Motorcycle M-72. Soviet motorcycle. Retro Motorcycle M-72

Motorcycle M-72 of the Soviet period was produced in large batches, from 1940 to 1960, at several plants. He was made in Kiev (KMZ), Leningrad, Krasny Oktyabr plant, in Gorky (GMZ), in Irbit (IMZ), at the Moscow Motorcycle Plant (MMZ). Initially, the heavy motorcycle M-72 was produced exclusively for deliveries to the armed forces. The machine was equipped with a light machine gun, which was mounted on the front of the stroller. The motorcycle did not enter the civilian trade sector, and if a person appeared on the M-72, he was stopped, and the car was taken without explanation.

Military Destination

Motorcycle M-72 was classified using the term "armored vehicles", although it was not armored. Delivered to motorized rifle army units and was the basic vehicle of infantry for fighting on level ground. Decisive importance in the battles of World War II did not have a motorcycle, as it was not protected from enemy shells and bullets. It was enough for a small fragment of the mine to get into the engine, and he stopped, the soldiers remained unguarded and perished. It was effective to use the M-72 only in the case of a lightning attack, in an atmosphere of surprise, when the enemy is confused and can not resist.

Production start

The prototype of the M-72 was the German motorcycle BMW R71, the most common model in the structures of the Wehrmacht. Five such motorcycles were secretly purchased in Sweden, transported to Moscow, dismantled and examined. In March 1941, the Moscow motorcycle factory began production of the Russian version. The Soviet motorcycle turned out to be no worse than its German counterpart, although it did not come off the assembly line of the car irregularly. The main units and assemblies of the motorcycle were produced at different factories: the engine was made at the Stalin automobile plant, the gearbox was transferred to the AZLK (Lenin Komsomol plant), the carriage and cardan shaft were produced at GAZ in the city of Gorky. Thus, at first the planned production of the M-72 motorcycle was hampered by the inconsistency of the suppliers.

Postwar time

During the war years, the M-72 motorcycle was produced in factories located in the Siberian evacuation zone. It was then that the name "Ural" was added to the index. When the war ended, there was an export boom in the USSR, the government tried to get as much money as possible by selling goods abroad. The M-72, a Soviet motorcycle, was exported to foreign countries in large quantities in the 1950s. M-72 Ural was willingly bought in Europe. Simple design and reliability were the main arguments in favor of the model.

Since 1955, the motorcycle "Ural" M-72 began to sell to the population within the country. The civil version was characterized by improved engine characteristics, a powerful frame, torsion transmission of engine rotation to the wheel of a stroller. The petrol tank was decorated with the inscription "Irbit". Nominally three-wheeled cars were considered belonging to their owners, but only in peacetime. In the event of war, each motorcycle "Ural" M-72 could be requisitioned and sent to the front.

Specifications

The design of the M-72 was well suited to the process of conveyor assembly, and this allowed the release of a significant number of machines in a relatively short period of time. The production of motorcycles was restrained by the desire of designers to improve the technical parameters of individual mechanisms. The German motorcycle BMW R21 contained a number of technical innovations that were not included in the technological process that was used in assembling the Soviet version. Therefore, the engineers wanted to catch up and introduce into the production all the useful achievements of German specialists.

In the queue were design developments: duplex frame, double shifting - foot and leverage (at the option of a motorcyclist), spring shock absorbers of the rear suspension, front fork of a telescopic design. Instead of the chain transmission, characteristic of Soviet motorcycles, cardan was installed. Separate feeding of the cylinders was practiced, in this case two carburettors were installed on the motorcycle.

Engine Construction

Oppositional layout of the cylinders provided a good balance of the motor in combination with a low center of gravity, which was located at an altitude of 592 mm. Auxiliary working units - generator, oil pump, trampler - were rotated by means of gear drives. Cast iron cylinders were coated with a special black varnish with heat-resistant characteristics. The crankshaft's crankshafts operated on needle bearings. The connecting rods were separated and each sat on its crankshaft neck. This assumed a horizontal axial displacement of the cylinders in the value 39.2 mm relative to each other. The two-wheel crankshaft allowed to reduce the length of the crankcase of the engine due to the thinning (up to 18 mm) of the cheeks between the root and crankpins.

Military accessories

On the motorcycle M-72 in the civilian version, cells for ammunition and spare parts were still installed, as well as a swivel device for the Degtyarev's machine gun. At the same time, the new owner did not have the right to dismantle the army arms. M-72 - a motorcycle, the photo of which is placed on the page - is a vivid example of the Soviet era.

Improvements

Starting in 1956, the Irbit motor-car factory moved to the M-72M model, which differed from the previous improvements. Brake drums were reinforced with special stamped discs that improved the fastening of the spokes, differed in the optimal location of the rear wing for more efficient cleaning of it from sticky dirt. The front wing was raised and fixed on the fixed part of the front fork. The stroller changed its configuration.

Sports modification

Issue M-72M did not last long, "IMZ" soon switched to the production of the model M-61. In addition to standard motorcycles, the sports version of the M-72K, lightweight design, with a 30-liter engine was developed at the plant in Irbit. With., Equipped with a device for changing the phases of the gas distribution.

M-72K, intended for cross competitions, was supplied with a special air duct, taking air masses from the top panel of the gas tank. Wheels of a motorcycle "were trained" in tire covers with a deep pattern of a protector. The headlight was abolished, the overall weight reduced by a light side trailer.

Motorcycle M-72, spare parts

In the Soviet Union, thanks to a planned economy, the production of spare parts was raised to the highest possible level. It was believed that the technical equipment should be guaranteed to be provided with repair accessories. Therefore, inventories were created , which for years were gathering dust in warehouses. Like all motorcycles of the Soviet period, the M-72 was provided with spare parts for decades to come. Currently, there is no shortage of repair kits for a heavy motorcycle of the Second World War.

Motorcycle M-72, price

At present, there are a lot of proposals in the market of used vehicles. The M-72 Ural is no exception. There are even rare specimens - retro motorcycles of the 1957 edition. The cost directly depends on their status - if it's just a rusted three-wheeled car, it can cost 10 thousand rubles. But if the motorcycle has been resuscitated, restored using appropriate technologies, has an impeccable presentation, this amount can grow up to 399 thousand rubles, as it is no longer a motorcycle, but an exclusive retro.