Originally based on the pre-war BMW R71 the Ural is still chugging along in various forms - see photo-gallery below.
Ural
Originally based on the pre-war BMW R71 the Ural is still
chugging along in various forms - see photo-gallery below.
A treatise: it was
probably FN that inspired the BMW and Zundapp military outfits.
Even Puch tried to build one until the Nazis asked them politely
to concentrate on other war essentials . The FN M12 outfit of
1937 had sidecar wheel drive, high and low ratio andreverse
gearbox, additional filtration, interchangable wheels and cross
country tyres. A range of sidecars were produced with or without
armoured shields. After the Nazi invasion the Wehrmacht kept
these machines in production.
The French were quite taken by the idea and Gnome-Rhone produced
a Boxer twin outfit from 1938-40, the sv AX2 800cc. Also featured
reverse drive and
a shaft to the sidecar wheel. Again the Wehrmacht was impressed
and continued production after conquering France in 1940. It
wouldn't surprise me if these machines are at times mistaken for
BMWs or Zundapps under their camouflage and Wehrmacht markings.
The BMW R75 and Zundapp KS750 models were introduced in the
autumn of 1940 with similar features to the Belgian and French
models.
The Harley XA prototype was based on the BMW and Zundapp models
but in particular a captured 750cc BMW R12. Wherever possible the
XA was kept
common to the WLA and a sidecar version the XS was prepared. The
Jeep killed off this particular venture although 1000 machines
were built.
The Russians, in 1938, copied the BMW R71 as the M-72, a
side-valve boxer which received some additional work such as
extra finning to cope with
Russian conditions. This machine continued after the war as the
K-750 but was discontinued in the mid 50s. It was initially
produced under licence but
I am sure this agreement lapsed in 1941 when the netire factory
was reluctantly moved to the Urals! The Russian model did not
have sidecar wheel
drive or inter-connected brakes but remained in production until
1959 when it was replaced by the K750. The K750 provided the
basis for the Dnieper
MT12 introduced in 1977.
Interestingly the Swiss also built late in the war their own flat
twin sidecar outfits.... the Condor A-750 side-valves.
So only Germany led with OHV in these machines the others all
went for side valves and Russia didn't copy the R75 and KS750
during the war as production
limitations were pretty severe but did capture a heap and use
them in Russian markings.
Irbit and Kiev side valve machines were built from the early 50s.
A 650cc OHV model based on the BMW was built from 1968 and is
more commonly known as
the Dnieper, Neval, Phoenix or Cossack in Western markets.
Chinese machines are based on the early "Rooshun"
side-valve model and also the later OHV
650. I imagine they are direct copies of the Russian versions.
The Chang Jiang certainly looks like the Russian side-valve
motor. The more up-market Chang Dong uses an OHV boxer twin.
