Motor scooter "Vyatka": the adventures of the "Italian" in Russia

Nowadays, when the streets of Russian cities are filled with scooters, manufactured mainly in South-East Asia, one does not even believe that our country once also produced similar cars, only they were called motor scooters. One of these two-wheeled vehicles was the Vyatka motor scooter.

History of appearance

By its appearance on the light "Vyatka" is obliged to the Italians. Postwar Italy needed vehicles that everyone could afford. As a result, at one of the surviving enterprises of the "Piaggio", engaged in the production of fighters during the war, began to produce a new two-wheeled car, which was fundamentally different from the usual motorcycles. The first scooters "Vespa" ("Wasp") appeared on Italian roads as early as April 1946. They became extremely popular not only in their own country, but also abroad.

I must say that the design of the scooter differs significantly from the design of the motorcycle. The low placement of the center of gravity, as well as the small diameter of the wheels and the long legroom make it very stable. In addition, deep shields on both wheels, as well as a large front shield protect the driver and passenger from road dirt.

Vespa in USSR

In the late fifties, at the time of the reduction of the army and traditional weapons, it was decided at some defense enterprises to start the production of consumer goods. So, in 1956 a resolution of the Council of Ministers of the USSR appeared and an order from the Ministry of Defense Industry, according to which the Vyatka-Polyansk Machine-Building Plant, located in the Kirov region, was ordered to start the production of scooters as soon as possible.

Since there was no time to develop its design, the Italian Vespa of the 1955 model was taken as a prototype. By the end of 1956, three prototypes had been created, and in 1957 the first serial motor scooter Vyatka-150 came off the assembly line.

The production of the Vyatka-Polyana masters from the prototype differed insignificantly, mainly by weight and dimensions (heavier by 7 kg and with a wheelbase, more by 4 cm). In addition, on the front wing was a flag with a star, instead of an oval speedometer, a round was installed, the ignition lock was located on the handlebars (and not in the headlamp housing), the central part of the steering wheel and the headlamp were somewhat larger. In general, the design was similar to its Italian relative.

Like Vespa, the engine of the Vyatka motor scooter was located on the right under a convex protective casing. On the other hand, for symmetry, there was the same casing under which the reserve was located. The fuel tank was in the rear of the body. To switch gears, a handle on the handlebars was used. For startup, the kickstarter was used.

The motor scooter "Vyatka" was equipped with a single - cylinder two - stroke engine with a forced air cooling system with a working volume of 155 cm ³ , which developed a capacity of 5.5 liters. from. And accelerated the scooter to 60 km / h in 19 seconds. The gasoline consumption was 3.1 liters per 100 kilometers. As fuel used low-octane gasoline A-66.

In general, the design was quite successful, by 1961, 100 thousand machines had already been produced. Motor scooter "Vyatka" had a low cost. In the sixties it could be purchased for 320 rubles, which is much lower than any motorcycle. The production of Vyatka ceased in 1966, the Electron motor scooter replaced it.

Three-wheeled Vyatka

On the basis of the two-wheel model, in 1959 a three-wheeled modification was made, and in several variants - a van, a loading platform and a dumper. Three-wheel motor scooter "Vyatka" could carry up to 250 kg of cargo and was accelerated to a speed of 35 km / h.

Also on the basis of "Vyatka" was created mototaxi, in which the two wheels were located in front and were turning. Between the wheels was a seat for passengers. True, only 50 such taxis were created.