The History of Russian Ural Motorcycles

The Russian Ural motorcycle was originally developed for the Soviet army in the buildup to World War II. Since the 1950s, the Ural motorcycle has been exported around the world, according to Ural Motorcycles Europe.

Development

The Ural Motorcycle was developed to move troops quickly in response to the fast-moving Blitzkrieg tactic used by the German army during its invasion of Poland in 1939. Ural Motorcycles reports the initial design of the M-72 was approved by Josef Stalin in 1941.

Design

Using the BMX R71 motorcycle, Soviet engineers reverse-engineered the Ural M-72 from imported models and plans. In 2010, the Ural sidecar motorcycle and custom Wolf models are still being manufactured, according to Ural Motorcycles Europe.

Export

Ural Motorcycles trades as a private company, following the sale of the final shares owned by the Russian government in 2000. The Irbit factory, at the foot of the Ural Mountains, exports motorcycles to the U.S., U.K., Uruguay and Sweden.

References

• Ural Motorcycles Europe: History of Ural Motorcycles
• Ural USA: The Story