Irbit Motorcycle Plant is the only company in the world for the large-scale production of heavy stroller motorcycles. The Ural brand has become synonymous with high cross-country ability, mobility and decent quality. 99% of products are exported. Surprisingly, the Ural model has become a cult model in the USA, Australia, Canada along with Harley-Davidson, Brough and Indian.
Spy story
Towards the end of the 1930s, Soviet military leaders came to the conclusion that the army lacked a light mobile vehicle for reconnaissance, communications, delivery of ammunition, the rapid movement of advanced motorized infantry units, and support for tanks. Cars of those years did not possess the necessary characteristics, got stuck in a mud, were too noticeable on the battlefield. The use of horses was already considered an anachronism.
Motorcycles with a sidecar, which appeared in the German troops, were the perfect solution. However, acquiring them was not easy. After all, the goal was not just to purchase a batch of three-wheeled "all-terrain vehicles", but to establish our own production. A special operation was developed for the purchase of five BMW R71 cars in Sweden and their secret delivery to the USSR. In the future, the revised model of the “iron horse” under the name M-72 began to produce the Irbit Motor Plant. By the way, the BMW R71 has also become a prototype for the American army bikes Indian and Harley-Davidson.
On the roads of war
As for most enterprises, World War II served as the primary reason for the formation of a motorcycle enterprise in Irbit under the protection of the Ural Mountains. In 1941, the workshops of the Moscow Motor Plant were transported here. Had to huddle wherever necessary. The main facilities were deployed in a former brewery, part of the equipment - in the distance, on the territory of the trailer plant.
The first batch of M-72, the newly formed Irbit Motor Plant, was released on February 25, 1942 - a few months after the evacuation. All the war years, factory workers worked in poorly adapted, cramped conditions. However, this did not prevent the manufacture of 9799 units of equipment. Motorcycles were actively used in the army after the Second World War.
Peaceful time
Only after the war did the factory workers breathe freely. In 1947, plans were approved for a significant expansion of the production base. For the post-war five-year period, the Irbit Motor Plant was actually rebuilt. In the new workshops, everything was thought out specifically for the production of stroller motorcycles. The staff has expanded significantly.
Although the army no longer needed as many motorcycles, organizations, agriculture, police, and ordinary citizens were happy to purchase equipment. Until 1950, 30,000 “peaceful” copies left the assembly line. In 1955, updated models of various colors were launched onto the country's roads. It was the M-72 with a reinforced frame and wheels, an improved motor design.
Creative experiments
The designers of IMZ, together with US, were looking for other directions of development. Eyes turned towards the automotive industry. In particular, a model of a minibus with a body of the “Squirrel” wagon layout was developed, which is unusual in terms of design. The speed of the car based on the M-72 reached 80 km / h.
The experimental line includes a four-wheel drive utility vehicle for rural areas - a competitor of UAZ. In the SUV under the sweet name “Spark”, the components and engine used by the Irbit motor plant, spare parts from Moskvich 410 and other manufacturers were used. A speed of 70 km / h was acceptable for the villagers.
In parallel, no less exotic equipment was designed under the patronage of the military — the project 032 floating all-terrain vehicle. Designed for evacuation, ammunition delivery and reconnaissance, it had a design feature. The steering shifted to the left side, and the driver could control the all-terrain vehicle, crawling on the ground. However, design experiments did not go into the series.
Irbit Motor Plant: Ural
For most of the country's inhabitants, stroller motorcycles are known under the Ural brand. It is more harmonious than the faceless “M” and emphasizes the geographical affiliation of the enterprise. The name was first used in 1961. The Ural M-62 was equipped with an overhead valve engine of 650 cm 3 with a capacity of 28 liters. s., which allowed to accelerate to 95 km / h. Over the five-year period, more than 140,000 motorcycles with a "mountainous" character found owners.
The Ural brand has become a symbol of the best motorcycle with a sidecar. Two-wheeled specialized modifications for escort and patrol service were also produced. Under the USSR, the enterprise remained a powerful center of mechanical engineering, producing over 100,000 units of equipment annually.
Falls and Ups
It is difficult to say whether the Irbit Motor Works has stood the test of time. In market conditions, such an impressive amount of motorcycles was unclaimed. Most of the workshops closed, of the 9,000 workers several hundred remained to work. At the same time, the company switched to high-quality manual assembly. Frame and a number of nodes are made at IMZ, components are supplied by foreign partners.
The team managed to bring the quality of the Urals to previously unattainable heights. Motorcycles have won the respect of the American electoral public. Owning a Ural brand in the USA is considered prestigious.
Products of the Irbit Motorcycle Plant
The appearance of the Urals has changed little. It is the vintage design and strong brutal design that delight buyers of motorcycles of the legendary brand. But the quality of components has fundamentally changed. The once simple technique got gloss thanks to the abundance of chromed metal, improving the quality of painting, attention to detail.
Today IMZ offers stroller models under the Ural brand:
- "Retro";
- "Retro M70";
- "City";
- Patrol;
- Gear up
The differences mostly relate to design and small technical features. The price of models is high and exceeds 600,000 rubles. However, the loyal fans of the legendary brand does not stop the cost of technology. The Irbit Motor Plant annually manufactures about 1,000 motorcycles to order.