It's not just China: modern Russian motorcycles

For any Soviet person living in the countryside in the 1960s-1980s, a motorcycle has always been an affordable means of transportation. The industry produced two-wheeled vehicles in huge quantities, there were no queues for motorcycles, they were freely sold even in rural shops.

What was before

By the beginning of the 1990s, the USSR did not have such an assortment as in the capitalist countries. The factories of the country produced certain models of motorcycles of different categories:

• ? Light Minsk and Voskhod
  
• ? Medium Izh
  
• ? Heavy Dnieper and Ural
  

Each of them was in demand - light motorcycles perfectly coped with the role of a workhorse, medium motorcycles were suitable for a small family and transportation of goods, especially in versions with a sidecar. Heavy motorcycles were typical workaholics, especially since they came exclusively with sidecars for the civilian market.

What happened to the motorcycle manufacturers of the USSR

After the 90s, only three motorcycle manufacturers remained in Russia - Izhevsk, Irbit and Kovrov motorcycle plants. The demand for motorcycles fell dozens, and even hundreds of times - first, purchasing power dropped sharply, then second-hand foreign cars poured into the country, taking away the last chance to find a buyer from domestic motorcycles.



Real motorcyclists who choose a bike solely out of personal prejudice also did not need Soviet motorcycles - a stream of used Japanese two-wheeled vehicles poured into Russia, significantly surpassing the new Russian one in all respects.
At first, the domestic manufacturer tried to compete, create new models of motorcycles, but the result was logical - minimal demand, expensive developments, outdated equipment.



Izh and ZiD motorcycles have ceased to be produced, but the defense factories where they were produced continue to function. Motor vehicles for them were only a by-product of production.
As for the Irbit Motor Plant, it was lucky - the factory's top managers bought the production, modernized it, and headed for a foreign buyer.

The only full-fledged Russian motorcycle

Currently, only the Ural can be called a real Russian motorcycle. Although, if you look at the documents, the plant belongs to an American citizen, even though he is Russian by birth - Ilya Khait.
Only thanks to this person managed to save the IMZ. At one time, he came to Irbit to raise production, and realized that the plant would be doomed if the lineup was not changed. It became clear that heavy motorcycles with a sidecar were not needed in Russia and the CIS, it was decided to launch the production of singles of various models.
This is how the legendary Urals of the late 90s and early 2000s were born - Volk and Voyage. Motorcycles were made in the style of a cruiser, they were actively advertised, but the production turned out to be unprofitable.
For a long time, IMZ has produced only motorcycles with sidecars and sells more than 95% of its products abroad, mainly in the USA, where the plant has more than 50 dealers.



The new Ural is a seriously modified old boxer. Thanks to the use of components from the world's best manufacturers and constant improvements, the motorcycle turned out to be really reliable.



Of course, on the move, it behaves in much the same way as the old Soviet Urals, but it is highly reliable and maintainable, which has been repeatedly confirmed by participants in round-the-world trips.
But the price of the new Ural is not encouraging - 1 rubles on average for a Russian buyer is an unbearable amount.

Other manufacturers of Russian-Chinese motorcycles

In addition to IMZ, there are other private and state-owned motorcycle manufacturers in Russia, but they can only be called Russian legally. According to the documents, everything that is collected on the territory of the Russian Federation is a domestic product.
In fact, Chinese-made motorcycles are ordered in bulk, they are brought from China disassembled, and in Russia they are only assembled. Some firms assemble two-wheeled vehicles under their own brand, some sell bikes under a Chinese name, some try to at least partially manufacture some components on their own.
The most famous modern manufacturers of Russian motorcycles:

STEEL

STELS started out as an ordinary seller of Chinese bicycles. As a result, the company became the largest bicycle manufacturer in Europe, the same development program was planned in relation to motorcycles.
STELS motorcycles were produced in different classes, ranging from simple road bikes to enduros and motards. The factories were assembling from Chinese components, it was planned in the future to switch to the manufacture of frames from Russian steel, as has long been established with bicycles.



But the demand for motorcycles has been unstable, and today companies have abandoned the production of two-wheeled motorized vehicles altogether, unable to compete with cheaper Chinese goods. Now STELS produces only two models of ATVs and seven models of snowmobiles.

ZiD

The Degtyarev plant is a well-known Russian defense industry enterprise. For many years, the motorcycle production division of the factory tried to stay afloat, producing new models of motorcycles and mopeds, but in the end it was decided to switch to assembling Chinese equipment. Now in the production range of ZiD there is only one model left, which can be called partly Russian - this is a cargo moped ZiD-50-02 with a Chinese engine. The most popular motorcycle is the enduro ZiD YX250GY-C5C, followed by the road model ZiD YX150-23.



The YX50-C9 and LF50Q mopeds, variants of the Chinese Alpha, are in small but stable demand.

Baltmotors

Baltmotors was founded in 2004 as a manufacturer of motorcycles. Naturally, initially Chinese motorcycles were assembled here, but the approach was serious - our own design bureau, careful selection of components and assemblies.
As a result, motorcycles manufactured by Baltmotors are still valued for their reliability and unpretentiousness, the Baltmotors Classic model can be mentioned as an example.

IRBIS

This manufacturer, or rather, the assembler of Chinese motorcycles under its own brand, was distinguished by the diversity of its model range. Now only 4 models remain from this variety in the enduro and cross class.

MotoLand and RACER

These are the leaders of the Russian motor market in terms of sales. The largest number of motorcycles is assembled thanks to the efforts of these two Russian companies. The MotoLand website states that the company produces about 11 motorcycles and scooters a year, RACER has almost 000 times higher figures - 10 a year.
If the MotoLand website explicitly states that their motorcycles are manufactured in Chinese factories, then RACER positions itself as a domestic manufacturer. Indeed, RACER has its own factory, although the equipment is assembled from Chinese components.
It is possible that over time, MotoLand will have its own factory, and RACER will begin to produce at least frames. This is exactly what Chinese motorcycles lack now - normal Russian steel.

Pricing Policy

The cost of a real Russian motorcycle Ural goes off scale - it is 1 rubles on average. It turns out that the Russian motorcycle is not affordable for domestic buyers.
As for Chinese-Russian motorcycles, the price tag for it starts at about 75 rubles - these are full-fledged motorcycles with engines from 000 cubic centimeters. The average price for a high-quality street or enduro motorcycle is about 124 rubles, which allows the general population to join two-wheeled vehicles.
Of course, speaking of quality, you need to understand that Chinese models for this amount cannot give Japanese reliability, but millions of Russians ride Chinese motorcycles and do not complain.
It turns out that the Russian motor market is actively developing, and even though the equipment is essentially Chinese, the prospects for development and investment are huge.