M-72 motorcycle
| Manufacturer | USSR, various state factories |
|---|---|
| Production | 1942–1960 |
| Weight | 225 kg (496 lb) (conventional) 350 kg (770 lb) (sidecar) (wet) |
| Related | BMW R-71 Ural (motorcycle) Dnepr (motorcycle) |
The M-72 was a motorcycle built by the Soviet Union. Conceived as a replacement for the two heavy motorcycles used by the Red Army—the TIZ-AM-600 and PMZ-A-750—both of which had performed unsatisfactorily during the Winter War with Finland and were considered outdated designs. The replacement chosen was the BMW R 71 which had been rejected by the Wehrmacht as a replacement for the R 12. As a result of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact the necessary legal, political and economic procedures were in place for BMW to provide the design, tooling and training for the manufacture of the motorcycle and military sidecar.
Production was intended at three factories located in Moscow, Leningrad, and Kharkov with ancillary items coming from several other factories. Only the Moscow factory MMZ produced any complete motorcycles prior to the German invasion and commencement of the Eastern Front (World War II).
The Moscow factory was moved east to the town of Irbit in Western Siberia and renamed IMZ. The Kharkiv and Leningrad factories were relocated to Gorkiy on the outskirts of the GAZ car/truck plant and renamed GMZ. During the war, motorcycles were produced at both IMZ and GMZ, however all sidecars for both the M-72 and Lend-Lease bikes were produced at Gorkiy.
M-72 motorcycles were predominantly produced with a sidecar attached, although some solos made appearances for escort duties and the like.
...
Wikipedia