Русский Мотоциклы

Russia.

Many things come to mind when Russia is thought about: Communism, Tsars, hockey, extremely cold weather.  Maybe bad guys in James Bond movies come to mind.

But what about motorcycles?

Since 1940, the land that brought us Nikita Khrushchev, Pyotr Romanov and Valeri Kharlamov has been manufacturing motorcycles as well. 

The Russian motorcycles industry started with five BMW R71s covertly purchased by the Soviet government through Swedish mediators.  The BMWs were then brought back to Moscow were they were reverse engineered (i.e. taken apart and copied) by Soviet engineers.  The BMW R71 was a ruggedly simple motorcycle and had served the German army well in WWII. 

The Soviets wanted a sturdy and highly mobile vehicle and the specifications of the R71 fit the Soviet's needs to a tee.  For the R71, BMW  took their air-cooled flat twin-cylinder engine, mounted it in a full steel frame and put a shaft final-drive out back. 

The cylinder heads stuck out of the frame which aided in engine cooling and longetivity, and the shaft final-drive negated the need for a chain and thus was easier to maintain.  The solid steel frame meant the design was very strong and could take the abusive Russian landscape with ease.

In the early part of 1941, the prototype M-72 motorcycle was shown to Josef Stalin and he cleared the motorcycle for production.  The motorcycles were intially produced in Moscow but fears of German bombs caused the Soviets to move production to Irbit in the Ural mountains.  Production was split between the Irbit Motorcycle Works (IMZ) plant in Irbit and the Gorkiy Motorcycle Plant (GMZ) in the Ukraine.  In total, about 10,000 M-72s were produced for the war effort.

During the fifties, the GMZ plant took over war production and the IMZ plant concentrated on civilian models.  Motorcycles produced at the IMZ plant were intially sold to developing countries and were branded as IMZ-Ural.  The GMZ plant eventually sold their own civillian version of the M-72 under the brand name Dnepr. 

Both of these brands sold the majority of their motorcycle equipped with sidecars and even offered two-wheel drive to combat the poor quality of Russian roads.  Most of the Ural and Dnepr models are sold within Russia but they do export to Europe, North and South America, Australia and the Middle East. 

Ural is by far the largest Russian motorcycle company.  Not much has changed in the models offered by Ural since the design of the original M-72.  The engine was stroked from the original 650cc to 750cc and electronic fuel injection was added to help meet U.S. EPA requirements.  Other major components were sourced from reputable companies.  The alternator is from Nippon Denso, the brakes are from Brembo, the forks are from Paoili and the electronics are from Ducati Energia. 

All of the models offered in the U.S. come equipped with a sidecar.  Ironically, an American-cruiser-style model without a sidecar is offered in other countries.  The base Ural-T starts at $9,999 and comes in stylish black paint with red pinstripes.  See, and you thought the Russians had no sense of style.

The real party-piece is the two-wheel drive Patrol. 

With the flick of a lever, the wheel on the sidecar is engaged and you can now conquer the expanses of Siberia, the vast forests of Tunguska or that snow-covered field across from your house.  The Patrol starts at $12,399.  It even comes in camo paint.

That may seem like a lot for a motorcycle that isn't very fast or good-looking but it isn't.  Sidecars range in price from $3,000 to $6,000.  Add in the cost of a motorcycle and you can easily cross the $12,000 barrier.  Not only that but you have to get the car attatched and aligned correctly.  With a Ural, it's all done for you.  All you have to do is get on. 

A Ural really is a time piece. 

It's a very simple and rugged machine, much like everything else born in Russia.  The Russians cannot claim to make the quickest, the highest-tech or the most beautiful motorcycles in the world.  The can, however, claim to make the most rugged and really, that's what they needed.  Much like the MiG-1, the ZAZ-968 or the Kliment Voroshilov tank, the Ural is built to be simple and effective.

Plus, they're really cool.

The rugged M-72.  Every motorcycle should come equipped with a gun holster.

The Ural-T is pretty sharp.  It looks a bit menacing.  Compared to the M-72 above, it really doesn't look that much different, though.

The Ducati Virus.

There has been a voracious flu virus that has been sweeping the globe since the mid-fifties.  It is distingushed by an increased appitite for speed, a love for the color red, a need to perform preventative maintenance and an increased eye for style.

This particular ailment is also known for causing wallet pain, carbon-fiber withdrawl, marriage problems, speaking in tongues and comfort issues.

No, this is not some new version of bird-flu, swine-flu or whatever flu-named-after-an-animal is attcking the globe this week.  This is much worse.  The bubonic plague?  Ha!  A mere amateur.  It's much more dangerous and debilitating than that.

It's the Ducati Virus.

Once you are infected with the Ducati Virus, all hope is lost.  You will never recover.  You will forever be a slave to the flashy red machines that come bursting out of the small factory in Bologna, Italy.

And really, it's not a bad way to be.

Ducati is such a passionate company, it's hard not to admire them.  Ducati pours everything it has into producing its motorcycles in its own unique way.  Ducati's stand out-with their style, exhaust note, history and technology-against the rest of the cookie-cutter sportbikes of the world. 

It's hard to believe they started out building modified bicycles.

In the twenties, the Ducati brothers (Adriano, Marcello and Bruno) started an electronics firm.  While this was going on, SIATA founder Aldo Farinelli designed a small engine (50cc) that could be placed in a bicycle frame.  Ducati bought these engines and created their first model, the Cucciolo, which is Italian for puppy.

Ducati's legend started to grow in the sixties when fabled designer Dr. Fabio Taglioni created the bevel-gear driven overhead cam single cyclinder engine.  This engine was available in 250cc, 350cc and 450cc.  In the late sxties, the 250cc Mach 1 was the fastest 250cc bike available.

These singles also were available with a new valvetrain setup born from Ducati's racing experience.  The Desmondronic valve system did away with the brittle valve springs that were common at the time and replaced them with a mechanical valve system.  The opening and closing of the valve was done mechanically by the camshaft.  This allowed the engines to rev higher and in turn, make more power.

Besides Mach 1, the other singles had glorious names like Diana, Monza and Sebring.  They also had simple flowing lines and a subtle beauty.  They definitly were some of the most gorgeous motorcycles ever created.

In the early seventies, Dr. Taglioni was working on a new twin cylinder engine that would eventually become the company's trademark. 

Dr. Taglioni kept the upright cylinder from the single already in production and added another cylinder jutting out of the front of the crankcase, thus creating a 90 degree V-twin.  Even though this engine is a V-twin, it is often called an L-twin because of its shape.  This twin was sold in varients with the Desmo valvetrain and without.

This new 750cc engine found its way into two new models: the 750GT and the 750 Sport.  The GT was more of a touring machine with its large tank, two person seat and high handlebars.  The Sport was an all-out race replica.  It had clip-on handlebars, solo seat and rear set pegs.

The Ducati legend was cemented in the 1972 200 mile race at Imola in Italy.  In the capable hands of Englishman Paul Smart and Italian Bruno Spaggiari, Ducati finished one-two, with Smart taking the win. 

The most amzing part of the story was that the bikes went from the brain of Dr. Taglioni to the race track in six months.  The industry norm is around three years.

This L-twin would stay in production in various models and states of tune until the early eighties, when it was replaced by the new belt driven L-twin in the Pantah models.  The Ducati name and the Pantah survived the acquisition by Cagiva and the Ducati Virus was able to spread throughout the eighties.  Unfortunately, around this time, Ducati's products were getting to be a little long in the tooth compared to the offerings from Japan.

The nineties saw this remedied when Ducati released the 851 Superbike.  This model was a first for Ducati in many ways.  It was liquid-cooled, had dual overhead cams, an aluminum frame and electronic fuel injection.  Ducati went from a grandfather to a young stud overnight.

The 851 set the base for subsequent Ducati Superbikes like the 888, 916, 996 and the rare 998.

The introduction of the 999 in 2003 saw Ducati, and cheif designer Pierre Terblanche, receive much critcism over its controversial styling.  However. there was no controversy over its perfromance: 0-60 in three seconds and a 170mph top speed.  This was a very race-oriented machine. Any elements of comfort were nonexistant.

Today, Ducati is the largest Italian motorcycle company. 

The company produces 16 models based around five versions of the L-twin.  Ducati manufactures entry-level machines like the Monster to make sure people with small budgets can catch the Ducati Virus.  For those with deeper pockets, Ducati offers the Superbike range with the 848, 1198, 1198S and the straight-from-the-racetrack 1198R.  In between, there are retro machines, nakeds, motards and a tourer.

Like a plague of locusts, Ducati Virus has spread over all parts of the globe.  Ducati has built their image on race success, beautiful designs and uncompromising performance.

All that from a bicycle.

This is where it all started.  65cc and an estimated 200mpg.  Eat that, Toyota Prius!

The 250 Mach 1 was a light-weight rocket.  Contemporary tests had this machine top out at 107mph.

Ducati's legend was cemented by the 750 Imola.  This machine set the world on its ear and made Ducati a legitimate player in the big bike field.

The 999 was hardly what you would call "Ducatii beautiful."  It was Ducati fast, however.

And the modern Ducati rocket, the 1198R Corse.  Be prepared for extreme performance: 180hp, adjustable suspension and tons of MotoGP-spec parts.  Expect this to be in the $40,000 range.  Wow.

Images sourced from Wikipedia and Ducati.com

Lady of Spain

After what seemed like a February straight out of The Day After Tomorrow, Mother Nature decided it was time for spring. 

Much to my amazement, the tempurature was already around 50 degrees when I woke up earlier this week.  I figured the only real way to celebrate this wonderous change of the season was to hit the road on my Triumph.

Man, it's good to be back!

After looking at all of that snow and longingly looking at my bike while I grab the snow-blower, it was good to be out there.  It was good to smell the smells and feel that wind in my face, even if it was still a little chilly.

I didn't head in any particular direction but did end up stopping at a neat little bookstore.  And of course, I bought a book about motorcycles.

It's called Spanish Post-War Road and Racing Motorcycles by Mick Walker.  It follows the rise and fall of the large Spanish motorcycles companies-Bultaco, Derbi, Montesa, Ossa and Sanglas-and gives a few details about the smaller companies.

Spain's motorcycle industry and history is quite interesting. 

The rapid growth of the industry is due in large part to dictator Generalissimo Fransisco Franco's policies.  Franco (who is still dead, by the way) placed large controls on imports which allowed the fledgling industry to thrive.

In the 15 or so years following the end of WWII, the Spanish motorcycle industry went from nothing to a major motorcycle-producing power.  The Spanish companies also exported their motorcycles to the rest of Europe and to North America in large numbers.

During the 1960's, the motorcycle industry faced an economic downturn and intensified competition from car manufacturers like SEAT.  This left only the strong companies like Bultaco, Derbi, Montesa, Ossa and Sanglas in business.

The 1970's signaled the end of the line for the Spanish companies.  The nail in the coffin, quite literally, was the death of Franco in 1975.  With his death, the strict import regulations were lifted and Spain was flooded with imports.  The Spanish were now able to buy larger, faster and better motorcycle from any number of companies. 

Slowly, the Spanish marques started to die off or were bought by foreign companies.  Ossa and Bultaco were among the first to fold.  Montesa was bought by Honda and is still a subsidiary.  Mototrans was bought by Yamaha.  Derbi is now a subsidiary of Piaggio, the makers of the Vespa scooter.

Today, the largest Spanish-owned motorcycle company is Gas Gas.  They were formed with the remnants of Bultaco in 1985.  They specialize in motocross and trials motorcycles and are the only Spanish company that still exports to North America. 

The Spanish industry was built around a simple premise: cheap, reliable transportation.  The majority of the bikes produced during the glory years were quite similar.  The formula was: take a simple, small-capacity two-stroke single cylinder engine and build a small, lightweight motorcycle around it. 

It's qiute sad to see a once strong and vibrant motorcycle industry such as the Spanish no longer in existance.  The Spanish made some unique machines that deserve a place next to the storied marques from Britain, Italy and Germany.

This is a Montesa Impala Sport 250.  It has 26 horsepower and a 4 speed gearbox.  It's also really good-looking.

This is a 1969 Bultaco Metralla MKII.  This could be called Spain's superbike.  It had a 244cc single, 27 horsepower and a 5 speed gearbox. 

   Bikes like this 1974 Bultaco Sherpa T, built during the motocross boom in the 1970s, helped keep the Spaniards on life-support a little longer.

This is a 1965 Ossa 175 Sport.  It has very Italian styling, similar to something from MV Agusta or Ducati.

And the modern Spanish motorcycle: a Derbi GPR125.  It shares its engine with the Yamaha TZR125.  It follows the traditional Spanish motorcyle formula: small single cylinder two-stroke engine surrounded by a lightweight motorcycle.  It's good to see some things never change.