished by the high quality of the production of parts and the assembly of the structure itself. This is not surprising, because the Izhmash plant needed to demonstrate the high quality of the product for its successful sale both domestically and abroad.

Specifications "Izh Planet Sport"

"Izh PS" was produced in two versions, which have some differences in the parameters of speed, mass, etc.

The 1975 Izh PS factory specifications are as follows:

• base - 1390 mm;
• height - 1150 mm;
• length - 2070 mm;
• width - 790 mm;
• clearance - 135 mm.
• unloaded vehicle weight - 135 kg;
• maximum speed - 140 km/h;
• acceleration - 0…100 km/h in 11 seconds;
• motor power - 32 l/s;
• compression - 10-10, 5.

The same parameters in the 1983 Planet Sport modification look like this:

• base - 1440 mm;
• height - 1150 mm;
• length - 2150 mm;
• width - 810 mm;
• clearance - 135 mm;
• unloaded vehicle weight - 155 kg;
• maximum speed - 135 km/h;
• acceleration - 0…100 km/h in 11 seconds;
• motor power - 28 l/s;
• compression - 8, 7-9, 2.

Otherwise, the 1975 Izh Planet Sport-350 is no different from the 1983 model:

• single-cylinder, 2-stroke, three-way scavenging engine;
• air cooling system;
• carburetor K-62M ("Mikuni");
• lubrication system - together with fuel;
• Four-speed gearbox;
• multi-plate clutch system, oil bath;
• electric system voltage - 12 V;
• tank capacity - 14 l;
• fuel - AI-93.

Interesting features of modifications

1974 Model:

• equipped with Japanese Mikuni carburetor;



• chrome direction indicators (similar to "Izh Jupiter-3" and "Izh Planeta-3");
• foreign electrical and lighting equipment;
• self-adhesive inscriptions on the sides and glove compartments;
• Jawa ignition switch.

1975 Model:

• Yamaha motorcycle steering wheel switches and ignition switch;
• imported direction indicators.

1978 Model:

• rigid engine mount;
• installing a lock with anti-theft function.

Reviews

The release of a mass-produced sports motorcycle in the Soviet Union became real news for citizens who are not indifferent to the automotive industry of the USSR. At the very beginning of the production of "IZH Planet Sport", people talked about the export purpose of the bike. The first five hundred copies were completedservice book with a unique number for ordering spare parts from the factory.

Owners claim that the quality of the motorcycle was unusually high, which seemed a bit strange for motorcycle owners. Those who managed to purchase this motorcycle were lucky enough to be convinced of its excellent performance.

In addition to excellent technical data - speed, safety and comfort - it turned out that the "dog" (that's what the youth of that time called it) was also very reliable. The motorcycle could easily cover 50,000 km without significant wear of parts.