Russian Pre-Revolution Motorcycles
with thanks to Stanislav Kiriletz
Russian motorcycles intially were licensed copies of other machines. It didn't take long however for Russian inovation to be applied and Russian designs took off. The great War and the Russian revolution intervened however and motorcycle production became very utilitarian. Russian motorcycles became quite lost in the myriad of collective factories all competing for favour and it has become very hard to track production of machines which bear confusing model numbers, popular Soviet slogans or factory names.
Stanislav has kindly supplied us with a list of pre-revolutionary brand names for us to ponder what may have been.......
Note: In Imperial Russia, central Poland was part of the Russian empire.
RUSSISCHE MOTORRÄDER 1895 1917.
Abrikosoff: St. Petersburg. 1895-1899 © Hildebrandt & Wolfmüller (D)
Baltika: Riga. 1902-1904 © NSU (D)
Baltija: Riga. 1913-1915 © Triumph (GB), Douglas (GB)
Bulakoff: St. Petersburg. 1899-1900 © De Dion-Bouton (F)
Dux, Moto-Reve-Dux: Moskau. 1909-1917 © Allright (D), Defaux-Motosacoche (CH),
Triumph (GB), Allright (D), Moto-Reve (CH), BSA (GB)
Fortuna: Moskau. 1908-1915 © Defaux-Motosacoche (CH)
Frese: St. Petersburg. 1901-1905 © Sarolea (B)
Freudenberg: St. Petersburg. 1903-1905
Gloor: Moskau. 1907-1914 © Defaux-Motosacoche (CH), Dux (RUS)
Jasenski: Warschau. 1903-1905 © Sarolea (B)
Leutner: Russia. Riga. 1895-1915 © De Dion-Bouton (F), Hildebrandt & Wolfmüller (D),
Werner (F), Cudell-De Dion (D), Fafnir (D)
Lier & Rossbaum: St. Petersburg. 1898-1907 © Wanderer (D)
Lundberg-Vasiljeff: Moskau. 1899-1901 © De Dion-Bouton (F), Werner (F)
Naletoff: St. Petersburg. 1895-1896 © Werner (F)
Peters: Moskau. 1898-1901. © Hildebrand & Wolgmüller (D)
Pobeda: St. Petersburg. 1901-1911 © FN (B), Soesen (F), NSU (D), Indian (USA)
Reschetnikoff: Alatyr. 1906-1909 © Comet (D)
Shuman: Reval (Tallinn). 1895-1897 © Matador (USA), Hildebrandt & Wolfmüller (D)
Scherban: St. Petersburg. 1911-1915 © Indian (USA)
Selten: St. Petersburg. 1909-1914 © Defaux-Motosacoche (CH)
Tschesnokoff: Moskau. 1906-1908
Starley-Psycho: St. Petersburg. 1898-1901 © Starley-Rover (GB), De Dion-Bouton (F)
Varen, Avan Tren: Warschau. 1903-1905 © Zedel (F)
Wakarecy: Warschau. 1903-1904 © Laurin & Klement (A)
Wirkau: Moskau. 1908-1914 © Terrot (F), Triumph (GB)
© Murray Barnard: www.ozebook.com:
2004