IZH Motorcycle

IZH-1

The Izh is a well-known producer of weapons (the most famous example is the "Kalashnikov" machine-gun). However, about the production for the civil market, the Izh was not only an automotive factory, but also the main Soviet motorcycle factory before the fall of the USSR, with a production even more massive than the IMZ-Ural. Considering that the Izh was the main Soviet motorcycle factory, and that the USSR was the second producer of motorcycles (after the Japan) until the early '90s, it possible to say that this Russian brand was one of the greatest factories in the world about number of production (11.000.000 of bikes produced since the 1927). But, in spite of these numbers, it's almost totally unknown in the Western countries!

 The Izh's automotive production started only in the 1966, but the motorcycle production started already in the 1927, when the engineer P.V. Mozharov realized the Izh-1, a big V-twin bike (the engine was placed transversally, Guzzi-style), 1200 cc, three-steps gearbox with final shaft drive, 23 hp, and with an original frame in stamped steel foil. Moreover, the bottom of the rear part of the frame has also function of muffler. The simpler Izh-4 single-cylinder with similar technical solutions, was recommanded for the serial production, but it was produced only in few exemplars, like the Izh-1 and other experimental bikes produced until the 1929. "NATI-A 750", a 750 cc., V-twin copied from American models (Indian and Harley Davidson), with stamped-foil frame.

IZH-4

More information here:
http://www.autosoviet.altervista.org/ENGLISH-automotorusse9Moto(izh).htm