Л-300 Красный Октябрь
The L-300 is the first Soviet motorcycle that was produced on a large scale. It was mass-produced from September 1930 to 1939 in Leningrad: first at the Promet plant of the TREMASS trust (until 1933), and then at the Krasny Oktyabr plant (since 1933).
History of creation and production
This motorcycle was developed in Leningrad by a group of engineers led by P. V. Mozharov.
The first 25 copies were produced at the Promet plant, which was part of the TREMASS trust, in September 1930. In 1931, three Tremass-300 motorcycles took part in a test run along the route Leningrad – Novgorod – Vyshny Volochyok – Yaroslavl – Nizhny Novgorod – Arzamas – Penza – Saratov – Stalingrad – Kharkov – Voronezh – Tula – Moscow, a total length of 4631 km, of which 3088 km were off-road.
Production developed slowly: by 1933, only 663 motorcycles were produced at TREMASS. However, in 1933, production was transferred to the Leningrad Krasny Oktyabr plant, where production volumes increased significantly.
This motorcycle was available for sale to the population, but most of the produced copies went to the troops. It was also popular in pre-war motorsports, surpassing its Izhevsk “competitor” IZH-7 in quality.
Design
The prototype for this motorcycle was the DKW Luxus 300. Its design was typical for that time. The frame, made of stamped metal, was attached with bolts. The front suspension was springs, and the rear wheel was rigidly fixed to the frame.
The motorcycle engine was a two-stroke, single-cylinder, with a volume of 293 cubic centimeters. The engine and reverse gears were carried out by chains. The gearbox was three-speed, and gear shifting was done manually, using a lever.
The weakest link in the motorcycle’s design was the electrical system. The flywheel magneto consisted of three coils: one served for ignition, and the other two were connected to a small headlight. The motorcycle did not have a rear light or electrical signal.
This simplified circuit allowed for a fairly bright light when driving in first gear. However, at high revs, the headlight bulb often burned out. When shifting to higher gears, the brightness of the light noticeably decreased, which, of course, was very inconvenient for the driver.
Manufacturer: ТРЕМАСС (TREMASS) / Красный Октябрь (Krasny Oktyabr)
Assembly: Leningrad (St. Petersburg, USSR/Russia)
Years of production: 1930—1939
Production: 18,985 units
Length: 2100 mm
Width: 830 mm
Height: 980 mm
Engine: 1 cylinder; 293 cc
Power: 6 HP
Max speed: 80 km/h
Weight: 125 kg
FSO Museum (VDNKh, Moscow, Russia) and Lomakov Museum
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