Another forgotten chapter in the city’s industrial history: the production of the M-72 motorcycle in Kharkiv more than 80 years ago.

In August–September 1941, the Kharkiv Motorcycle Plant produced 233 of these motorcycles, although until recently it was believed that the plant had not managed to establish production. The motorcycle plant was set up using the facilities of the “Serp i Molot” (“Hammer and Sickle”) factory. Overall, the history of the motorcycle that became the basis for the “Dnepr” and “Ural” models is quite intriguing. The generally accepted version states that in 1940, BMW R-71s were purchased via Sweden, which were then illegally copied, and production began in the spring of 1941.

However, recent press reports indicate that the documentation covering the entire production cycle was acquired legally. This is consistent with the fact that the declassification date for the pre-war M-72 project has already been postponed four times (now set for 2040). In Germany itself, the motorcycle, which appeared in 1938, was not well received. Although small batches were supplied to the Wehrmacht, production of the motorcycle was halted in 1941. The Germans introduced the more advanced overhead-valve Zundapp KS750 and BMW R75 with sidecar drive. In 1941, more than 1,600 M-72s were also produced in Moscow (the letter “M” stands for Moscow, and 72 is derived from R-71). Production was evacuated to Irbit (where the motorcycle eventually evolved into the “Ural” model).

During WWII, 15,000 of these motorcycles were produced in total; the most common version was equipped with a machine gun mounted on the sidecar, but there were also variants fitted with a flamethrower, a mortar, and an anti-tank rifle. Compared to early Soviet motorcycles, the M-72 was relatively complex but reliable. Its 746 cc opposed-twin engine produced 22 hp. The weight with the sidecar was about 345 kg. Postwar versions without a sidecar were used, including in honor guards, and could reach speeds of up to 105 km/h. Production in Kharkiv was evacuated to Gorky in September 1941.

In the early 1950s, production returned to the Ukrainian SSR, but not to Kharkiv—rather, to Kyiv. This marked the founding of the Kyiv Motorcycle Plant, where the design of the M-72 continued to evolve, eventually becoming the “Dnepr” (Dnipro) motorcycle.

A total of 8,500 civilian M-72 motorcycles were produced by 1960. The original military-spec M-72 is regularly displayed at retro motorcycle rallies in Kharkiv, and one of its derivatives, the “Ural” motorcycle in police livery, can be seen at the Police Museum at Zhon Myronosyts Street, 13.