Everything about Imz-ural totally explained
IMZ - Irbitskiy Mototsikletniy Zavod (Ирбитский мотоциклетный завод = ИМЗ) is a
Russian maker of heavy
motorcycles (especially with
sidecars). In 1940, the Soviet Union acquired the design and production techniques for
BMW R 71 motorcycles and sidecars. The first
M-72 model was finished in 1941. Originally factories were to be located in
Moscow,
Leningrad (now called Saint Petersburg) and
Kharkov but due to the approach of
German troops, the
Moscow facilities were moved to
Irbit and the Leningrad and Kharkov facilities to Gorkiy (nowadays
Nizhny Novgorod).
A similar model is the Soviet (now Ukrainian)
Dnepr motorcycle. Both Ural and Dnepr motorcycles are sometimes known by the
generic name of
Cossack motorcycles. Between 1973 and 1979 Ural was one of the makes marketed by
SATRA in the United Kingdom as
Cossack motorcycles.
Chang Jiang, a Chinese motorcycle manufacturer, bought the Ural M-72 production line to build its CJ-750 (original designation Model 1957, M1).
History
The origins of the IMZ-Ural are linked to developments in the
Eastern Front of
World War II. The
Soviet Union was preparing for possible military action by
Nazi Germany.
Joseph Stalin ordered the
Soviet military to prepare in all possible areas, including the ground forces that would be defending the Soviet Union against invading German
panzer tanks,
storm troopers, and
special forces. Mobility was especially stressed after the Soviet Union had witnessed
the effect of
blitzkrieg on
Poland.
A meeting was held at the
Soviet Defence Ministry determine a model of motorcycle that would be most suitable for the
Red Army. The Red Army wanted to modernize its equipment after the suspension of the
Winter War with Finland. The motorcycles used so far hadn't worked satisfactorily; their technology was outdated and the manufacturing quality wasn't adequate to endure the often harsh Russian climate and terrain.
According to official accounts, the
BMW R 71 motorcycle was found to most closely match Red Army requirements after lengthy discussion. Five units were covertly purchased through some Swedish intermediaries. Soviet engineers in Moscow dismantled the 5 BMWs,
reverse-engineering the BMW design in every detail and making molds and dies to produce their own engines and gearboxes in Moscow. Early in 1941 the first trial samples of M-72 motorcycles were shown to Stalin who made the decision to enter mass production. (One of the original BMWs purchased through the Swedish intermediaries still survives and is on display in the IMZ-Ural factory museum.)
In 1941, BMW began series production of the
R 75 and ended production of the R7 1.
As production escalated, a factory was set up in Moscow producing hundreds of Russian M-72 sidecar motorcycles. The Nazi Blitzkrieg was so fast and effective that Soviet strategists worried that the Moscow factory was within easy range of German bombers. The decision was made to move the motorcycle plant further east, out of bombing range and into the middle of the resource rich
Ural mountain region. The site chosen was the town of
Irbit, located on the fringe of vast
Siberia in the Ural mountains. Irbit had once been an important
Trade and Fair centre in Russia before the
Revolution of 1917.
The only available substantial building was a brewery outside of town, beyond the railway line. It was soon converted into a research and development building to prepare for the construction of a massive new production complex to build the M-72 motorcycle. On October 25, 1942 the first batch of motorcycles went to the front. During WWII a total of 9,799 M-72 motorcycles were delivered for reconnaissance detachments and mobile troops.
After WWII the factory was further developed and expanded and in 1950 the 30,000th motorcycle was produced.
Initially, the "URAL" was built for the military only. In the late 1950s, the
KMZ plant in the Ukraine took over the task of supplying the military and the Irbit Motorcycle Works (IMZ) began to concentrate on making bikes for domestic consumers. In the late 1950s the full production of the plant was turned over to non-military production. In 1957 the M-72 production lines were sold to the
Peoples Republic of China.
The export history of URALs started in
1953, at first mainly to developing countries. Between 1973 and 1979, Dnepr was one of the makes marketed by
SATRA in the United Kingdom as
Cossack motorcycles.
Modern-day products
The main products today are the heavy duty URAL
sidecar motorcycles designed for rough Russian roads, and the
custom Wolf. There are many places in Russia where poor (or a lack of) roads make horses and/or URAL motorcycles necessary to transport gear. URAL motorcycles are equipped with four-stroke air-cooled flat-twin engines, a four speed gear box with reverse gear, shaft drive, two disc dry clutch, spring shock absorbers and drum brakes. Some newer solo models have been developed for western markets, and the company has developed an engine that meets the standards required by the sporting and leisure rider of modern times. Though the outward appearance of the engine is the same as before, new quality control techniques employ better alloying and casting, better engineering tolerances, better paint and chrome while retaining the advantage of continuity with the inherently balanced design of a horizontally opposed flat twin engine with roller bearings in a solid frame.
The motorcycles are mainly sold to the internal Russian market. They have also been exported to
Australia,
Britain,
France,
Netherlands,
Belgium,
Spain,
Greece,
Norway,
Finland,
Iceland,
Sweden,
Germany,
Egypt,
Iran,
South African Republic,
Brazil,
Uruguay,
Paraguay, the
United States. The total number of sales since the factory was founded has been over 3.2 million. IMZ-Ural is the only Russian manufacturer of large capacity motorcycles and one of few manufacturers of
sidecar motorcycles in the world.
Like most motorcycle manufacturers, Ural now sources pre-made components in many cases — buying alternators from
Nippon Denso, brakes from
Brembo, handlebar controls from Domino, forks from Paoili, ignition from
Ducati Energia, etc. The company still makes the frame, the engine, the transmission, the body parts and the wheels.
The 2003 USA model featured a newly designed
crankshaft and a disc brake in front. The crankshaft had a longer stroke which bumped the engine up from 650cc to 750cc, a 15% increase in size. This also replaced weaknesses in the older 5-piece, press-fit crankshaft. The old crank was fine for the low-compression models made through the 90's, but it just didn't hold up to the higher compression that it took to pass
USA Environmental Protection Agency (
EPA) and the higher speeds on the modern roads.
In 2005 the company fixed another weak part, the
alternator attachment. The alternator is gear-driven off of the
camshaft. Adjusting the
gear lash is critical for this type of system. The new design can be retrofitted to old machines and has a new coupling mechanism that allows for better alignment of the alternator shaft to the camshaft. In 2007 it's going to a Ducati electronic ignition and a
4 pot floating disc brake on the road models. The company is selling all it can make and reportedly it has obtained additional financing to increase production. The factory closed down between the beginning of October and the end of November due to sales being lost.
(Finding citations to cover this closure and lost sales would be appreciated.)
Corporate information
IMZ-Ural is a conglomerate of companies producing and selling classic motorcycles in both solo and sidecar combinations.
In November 1992, IMZ-Ural transformed into an open-end joint stock company "Uralmoto Joint Stock Company" a privatized entity owned 40% by management and employees through grant, 38% by auction with privatization vouchers (mostly management and employees also) and 22% retained by the government. In July 2000, the company was re-organised with the governments shares being redistributed to investors.
At the beginning of 1998 the business was bought by private Russian interests and it's no longer a State Company. The private owners have mandated new ideas, investments, management, production techniques, designs, technology and quality control of incoming, in-process and finished products.
In 2000, the company was sold to three entrepreneurs and broken into 3 components with the power production facilities, and foundry and forge being sold off. They took that opportunity to reorganize the remaining factory. It was originally spread over many, many acres because it had been such a major manufacturing plant, making thousands of motorcycles per month. Many employees were let go in the ensuing reorganization.
Sources
Further Information
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