Motorcycles "Voskhod" - the history of appearance and were they so unreliable?

When it comes to Soviet motorcycles, the Voskhod of any modification will be called the most unreliable of them. The most interesting thing is that most of the negative reviews can be found from those who have never owned this bike. In extreme cases, you can hear the story that my grandfather had such a motorcycle in the barn, and it constantly broke down.


But those who have "Sunrise" for several years, no claims are made against him. On the contrary, they speak warmly about this bike. Before understanding the reasons for such notoriety, you need to tell the story of the Soviet Voskhod motorcycles.

Model predecessors

The plant in the city of Kovrov was founded in 1916, its task was to produce weapons that were required for the front in huge quantities. Motorcycle production has been preserved and developed already under Soviet power.

After the Great Patriotic War, it was decided to transfer the plant to a peaceful course, at least partially. Here, by the way, came the German light motorcycle DKW-RT125. They decided to assemble this model in Kovrov, and it is considered the ancestor of the more modern Voskhod.

K-125

The first Kovrov motorcycle was the K-125, produced from 1946 to 1955. The model was equipped with an engine of 125 cubic centimeters, and developed a power of 4,25 liters. With. K-125 was modernized, having received the letter “M” in the title, traditional for the entire subsequent series of Kovrov motorcycles. It happened in 1952.



The rear suspension of the bikes was stiff. Speed ​​- 70 km / h.

K-55

Starting from 1955, the plant produced the K-55 model. The motorcycle has been redesigned, began to look stylish. The main changes are a new carburetor and a swingarm rear suspension. The bike has become more comfortable, the maximum speed has been increased to 75 km/h.

K-58

This is the latest motorcycle in the series with a 125 cc engine and 5 hp. With. It differs from its predecessor by a larger gas tank and AC electrical equipment without a battery. Produced from 1957 to 1960.

K-175

But this is the direct ancestor of the Voskhod motorcycles. Got a new massive design, engine with a displacement of 175 cm3 with a power of 8 liters. With. It was called "Kovrovets", accelerated to 80 km / h. The model was produced from 1956 to 1965. K-175 has been modernized several times.

Motorcycles "Sunrise"

The first models appeared in 1965. They received upgraded engines with a capacity of 10 liters. With. The motorcycle was cheap to manufacture, while the maximum speed reached 95 km / h.

"Voskhod" became one of the most popular Soviet bikes due to its price. Despite numerous complaints, the demand for the model was high - the ZiD plant annually produced about 200 units of this two-wheeled vehicle until 000.

Voskhod-2

The new motorcycle has changed rather externally, having received a different optics. The engine was slightly modified, forcing it to 10,5 liters. With. The electronic non-contact ignition system has been upgraded. The model was produced from 1972 to 1977.

Voskhod-3 and its modifications

In 1979, the Voskhod-3 motorcycle appeared, which was produced in various modifications until 1993 inclusive. The bike has changed both externally and technically, but its power has remained at the same level.

The model was restyled twice - in 1984 and 1989, changing the name to "Voskhod-3M" and 3M-01, respectively.

The latest improvements took place against the backdrop of a catastrophic decline in demand for Kovrov models and, in general, for Soviet motorcycles. It was clear that it was urgent to install four-stroke engines, but they could not switch to the production of such engines.

"Voskhod-3M-01" received the most powerful engine in the series, developing 14 hp. With.

Rare serial modifications Voskhod-3M

Few people remember, but the third series of Kovrov bikes was rich in non-standard modifications.

Variants of motorcycles "Voskhod-3M":

• ? Suite
  
• ? Tourist
  
• ? Hunter
  

It is not known who came up with the idea to assemble luxury modifications of a budget motorcycle, but from 1984 to 1986 such Voskhods were actually produced in small batches.



The main differences of "Voskhod-3M Lux":

• ? Improved painting and electroplating
  
• ? Comfort seat
  
• ? Anthers instead of covers on the front fork
  
• ? Safety bars
  

How many there were in total is unknown, it is difficult to find such a bike.

Voskhod-3M-Tourist is a travel model. It had a sports steering wheel with a jumper, roll bars, a rear trunk and trunks, plus a tablet on the gas tank.

A rare modification of Voskhod-3M-Okhotnik modified for off-road driving. It was painted in military dark green, had a tow bar for a trailer, with which it was often sold together.

So reliable was Voskhod or not?

Well, now the secret of the unreliability of motorcycles of this model. The fact is that the low price made the bike extremely popular in the countryside, mainly among young people. The model cost around 450 rubles, only Minsk was cheaper.



But for people who love technology, the Voskhod for some reason did not break, rather, on the contrary, it was respected for its high reliability.
The lowest octane gasoline was often poured into the tank of motorcycles and diluted with used oil, not seeing anything wrong with that. And then they wondered why the bike wouldn't start!



The only design flaw of the Voskhod is the ignition. It was enough to adjust it once, and there were no more problems with it. But the youth did not know how to do this, so they often started their motorcycles “from the pusher”.


There was another secret that was used by motorcycle owners experiencing winding problems. It was enough to turn the piston with the locks of the rings to the exhaust, and the bike began to rumble the first time.

The kickstarter mechanics also had one small design flaw. But the problem only appeared if the motorcycle was refueled with low-octane gasoline mixed with oil of unknown origin. If you put the motor chain, sprocket and clutch drum from Minsk, then it became easier to start the bike.

If the engine stopped pulling, it was necessary to change the piston, not just the rings. Some put three-ring parts from the launcher - they claimed that they nursed longer than their “relatives”.

The cost of the Voskhod motorcycle now and is it worth buying?

It is still possible to buy the legendary Soviet bike in our time, although there are few of them on sale - literally one and a half or two dozen. Motorcycles cost from 12 rubles to about 000. Sometimes real collector's items appear, for which they ask for more.

You can take the Voskhod only as a weekend motorcycle to return to childhood, having heard the characteristic smell of a two-stroke exhaust.



ZiD continues to collect bikes, but from Chinese kits. Okay, anyway! As for the Voskhod motorcycles, they have long been part of Soviet motor history ...