Izh Pulsar - the revival of motorcycle production or another Chinese bike?

IZHMASH still produces motorcycles? And what do they look like? Is the new bike not even a four-stroke, but an electric one? So many are surprised, who first heard about the modern model Izh Pulsar.


Yes, such a motorcycle exists, and it seems like you can buy it on order for the price of a budget car, but no one buys a novelty. We need to figure out where this model came from and what it has in common with the Soviet manufacturer.

History of decline

Motorcycles Izh were popular in the Soviet Union, and now they are remembered. After the collapse of the USSR, the Izhevsk Motor Plant fought for sales markets for a long time, but nothing good came of it. The purchasing power of the population in the 1990s became low, and motorcycle enthusiasts preferred Japanese, European or American two-wheeled vehicles.



When people's financial situation improved, it was too late - the budget segment was captured by the Chinese with cheap models, and IZHMASH continued to produce outdated two-stroke motorcycles.



Until 2008, when production was stopped, IZHMASH continued to make Planets / Jupiters-5. Recent modifications received disc brakes in front, alloy wheels, there was an attempt to introduce a separate engine lubrication system.

But only modernization could save the plant, and there was not enough finance even to develop new models. As a result, the conveyor was finally stopped in 2008, when the last Izh Planet-5 left it.



The plant is still working, but motorcycles have not been produced there for a long time - the workshops are mothballed, old machines are sold for metal.

An unexpected rebirth

From time to time there was talk that the production of bikes in Izhevsk would be resumed, a couple of times even motorcycle concepts appeared, designed for motorcades, but no serial production.

But in 2017, another prototype was shown to the public - it was an electric motorcycle. Then they decided that this was a prototype, but in 2019 at the Army-2019 forum they showed pre-production versions called Izh Pulsar. Moreover, official representatives of the manufacturer said that they are already sending several dozen bikes to law enforcement agencies.



When asked by the press, employees of the Kalashnikov concern confidently answered that they wanted to develop a new electric motorcycle back in 2008, and were slowly moving towards their goal. Direct work on the creation of the model began in 2016.



Izh Pulsar is an off-road bike with an electric motor. The manufacturer constantly emphasized that the model was developed in-house. 20hp brushless motor. With.

When asked where electric motors for motorcycles came from in Russia, it was said that so far the power unit is Chinese. But preparations are already underway for the launch of Aksion-Holding's own production at the Izhevsk motor plant.

Why electric motorcycle?

Why start with such a complex technique? Wouldn't it be easier to make a standard enduro with a four-stroke gasoline engine, to compete with the Chinese models that have flooded the Russian market?



After all, it’s up to the small thing - to take normal steel, which was on the motorcycles of the USSR, put high-quality stars and a chain, and the bike is ready! If the cost is also on par with competitors - this is a top seller!

But representatives of the Izhevsk Motor Plant said that gasoline models are the last century, in 10-15 years only electric cars will remain in Europe, so the new Russian motorcycle should be electric.

Features of Izh Pulsar

The novelties were not covered about the performance characteristics, they only said that the bike has a cruising range of 150 km, and the maximum speed is limited to 100 km/h. Where did the equipment for making the model from scratch come from?



The main purpose of an electric bike is its use in law enforcement agencies. Do not forget about the civilian version.
After some time, Izh Pulsar really appeared on sale under the order, but the price of 590 rubles seemed, to put it mildly, overpriced. Whether motorcycles were sold to individuals is unknown, there is no information or feedback on the model.

Own development or Chinese?

A lot of questions arise about the origin of Izh Pulsar. No, if you follow the letter of the law, then everything that is collected in Russia can be considered domestic. But loud statements that the motorcycle is produced from scratch in Izhevsk should be questioned.



Firstly, all the machines at the plant have long been cut into metal, for the production of a new model, the workshops would have to be re-equipped. Such an event would not have passed by the press, and it would have been widely covered, they say, a revival!

Just like that, “on the knee”, even the frame cannot be made exactly, not to mention other units, which are supposedly also of their own production.
But outwardly, Izh Pulsar resembles Chinese motorcycles of Russian assembly, like the Irbis TTR250 and ZiD 250 Enduro. It is unlikely that they were remade, but ordering a motorcycle kit from China is quite possible.

The relationship between Izh Pulsar and Irbis TTR250 is hinted at not only by external similarity, but also by lighting equipment from the same manufacturer.
Concern "Kalashnikov", in turn, said that yes, they ordered the headlights in China, but at the expense of the general appearance - this is the enduro class, and most motorcycles are really similar - this is the design.

As for the engine, no one hid that it was Chinese. The fact is that it was ideal for an electric bike, and in the future it is planned to establish mass production of motors of its own manufacture. Moreover, it sounded that the prototypes are already ready, they are installed on motorcycles and are now being tested.



As soon as demand for Izh Pulsar becomes stable, Chinese electric motors promised to be replaced with domestic ones.
Most likely, no motorcycle of its own production exists. Although the enterprise is in regime, no one knows what is actually being done there. Maybe preparations for serial production are now underway!

Where is it operated?

Despite everything, an experimental batch of 30 bikes was handed over to the Moscow police. This event was timed to coincide with the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Patrols rode motorcycles, demonstrating new technologies in action.

In 2019, a contract for the supply of 20 Izh Pulsar was signed with the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation. The Moscow Military Automobile Inspectorate received these bikes as an experiment. It was announced that if they showed their best side, the WAI would form their own motorcycle divisions.

Since then, 2 years have passed, but Izh Pulsar is still not visible in Russian cities, especially civilian modifications. It is quite possible that the Kalashnikov Concern can produce a batch of bikes on order, but, apparently, there are no people willing to pay 590 rubles each.