Russian motorcycle industry had its best years in the middle of the 20th century. Neither before nor after there were no extra special milestones or world-famous brands in the country. Motorcycle construction in Russia has gone through several phases of its development, there was a peak of popularity in the Soviet era, and the decline in production, in the nineties, but now everything is back on track.
The most popular motorcycle brand ever existed in Russia in the Ural, which is currently in production. The interesting thing about the Ural is that 90% of all models produce are exported to different regions because its price is pretty higher for the local market.
A more recent brand has the name Stealth. Its production began in 1996. Currently, it is produced at several plants scattered throughout the Russian Federation. Some of the components of the sports bike are from Japan and China.
Ural
Founded: 1941
Founder: Soviet Government
Headquarters: Irbit, SVE, Russia
Website: www.imz-ural.com
The most well known Russian brand of motorcycles is being produced for decades. This is practically the only Soviet motorcycle manufacturer that was able to survive the collapse of the USSR in the 1990s.
And all thanks to the fact that the products suddenly became very popular in the United States and some European countries.
Stels
Founded: 1996
Headquarters: Moscow region, Lyubertsy
Website: www.velomotors.ru
Stels is a Russian motorcycle manufacturer that closely works with Chinese brands. Due to the cheap pricing and a large portfolio of more than a dozen of models, Stels is one of the most local manufacturers of motorcycles. Almost all of the Stels bikes are based on Chinese Motorcycles.
ZiD
Founded: 27 August 1916
Headquarters: Kovrov, Vladimir Oblast, Russia
Brands: Voskhod
Parent: High Precision Systems (Rostec)
Website: zid.ru
At one of the factories, built for the production of military products, they produce a motorcycle ZiD. It looks like a good, budget copy of a Ducati. Another USSR era motorcycle manufacturer still manufactures motorcycles. Interesting, that the fabric, where the production of ZiD takes place, also produces Motorcycles of the Chinese brand Lifan.
BaltMotors
Founded: 1929
Headquarters: Russia, Kaliningrad
Website: baltmotors.ru
Baltmotors is a relatively young brand of motorcycles, which was founded in Kaliningrad, in 2004. The company is specialized in the production of motorcycles, quad bikes, and other motor vehicles. Baltmotor widely uses Chinese and Japanese technologies for its bikes. And some internal parts are manufactures in China. The range of motorcycles is quite extensive and includes 10 models for all occasions.
Irbis
Founded: 2000
Headquarters: Vladivostok, Russia
Website: irbismotors.ru
Another young company, Irbis, was established in 2001, in the Moscow region. Today the company is known for the production of road and sport motorcycles of all classes, as well as snowmobiles, quad bikes, and snowmobilers.
AVM
AVM is a company from St. Petersburg, which was founded in 1996. During the first years of its existence, it was selling foreign motorcycles but then switched to the production of a whole range of motorcycles under its brand. The basis of the model range is lightweight motorcycles and mopeds, which are often chosen by young people as their first motorcycle.
This is not the complete list of the contemporary Russian motorcycle manufacturers, as there are also such names as Armada (the company from Moscow, which specializes in the production of pit-bikes), Lebedev Motors (from St Petersburg, focused on the production of all-terrain vehicles), and Armada, which also started from distribution of exported bikes.