70 year anniversary model M70
On November 19th, 2011 the Irbit Factory has celebrated its 70th birthday. The grandfather of all Ural motorcycles was the model M72, which was a straight copy of the BMW R71 model. The first M72s were assembled at the beginning of 1941 in different factories in Moscow, Leningrad, Charkow and Gorkij. As Adolf Hitler went to war with Russia in the summer of 1941, the production of motorcycles was moved to the East of Russia, East of the Ural Mountains, making it impossible for German bomber planes to destroy the production facilities.
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On November 19th, 1941 the first echelons with the manufacturing equipment pulled up to Irbit, a distant outpost on the eastern slopes of the Ural Mountains. Merely a month after the decision was made to evacuate the Moscow motorcycle plant from the capital. Ahead were long years of the Second World War. Relocated factory was to produce motorcycles for the Red Army to fight nazi troops. Thus the story of the Irbit Motorcycle Factory (IMZ) began. |
It was women and children in the distant Siberian factory labouring relentlessly to supply the Front with the motorcycles that defeated the enemy. Like the people who built it, the motorcycles were rugged, resilient, undefeatable. Could have they imagined that 70 years later this factory would remain the only sidecar manufacturer in the world and Ural would become a cult motorcycle? Since 1941 over 3 million motorcycles have been produced by the Irbit Motorcycles Factory. |
Historic pictures
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The anniversary model Ural M70 will be available from November 2011 on, during year 2012 until the 19th of November 2012.
Details are kept as close to the original as possible. We meticulously picked the paint for this model and the material for the tonneau cover. MG mount is installed on the sidecar to remain close to the military roots of the models used in the war. Interestingly, the red round IMZ badge did not appear on motorcycles until 1956. We sourced the original IMZ badge and replicated it as close as possible but gave it a more refined finish.
While M70 keeps the aesthetics of the original M72, more importantly it brings to light the best kept secret of the Ural model line up – an extraordinary street motorcycle combination. M70 comes equipped with 18” wheels, Marzocchi telescopic forks, Sachs shocks, four piston Brembo front disc brake. Plunger style frame, low clearance and low center of gravity make this model “grab” the road and handle like no other Ural. Not to mention the smoothest sidecar ride for the passenger! M70 is available both as a solo and sidecar model.
Contact: http://www.ural.cc
PWL47/11
