In the series of goods that have become the pride of the Sverdlovsk region , the most famous is, of course, the Irbit motorcycle with a sidecar “Ural” . He is known not only in Russia. Motorcycle connoisseurs in many countries around the world are crazy about him - because in his appearance much has been preserved from the old army asceticism, for his complete indifference to the quality of roads and service, for his reluctance to live “with the times.” It was as if he had broken out of the time stream, while remaining himself.
People's motorcycle: a success story
In 1955, the military order was transferred to the Kiev Motorcycle Plant (it produced cars under the Dnepr ). The Urals had no choice but to switch to civilian consumers. And it is in this market segment that Irbit motorcycles have achieved incredible success. The first civilian model was the M-72M .
“It was a real workhorse.” In villages and small towns, this motorcycle literally performed the function of a horse: it was easy to bring a haystack or bags of potatoes for fishing. Take it anywhere! - says Alexander Bulanov .
At first, Irbit motorcycles did not have their own brand - only letter designations. The first car with a name was the M-61 model - it was called “Irbit” .
And only in 1961, when the M-62 model , Irbit motorcycles received the name “Ural” . At the same time, large-scale production of motorcycles began.
— Our most popular model over the years was probably the M-63 motorcycle. It was produced for 8 years: from 1963 to 1971,” says former plant director Nikolai Volozhanin .
Nikolai Volozhanin
Nikolai Ivanovich will turn 80 this year. He is a living legend of the Irbit Motor Plant ; he was its director twice. The first time was from 1979 to 1983, and the second time was at the end of the enterprise’s glory, from 1987 to 1995. He himself had three Urals , in which he participated in long-distance runs.
The most famous of them took place in 1968. Then a team of Irbitsk residents went to an international gathering of, as they would say today, bikers, which took place in Italy . According to the memoirs of Nikolai Volozhanin , nine motorcycle plant workers left Irbit on eight locally produced motorcycles . to Italian Perugia , where the rally took place, and back, driving 11 thousand kilometers - and with virtually no breakdowns. Probably, then “abroad” saw the Ural motorcycle . As Nikolai Ivanovich , even in the company of eminent brothers, “Ural” looked good. The technical lag of the Irbit motorcycle began later...
Decrease in production
— When I was in Japan, I visited their motorcycle museum. So, it’s very clear how they have dramatically rushed forward since the mid-70s. And at that time we just slowed down. We were severely limited in new materials. If capitalists were already making titanium frames, then we couldn’t even dream about it, says Nikolai Volozhanin (and the world’s largest titanium production enterprise, VSMPO-Avisma , is located in the Sverdlovsk region - in Verkhnyaya Salda ).
The Sverdlovsk people slowed down not because they lacked technical ideas. They were - and what kind of ones! But at that time there were no motorcycles with sidecars for free sale; the demand for them greatly outstripped the supply. Probably, someone at the top thought that in this situation there was no point in spending money and resources on modernization. A typical example is the fate of the best motorcycle from the Irbit plant, M-73 . For 1980, when it was created, it was an advanced development.
“I tested this motorcycle myself,” says Alexander Bulanov . — Amazing car: powerful 750 cc engine, electric start, hydraulic brakes. More than a dozen original inventions were obtained by the plant’s specialists when creating this model. We tested it and got the go-ahead for mass production. But to release a new product for the first five years, 4.8 million rubles were required. The plant never received them, although it generated a net profit of more than 20 million rubles annually. M-73 never went into production...
Irbitsk residents issued the millionth motorcycle in 1975, the two millionth in 1985, and the three millionth in 1993. The largest number of motorcycles - 131 thousand - was produced in 1992. Then there was a decline in production: 1993 - 121 thousand, 1994 - 68,700, 1995 - only 11,700. Why did this happen?
“The main reason is that there is no consumer,” says Nikolai Volozhanin . — When prices were lowered in the early 90s and wages fell, rural workers and residents of small towns no longer had time to buy a new motorcycle; most did not have enough money to live on.
Modern models
It is noteworthy that it was precisely during difficult times for the plant that such popular motorcycles as the Ural “Voyage” and the flagship model Ural “Wolf” .
The heavy road motorcycle Ural "Wolf" , which rolled off the assembly line in 1999, became a favorite model of Russian bikers. The motorcycle is equipped with a 745 cc engine. cm 45 hp and accelerates to 152 km/h. Thanks to its unusual design and driving characteristics, the Ural “Wolf” chopper rightfully tops the rating of the plant’s most successful models.
As for the Ural Voyage motorcycle , which appeared a little earlier (in 1996), this model had more modest characteristics: a 650 cc engine. cm with a power of 36 hp, allowing you to reach speeds of up to 120 km/h.
Other models also rolled off the production line: the army version of the Ural Gear-Up motorcycle with camouflage colors, the Ural Solo-DPS patrol motorcycle with a windshield, siren and signal lights, and the Ural Hercules .
Ural "Tourist" is one of the best examples of touring motorcycles for long trips, including off-road, accelerating up to 120 km/h. Tourist 2WD model became an all-wheel drive version of this motorcycle with additional drive to the sidecar wheel.
The Ural Solo motorcycle is a fairly powerful single bike with a classic seating position and low straight handlebars, reaching a maximum speed of 150 km/h. This inexpensive motorcycle is one of the most popular models and is perfect for a big city.
The Ural “Retro”
model is made in the style of the 40-50s, although today this motorcycle with a black leather seat and velor upholstery of the sidecar looks more than modern and stylish.
In 2007, the Ural “Desert” motorcycle with a lever front fork and a microprocessor ignition system, designed for riding on sand, and the Ural “Vyuga” with a powered sidecar for use in winter.
In 2015, a limited edition of motorcycles with a Ural , dedicated to the new part of the Star Wars film . The model was called "Dark Force" and was sold only in the USA. The Ural Dark Force , a rear-wheel drive two-seater, produces 41 horsepower with a four-speed manual transmission. It has a two-cylinder opposed air-cooled engine with a volume of 749 cubic centimeters with an electronic fuel injection system. In addition to the LED headlight, according to the manufacturer, a real lightsaber was included with the motorcycle.
Equipment and technical characteristics
Specialists of the Irbit plant equipped their main universal motorcycle Ural “Tourist T” with imported parts and components of high quality:
- carburetor from ;
- brakes from the Brembo brand;
- rear shock absorbers of the Sachs brand;
- telescopic front forks from .
Agricultural workers and rural residents will appreciate in practice the quality of the driver's mudguards, comfortable passenger handles and reliable parking brakes with a windshield, which are included in the additional equipment of this motorcycle. Manufacturers offer owners to purchase wheels with off-road tread (for improved cross-country ability) and a road kit with tubes of lubricants and oils.
The motorcycle will be a good gift for true connoisseurs of domestic technology.
A spacious, water-resistant case will be the icing on the cake. A 2.5-meter Ural “Tourist T”, having a height of more than 1 m and a width of 1.7 m, can easily fit under it. The black color of the motorbike and spoked 19-inch wheels give it brutality and additional power, which the “Ural” does not too needy. A 2-cylinder four-stroke engine with a volume of 750 cm3 and a power of 45 l/s, as well as a 4-speed reverse gearbox and a fuel tank with a capacity of 19 liters of gasoline are its main technical advantages.
| Engine capacity | 745 cc cm. |
| engine's type | 4-stroke, 2-cylinder, opposed |
| Number of gears | 4 + 1 rear |
| Power | 30 kW |
| Torque | 57 Nm |
| Dimensions (LxWxH) | 258x170x110 cm |
| Clearance | 173 mm |
| Gas tank volume | 21 l |
| Fuel consumption | 7.6 l |
Interesting facts about the Ural motorcycle
- the Ural from all the motorcycles in the country - as it looked more aggressive, and also “growled” loudly and beautifully.
- Saddam Hussein liked the Ural . In 2002, the Republican Guard ordered 2,000 motorcycles from the Irbit Motor Plant with sidecars to implement its defensive strategy based on high mobility tactics. on the Ural to increase its defense capability.
- In 2012, Brad Pitt a Ural motorcycle for himself and is still the proud owner of the Ural Tourist model with a sidecar.
- Heroes of foreign films and TV series quite often ride Ural motorcycles . For example, Moro drove the Solo-sT in the Urals in the movie Ghost Rider 2 .
Motorcycle Ural Tourist
Since 2021, orders for production are no longer accepted. It occupies a special position in the Irbit motorcycle model range. It is safe to say that it is a true “classic of the genre.” These legendary motorcycles were very popular with our fathers and even grandfathers due to their excellent driving and performance characteristics, high cross-country ability, high power and unpretentiousness. Probably, such a successful combination of all these qualities was a consequence of the fact that its not so distant ancestor was the excellent development of the German company BMW - R71. However, we must also pay tribute to the engineers of the Ural enterprise, largely thanks to whose efforts “Ural Tourist” is constantly being improved and is in constant high demand (though in recent years, mainly in foreign countries).“Ural Tourist” is a classic heavy motorcycle with a sidecar, which is designed for traveling long distances, including over rough terrain. At one time, it was these machines that formed the basis of the motorcycle fleet of the USSR State Traffic Inspectorate, and ordinary citizens of the country used them with constant success for fishing, hunting, and traveling around the countryside with its “famous” roads. Often, craftsmen adapted the “Ural Tourist” for transporting various large-sized cargo, and exploited these “workhorses,” as they say, to the fullest extent: fortunately, the safety margin of these vehicles is truly unique.
In recent years, engineers at the Irbit Motorcycle Plant have been constantly improving this famous model, and achieving very good results. First of all, it should be said that the latest Tourist models are equipped with new four-stroke two-cylinder engines with a power of 45 l/s and a displacement of 750 cc. This allows the updated motorcycle to accelerate on the highway to a speed of 120 km/h. As noted by those who managed to try the new Ural Tourist, as they say, in practice, the increased engine power contributes to even better cross-country ability of the motorcycle, thanks to which you can feel absolutely confident on it not only on the highway, but also when driving over rough terrain. The Tourist tank holds 19 liters of fuel. This is enough to drive about three hundred kilometers at one gas station in the city cycle, and about four hundred on the highway. The gearbox of the Ural Tourist motorcycle is four-speed, allowing you to engage reverse gear. The torque is transmitted to the rear wheel using a driveshaft, and the wheels themselves are 19 inches in size.
Particularly noteworthy is the braking system of this versatile motorcycle. In accordance with international standards for equipment of this level and class, the front wheels of the Tourist are equipped with hydraulic disc brakes, and the rear wheels are equipped with drum brakes, which can significantly improve driving safety. For the convenience of the driver and passengers, the motorcycle seats are made separate and have double adjustment. As standard, the Ural Tourist is equipped with a painted trunk, which is installed on a spare wheel attached to the stroller, handles that are convenient for the passenger to hold while moving, as well as a parking brake. In addition, at the request of the customer, the motorcycle can be equipped with an off-road kit, consisting of crankcase protection, an exhaust system raised to a greater height, and front and rear sidecar protection. The manufacturer also offers a waterproof cover and all-terrain wheels as additional accessories. As for the colors of the “Tourist”, the following standard options are offered: black and black with circus, blue (“Baltic”), “green garden”.
It should also be noted that the updated Ural Tourist is equipped with a number of components and parts produced by the world's leading companies. For example, a DENSO generator, a Ducati microprocessor ignition system, Sachs shock absorbers, a Yuasa battery. All this significantly improves the driving performance of the motorcycle and significantly increases its reliability.
