IZH-49, motorcycle: photos, technical characteristics, tuning, owner reviews

The Soviet motorcycle IZH-49 is a medium-category two-wheeled motor vehicle for paved roads. The legendary car was produced by the Izhevsk plant from 1951 to 1958. During mass production, more than half a million copies rolled off the assembly line. The rare bike has a long history and is an exhibit in the Museum of Automotive Antiquities (Vladivostok). This equipment can also be found in exhibition halls in Moscow, Riga, Minsk, and St. Petersburg. The model at one time was in demand throughout the post-Soviet space. Let's look at the features and characteristics of this “legend”.

How was the IZH-49 motorcycle created?

After the end of World War II, the power of the Dampf Kraft Wagen motorcycle company was removed from Germany, according to the reparation plan. The scale of the action is evidenced by the fact that almost ready-made production conveyors arrived in the USSR, while Soviet engineers did not know how to work with German equipment. As a result, all technical equipment arrived at the Izhmash plant.

It took Izhevsk designers several years to set up the machines and produce a trial modification of the DKW NZ-350. After this, it became clear that the brought equipment was quite cost-effective and viable. Factory engineers began to develop a technological map for the production of a middle-class road motorcycle. Soviet enthusiastic developers were aimed at creating an original copy with domestic parameters, although the equipment forced specialists to use German technology.

First modifications

The IZH-49 motorcycle, the photo of which is presented below, began mass production in 1951. Overall, the car based on the German prototype turned out to be quite convincing and practical. During its release, the bike gained popularity throughout the country and had decent characteristics. The equipment was removed from production in 1958, replaced by a new generation IZH-56.

It is worth noting that for a long period the 49th was the leader in the market, since its receiver was received rather coolly by the consumer. This is largely due to the unsuccessful design of the 56, requiring endless modifications and improvements.

Design

The locks of the IZH-49 gun are cocked by opening the barrel block. The triggers are made as a single unit with strikers. Mainsprings are mounted under the pad pads in special grooves. These same pillows, subjected to intensive testing, are branded with the letter “U”, enclosed in a trapezoidal frame.

The right barrel of the IZH-49 shotgun has a “cylinder” or “polochok” muzzle constriction, the left one has a “choke” or “poluchok” choke. The weight of the barrel block is decent, almost equal in weight to sporting weapons, but due to their own weight, the guns can withstand considerable loads; most examples have survived to this day.

During production, certain changes were made to the design features of the IZH-49 gun. For example, the strikers and triggers, which were originally made as a single unit, became separated and returnable. If earlier hunters complained that they got a little stuck in the primers, then later the strikers began to return to their original position. The trigger automatically engaged the sear, the firing pin, due to the return spring, was pressed inside the block behind the plane of the shield.

Technical characteristics of the IZH-49 motorcycle

Below are the main tactical and technical parameters of the legendary two-wheeled vehicle:

• Length/width/height – 2.12/0.77/0.98 m.
• Dry weight – 150 kg.
• Maximum load capacity – 160 kg.
• The speed limit is 90 km/h.
• The driving range after one refueling is about 180 km.
• The ford depth is 0.3 m.
• Average fuel consumption is 4.5 l/100 km.
• Braking unit - drum systems on the front and rear wheels.
• Suspension front/rear – telescopic fork with spring and hydraulic shock absorber/pendulum element.
• Clutch type - multi-disc unit in an oil bath.
• Transmission – four-mode gearbox with foot shift.
• Tires - 3.25/19.
• Drive – rear with roller chain and gear ratio 2.33.

Power unit

The design of the IZH-49 motorcycle engine allows it to be used in almost any conditions, the installation is distinguished by measured and smooth operation. The engine crankcase is of a block type, made of two elongated halves. In the front part there is a crank block with a crankshaft, and in the rear compartment there is a gearbox. On the left axle there is a kick starter and a gear shift lever.

Motorcycle IZH-49 (engine technical parameters):

• Type – two-stroke engine with one cylinder.
• Piston travel – 85 mm.
• Cylinder size – 72 mm.
• Working volume – 346 cc.
• Compression – 5.8.
• Power – 11.5 horsepower at 4000 rpm.
• Cooling - atmospheric type.
• Lubricant – mixture with fuel in proportions of 1/25.

Running elements

The telescopic fork of the Soviet motorcycle IZH-49 is aggregated with a protective shield (fender), a speedometer cable and a front brake drive are also installed there. At the top of the steering wheel there is a parabolic headlight with a built-in ignition system and a speed meter. In the same compartment there are green and red lights that act as a power indicator. The motorcycle in question does not have a battery; the circuit operates from a magneto.

The steering wheel moves within a range of 35 degrees in both directions. The column is adjusted in height and fixed taking into account the height of the driver. On the right side of the fuel tank there is a manual gear shift handle, replicating the foot-operated analogue. Both options are identical; the motorcyclist chooses the most convenient method for himself.

Specifications

Structurally, the gun was simple and consisted of three main parts: twin barrels, a fore-end and a butt on which a box with a trigger mechanism was attached. The model had an internal trigger circuit and an automatic fuse. The triggers themselves were connected to strikers, but the springs were overly strong, which was a factory defect. The barrel locking scheme was triple, that is, three fixation points, two lower hooks and an upper lever.

The stock and fore-end were made of either beech or walnut. As a rule, walnut was used only for the manufacture of custom, piece and export guns. For the mass consumer, beech was used in the usual version.

The main performance characteristics of the IZH-49 shotgun are:

• caliber, mm – for mass production, 16 predominated, less attention was paid to the production of models with 12 and 20 calibers, models differed not only in caliber numbers, but also in years of production;
• the location of the chrome-plated barrels is horizontal, there are two barrels;
• choke constrictions - in the right - 0.5 mm, in the left - 1 mm, for calibers 16 and 20 the constrictions are 0.45 and 0.8 mm;
• accuracy of fire - for the right barrel - 50 - 55%, for the left - 55 - 60%;
• barrel length, mm – varies in the range of 700 – 725, piece versions reach 750;
• chamber length, mm – 70.1, indicated with an accuracy of 0.1 mm, shooting is carried out equally well from metal and paper cartridges;
• metal elements are made of steel grade 50A;
• stock material – beech (for serial batches, walnut – for individual orders;
• weight of the IZH-49 gun, kg – from 3.0 to 3.75 (the difference depends on the caliber of the weapon).

Comfort of landing

Since the IZH-49 motorcycle (photo below) is not a high-speed modification, its seats are designed for maximum comfortable riding. The landing area is quite large, corrugated surface, excellent shock absorption. It is provided by springs installed under the plate, which is responsible for softening the shaking and taking part of the load on itself.

Some modifications are equipped with a rear passenger seat with the same characteristics, but smaller. On other models, a regular foam cushion is installed, upholstered with rubberized fabric.

Some owners of the IZH-49 motorcycle upgrade the rear “seat” for themselves and their relatives, further increasing the seating comfort. For example, it is reasonable to build a special stable backrest for a child. To do this, take a solid base, weld several posts to the base, and make a horizontal ligament in the upper part, which serves as a support. There are many options for tuning the rear end. Especially if you approach this matter creatively and with imagination.

General description of IZH-49

The IZH-49 model is represented by a double-barreled hammer-fired shotgun, 16-gauge barrels, positioned horizontally. Combat stability is ensured by two high-quality welded barrel tubes with triple locking onto a pair of under-barrel hooks. The alignment of the strikers and triggers is tight. From the moment the weapon went on sale, many hunters expressed dissatisfaction that the hard firing pins were tearing the primer, and only in 1953 the situation changed - the IZH-49 gun received triggers with return action firing pins. Cocking occurs the moment the gun is opened.

IZH-49 is equipped with an automatic safety lock that protects against accidental pressing. The safety button is located on the tail of the block. The triggers release smoothly and the forend has a lever latch. The stock is made in a pistol version. Walnut wood was used in the manufacture of it and the forend. The same material was used to make the stock of the IZH-49, on which the factory mark was placed in the form of a heraldic shield, and inside it was a star.

The main external difference of the IZH-49 is that the rear part of the block is cut straight, the cushion reaches 4.8 cm in length. Signal pins indicating that the triggers are cocked lie on the side planes of the block, enclosed in brass alloy mandrels.

The IZH-49 shotgun with a horizontal barrel arrangement and locks in the block and triple locking of the barrel block was created on the basis of a long-tested model with an Anson-Deeley percussion mechanism. Among the new products mastered by the Izhevsk plant by the mid-twentieth century, it took first place in large-scale production. This was facilitated by the necessary equipment for mass production that had appeared at the plant by that time.

In 1950, at the Moscow Hunting and Dog Breeding Exhibition, the IZH-49 shotgun was awarded a small gold medal and a first-degree diploma. The gun played a positive role in the development of the hunting industry of the USSR, putting reliable, relatively cheap weapons into the hands of hunters.

The disadvantages of the IZH-49 model were too much weight, unsatisfactory balance (the center of gravity of ordinary-made guns is 82 mm from the breech end of the barrels), and rough external finish.

The work on creating the IZH-49 and its serial production allowed the plant to accumulate the necessary experience in the design and production of double-barreled shotguns. Based on this experience, taking into account the comments and wishes of hunters, the Izhevsk Mechanical Plant developed a new, more advanced model, the IZH-54 gun, which replaced the IZH-49.

Modernization

The two-wheeled car in question is elegant in itself and will decorate any automobile collection. In today's market it is almost impossible to find such a model. Those rare examples that come across for sale require almost complete rework to restore. Collectors in pursuit of this specimen are willing to pay about three thousand dollars per unit.

Happy owners of a rarity rarely radically alter the bike. Among the most popular innovations are the installation of contactless ignition on the IZH-49 motorcycle, the insertion of chrome parts, and the installation of a new seat. In general, the best modernization of this car will be a talented restoration.

I’ll add here a post about my favorite motorcycle IZH-49. At the time of restoration, I had no experience in repairing and restoring motorcycles, and I have no time, I work on business trips. Therefore, do not judge strictly! I am aware of all the shortcomings and inconsistencies with the original. The review was written in 2014 and posted on another Internet resource. Let's go... ] I knew what IZH-49 was, but I didn't even think about buying it; the owners of these motorcycles, out of delusions of grandeur and from the awareness of owning a rarity, outdid the owners of all Izhas combined. Moreover, the condition of the motorcycle does not mean anything to them. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a hodgepodge of all the Planets of the local collective farm + a tractor magneto, or a rusty carcass that was left on the advice of a drunk neighbor, who, in turn, is very knowledgeable about retro and convinced the owner not to give it away cheaply, but to wait until they come for this trash from Moscow itself. Look through the ads and you will understand what I mean... After hesitating, I decided to call. There was no photo of the motorcycle in the ad. The voice on the phone announced the price of 10 thousand rubles. All I knew at that time was that the IZH-49 should have a gear change on the tank and mufflers with fish at the end. Having found out that all this is there and the motorcycle seems to be running, but without documents, it is located 50 km from us. – I said that I’ll take it and come for it tomorrow. It was January, time 15:00. I called my father and asked for Gazelle for tomorrow. The father says, “Let’s go and pick it up today, so wait.” And they did the right thing, while they were on the road, two more called the owner and wanted to pick it up, but didn’t have time. We negotiated down to 8 tr, loaded it into the Gazelle and drove back home. I was happy like a child whose very, very dream has come true, and you won’t believe it, 1.5 years have passed, I’m still happy about it, I can’t resist driving it on the weekends.

In the morning, run to it and examine it. They picked him up in the dark, there was an Ilyich light bulb in the garage, there wasn’t much to see. It looks intact, it runs conditionally - “someone, once, recently, drove it with a magneto attached.” Rust, bruises, all in accordance with its age and living conditions. It was completely stripped of all electrical and wiring. It turned out to be painted dark blue, but it was obviously repainted at some point, and with high quality, not with a brush in the garage and completely. But apparently it was a very long time ago, and for everyone it was a piece of old iron, but not for me. Having surfed the Internet, I immediately found myself on a forum about IZH-49 motorcycles and a little about motorcycles of those years that were close in age, and from that time on I never left it. They will always help with advice, details, links, a very friendly and friendly forum.

izh49.borda.ru/

This is where the Lyrics end. Practice. Let me start with the fact that at the age of 30, I had never repaired or operated a motorcycle. Jupiter 2 at 16 years old doesn’t count, it’s only been ridden, picking with a screwdriver and a wrench at 10 doesn’t count. Again, I’ll make a reservation: no with motorcycles, but yes with cars. Everything a man needs to be able to do with a domestic car, he did everything and did not cause any difficulties. Serving in the army in a UAZ complemented my skills, and life in general did not spoil me with the presence of new cars, much less foreign cars. Anyway. Armed with a book and printouts from the Internet, I sat down in the garage in subzero conditions from the forum. Before completely disassembling it, I decided to start it and take it for a ride down the street. I consider the distribution board to be the heart of the IZH-49 motorcycle. box. This is a small black box in which the ignition coil, relay regulator, ignition switch and charging indicator light are hidden. All this is turned on with a bizarrely shaped key. On the following models of the Izhevsk Motor Plant, there was nothing like this. I assembled an electrical circuit from IZ Planet for a test run. Ignition coil 6V + PP1 + battery + generator. It took time to search through friends, they gave me something as a gift, I bought something in a store (a waste of money, nothing works, because it was made in China and of very poor quality). Finally the day came when he started up by some miracle! Having sat down in the yard, I tried to turn on the speed, it turned on, but the motorcycle went...... backwards.

Ignition too early, the crankshaft has turned in the opposite direction! It was not going to start again and the frost outside, at -18, did not add to my desire. The next weekend, I started it up again and tried to drive it out, but the chain broke. The chain turned out to be larger than usual, either from a combine harvester or from a conveyor belt, it doesn’t matter. A new chain costs 300 rubles, I installed it. Forward! But no, after driving another 2 meters, the throttle cable broke. All! Enough! Disassembled for repair! I decided to clean off the old paint using a brush attachment on an angle grinder. This is HELL! Only thanks to enthusiasm and the desire to ride it in the spring, I was urged on. The process is absolutely disgusting. The wire from the brush is flying in all directions, digging into the clothes (I worked strictly with glasses), the paint turns to dust, the grinder tries to pull out of my hands at every uneven part. And the number of frame and body parts! I counted while painting - about 60 pieces and mostly trifles!.. All sorts of subframes, spacers for the center step, spacers for the signal, spacers, seats disassembled into components, etc.

I will never do this again. It’s better to pay, wait, negotiate for sandblasting, but not this! Through an acquaintance, the engine was sent to the Balakovo speedway club “Turbina” for major repairs. To mechanic Vitaly - Thank you! Despite its 60-year age, only bearings, seals and rings were replaced.

I took the tank and fenders to a car paint shop, and painted everything else myself, mastering this craft for the first time. Repainted, re-cleaned, re-painted. It turned out fine.

The most difficult thing is to draw digits (thin lines on the frame, tank, wings). At the factory, this was done by women who, with a steady hand and a brush with a long end made of natural hair, applied the standard lines the first time, apparently approved by the State Commission of the RSFSR. Nowadays, this is an art and is called pinstriping and is popular in America along with airbrushing. Since there are no pinstripes among Izha owners, everyone does what they can. The best method in terms of results is gluing the contours of the markings with ZM contour tape, covering the rest of the surface and painting with a spray gun. In my case, it was electrical tape cut across and painted with a brush. The results were different. In some places it’s very good, in others it’s a little crooked.

After galvanizing

First experience in painting with auto enamel.

Motorcycle assembly

Finally, 11 months later, before the snow, they installed the magneto and it started! I rode for the first time behind the wheel of an IZH-49 motorcycle.

Video of the first departure

The following year, 2014, I drove it all summer in my free time.

The numbers are Kurgan, but in our Saratov region ( 64 ) they look beautiful.

The next day it snowed. Closed the 2014 season

At the end of the year, my motorcycle was included in the photo of the club calendar 2015, our forum dedicated to the IZH-49 motorcycle, I was very happy and proud of this event

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Modifications

During the period of serial production of the 49th IZh, a number of modifications were produced on its basis:

1. Option 50A is aimed at multi-day competitions.
2. Model 50B is a cross bike with a boosted engine of up to 16 horses. It received an improved purge system, increased gas distribution phases, and increased compression. Features: aluminum cylinder with cast iron liner, lightweight crew part.
3. Version 51M with the main characteristics of IZha-49 is intended for road circuit races. Among the innovations is an experimental power unit with a variable-volume crankcase, for which a piston pump was used in the lower compartment of the element.
4. In 1955, an updated line of sports analogs was produced with a welded tubular frame and a pendulum rear wheel suspension. The first representative was a modification of the IZH-54 with a 20 horsepower engine (for road and circuit racing).
5. The series under the index 55 is aimed at cross-country and multi-day races. The power unit has been “pumped up” to 18 horsepower, has an increased bore diameter and increased compression, along with modernization of the purge system. The chassis is practically no different from the standard model. The developers paid significant attention to air purification, protecting the carburetor and ignition unit from moisture. The air mixture enters the combustion chamber through a special receiving compartment located in the rear of the gas tank. The exhaust pipes were raised upward, ignition was carried out from a magneto located in a sealed aluminum housing. The equipment is equipped with special motocross tires with a deep tread pattern and a racing cushion on the rear shield.

Advantages and disadvantages

This model opened the post-war production of hunting smoothbore weapons for the mass consumer. Much needed to be refined and improved. Therefore, the IZH-49 had very few advantages. The main advantage can be called the availability of this gun: the price was low and any citizen could afford it, fortunately, the gun was produced in large quantities.

There were many more shortcomings and they concerned the technical side. The gun misfired quite often, because the capsule in imported cartridges (there were almost none of our own at that time) did not puncture, but completely pierced, since the springs were too strong. Misfires usually happened at the most inopportune moments.

The gun had very poor weight distribution and balance. The center of gravity was shifted towards the forearm, which created inconvenience when aiming, and when shooting offhand there were often misses.

The gun did not tolerate low temperatures very well, which resulted in misfires and failures, and given the geography of the country, this became a real problem.

All these technical deficiencies were accumulated, studied and taken into account. But there was no point in improving this model, because it was already in a hurry to be replaced by another, which had truly become legendary.

The positive qualities of the IZH-49 gun include the following:

• excellent welding of the barrels guarantees a high-quality fight;
• The barrels come in different lengths, some are even custom-made;
• shooting from paper and metal cartridges is carried out with the same accuracy;
• The automatic fuse increases the level of operational safety.

It would be fair to list the existing disadvantages along with the positive qualities:

• Many hunters pointed out the heavy weight of the weapon; the operation of the IZH-49 caused a lot of dissatisfaction during the winter season. Even then, it became clear to many that the gun needed to be modified or replaced.
• Balancing was considered the weakest aspect of the gun and caused a lot of criticism. This drawback interfered with quick aiming, which created serious problems during hunting.
• The center of gravity falls on the 82 mm barrel cut, which is not very convenient when shooting - this design feature had to be constantly taken into account.
• The exterior decoration looks rough and of poor quality and does not evoke the proper admiration.
• The springs are heavy-duty, the thin-walled primers of imported cartridges are deformed from their impacts.

Nowadays it is rare to see IZH-49 hunting. If you suddenly come across an old grandfather’s double-barreled shotgun, it immediately becomes a subject for comparison and admiration for a rare weapon. Modern production of hunting weapons is increasingly moving toward semi-automatic weapons. Only old hunters and true connoisseurs of hunting small arms have in their arsenal a worn but working copy of the IZH-49.

Owner reviews

Over the seven-year history of production of the IZH-49 motorcycle, many changes have occurred in its history. The machine was constantly refined and improved, some unnecessary and unnecessary elements were eliminated. Nevertheless, the unit has always been distinguished by its reliability, aggressiveness and durability. These qualities are primarily noted by the owners. The popularity of the series is evidenced by a circulation of over half a million copies. User feedback about this machine is mostly positive. Among these advantages, owners note the long service life of the engine without major repairs. Among the disadvantages, consumers include the difficulty of repairing the IZH-49 motorcycle, since it is very difficult to find suitable spare parts.