ХМЗ-1М
The production of the KhMZ-1M motorcycles was organized in the buildings of the former sugar factory in Ivanovka. Previously, Ford-AA cars were assembled here, and two experimental 4-ton trucks “Ukraine-4” were also manufactured.
In those years, there was also a car production in Kharkov. However, with the launch of “GAZ”, there was no longer a need to assemble similar Ford-AA trucks.
The enterprise urgently needed to change its profile, and soon after that it began to develop in a new direction. The Ukrainian “Avtodor” ordered the Kharkov plant to manufacture and test a pilot batch of ten motorcycles designed by P. Labure.
In 1930, the “UkrMet” trust, which included KhASZ, decided to hold an all-Ukrainian motorcycle rally. The purpose of this event was to determine the best design of the future motorcycle. A variety of models took part in the rally: foreign motorcycles Harley-Davidson, Indian, Norton, Henderson, as well as the Labure motorcycle and others.
After 4,000 kilometers, it became obvious that the Labure design was best suited for real operating conditions. Its frame did not receive a single damage, which confirmed the correctness of the chosen solution.
The frame of the new motorcycle was made of solid sidewalls, which were then welded together. The gas tank was inside the frame. The four-stroke engine with a volume of 350 cubic centimeters and a power of 8 horsepower with side valves had a removable cylinder head. For the first time in the USSR, the valves were equipped with a pusher with a plate heel, and not a roller.
The front fork was similar to the Harley-Davidson design, but was made not from pipes, but from special profiles. It had a reinforced spring suspension.
The KhMZ-1M was demonstrated at exhibitions, took part in numerous motorcycle rallies and, most importantly, was highly appreciated by the military. As a result, it began to be supplied to units of the Red Army. In 1932, the Kharkov plant received a plan to produce 4,000 motorcycles. However, these plans were never fulfilled.
At the end of 1931, a historic meeting was held in Moscow devoted to motorcycle manufacturing. At this meeting, a decision was made to produce four unified types of motorcycles in the USSR, the development of which was to be carried out by the Scientific Automobile and Tractor Institute (NATI).
As a result, an end was put to the unique KhMZ-1M project in Kharkov and attempts to create similar motorcycles at other plants. The release of the Ukrainian first-born amounted to only about 300 units, and all the drawings were transferred to the TIZ plant in Taganrog. However, they were not needed there, since the plant was already preparing to produce powerful TIZ AM-600 motorcycles.
An order was sent to Kharkov to develop another model – NATI-B-375. In 1932, the Kharkov Automobile Plant design department, having familiarized itself with the drawings, prepared its own project of a motorcycle with the same engine capacity. The main difference from NATI was a reliable cardan joint for the rear wheel.
The front fork was presented in two versions: parallelogram with a central spring and double leaf spring, like in American motorcycles. For the first time in the USSR, it was planned to make the wheels interchangeable. However, the project did not receive the approval of the Union leadership.
In Kharkov, two-cylinder V-shaped engines with a capacity of 750 and 1200 cm³ with a cardan shaft were developed. There was also a project for a small car with a 1000 cm³ engine. However, in Moscow they had already decided what and who should do, so the projects remained on paper. The Kharkov automobile assembly plant was subordinate to various departments, and as a result, motorcycle equipment was no longer produced there.
Shortly before the start of the Great Patriotic War (WW2), Glavmotoveloprom was created. It quickly distributed tasks to enterprises, including the production of the M-72 army motorcycle, which was created based on the German BMW R71.
For some reason, perhaps due to insufficient competence or other factors, the production of the M-72 was entrusted to the agricultural plant “Hammer and Sickle” in Kharkov, which was later renamed the Kharkov Motorcycle Plant (KhMZ).
The first M-72s were supposed to roll off the plant’s assembly line in August 1941, but the occupation of Kharkov by the German army disrupted these plans.
The Kharkov motorcycle plant was urgently evacuated to Gorky (Nizhny Novgorod), where the production of the M-72 began on the basis of the GMZ “Krasnaya Etna”.
It is noteworthy that in 1949, KhMZ specialists went to Kyev to organize the production of the M-72 at the Kyiv Motorcycle Plant.
Characteristics
Manufacturer: Харьковский мотоциклетный завод (KhMZ)
Assembly: Kharkov (USSR)
Year of production: 1931
Production: ≅300 units
Engine: 1 cylinder; 350 cc
Power: 8 HP
Max speed: 90 km/h
Fuel consumption: 4 l/100 km
Weight: 135 kg
FSO Museum (VDNKh, Moscow, Russia)
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