Eduard Evdokimovsky. Soviet super destroyers. Leaders of the "Minsk" type

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The leader of the destroyers "Minsk" was supposed to be part of the so-called "Great Stalinist Fleet", consisting of ships of the main combat classes, whose characteristics are not inferior to their foreign counterparts. For this purpose, in the 1930s, ships were first created in the USSR, which were among the best in the world in terms of speed and armament. However, they did not have the chance to measure their strength with their German or Japanese “classmates” - the main opponents of Soviet ships in the Great Patriotic War were mines and enemy aircraft. In this article we will talk about the creation and combat path of the lead ship of Project 38 - the leader of the Minsk destroyers.

Prerequisites for creation

Plans to restore the navy, which was in a deplorable state after the Civil War, arose in the USSR in the early 20s. Even then, attempts were made to create projects for new destroyers and leaders, which in basic parameters (speed and armament) were supposed to surpass the famous Noviki. Alas, the severely destroyed industry did not allow the construction of new ships to begin, so things did not go beyond sketches. However, theoretical work continued to be carried out, and in the second half of the 20s, a new doctrine of naval warfare was developed in the USSR. The main role in it was played by small forces - boats, submarines, destroyers. At the same time, destroyers began to be assigned the role of carriers of the strongest artillery possible, while torpedo strikes were to be carried out by torpedo boats and submarines.

Scheme of the leader of project 38. (Kachur P.I., Morin A.B. Leaders of destroyers of the USSR Navy. - St. Petersburg: Ostrov, 2003)

Technical specifications and design

In 1927, the design of a new type of destroyers began. A year later, in the requirements for new projects, the caliber of the main armament increased to 130 mm with a number of barrels of at least four or five, and “the possibility of combat with enemy light cruisers” . Based on this, they decided not to limit the displacement of the ships, and a seaplane became one of the components of the future destroyer’s armament.

As a result, the technical specifications for the new leader (in fact, the designed ship was one) included an armament of five 130-mm guns with high elevation angles, two 100-mm guns, two three-tube 533-mm torpedo tubes, a speed of at least 40 knots and a cruising range of at least 6 hours at full speed with a displacement of 2000 tons. On November 1, 1928, this technical specification was approved, which became the starting point in the creation of a new leader.

Already in March 1929, the ship project, created by the design bureau of the Shipbuilding Section of the Scientific and Technical Committee of the Red Army Navy Management (NTKM) under the general leadership of Yu. A. Shimansky, was sent for consideration by sailors. Soon the project was returned to the developers with the requirement to strengthen the weapons and increase the speed. The military's requirements for the future leader were constantly increasing, and as a result, at the end of 1930, the project was a ship with a displacement of 2100–2600 tons. Its armament consisted of five new 130-mm guns, two 76-mm anti-aircraft guns, two 37-mm anti-aircraft guns machine guns, eight 533-mm torpedo tubes, 20 depth charges, 80 mines of barrage (in overload) and a seaplane at a speed of 42 knots. Over time, the seaplane on board was abandoned.

Subsequently, the development of the project was entrusted to the Bureau of Special Design of Ships (BSPS) under the leadership of V. A. Nikitin. The shipbuilding engineer P. O. Trakhtenberg was appointed responsible; the main power plant was developed under the leadership of A. V. Speransky, an experienced specialist who took part in the creation of Novik-class destroyers. On December 7, 1930, the general project of the leader was approved. According to the project, which received index 1, in 1932 the construction of three ships for the Black and Baltic Seas began (the future Leningrad, Moscow, Kharkov). The next series of leaders was built according to a slightly modified project, which received the index 38, and included the ships “Minsk”, “Baku” and “Tbilisi”. The lead ship of the series, Minsk, was laid down in October 1934.

Weaknesses of Minsk 125 motorcycle engines

• Transmission;
• Kickstarter;
• Carburetor;
• Exhaust pipe mounting;
• Control drive cables (clutch, gas).

The gearbox is one of the few weak points of the engine; problems with speed slippage during the operation of the motorcycle are not uncommon.

The kickstarter (the lever for starting the internal combustion engine with your foot) becomes loose over time at the point where it is attached to the engine starting shaft.

Due to the loss of mechanical properties of rubber parts and wear of the shut-off valve needle, the carburetor loses its tightness and gasoline leaks from it. Of all the carburetors installed at the factory, the Indian P-47R carburetors are considered the most reliable.

The attachment of the exhaust pipe to the cylinder is made in the form of a nut that presses the pipe to the cylinder, which is unscrewed due to vibration.

The cables of the control drives (clutch, gas) must be replaced periodically due to wear or breakage of the cable cable.

Leader device

The leaders of projects 1 and 38 were very similar in their design and appearance. Project 38 differed from its predecessor in having fuller stern contours, the presence of propeller shaft brackets (this reduced propeller cavitation) and a slightly modified bow superstructure. In addition, the engineers removed the boom for the seaplane and canceled the possibility of placing it on the ship. The leaders of Project 38 were supposed to carry enhanced anti-aircraft weapons - three 76.2 mm guns instead of two, but the third gun was installed only on the Tbilisi. The Italian main caliber fire control system () was replaced by the domestic “Mina” with a central firing apparatus TsAS-2.

The appearance of the ship indicated that it was built to achieve high speed: sharp lines, a strongly inclined stem, a pronounced forecastle, and a transom stern. The two chimneys were of different sizes, with the first chimney set back considerably from the bow superstructure to provide room for a 130mm gun mount.

Three main steam boilers were each located in its own boiler room and drove three turbo-gear units (TGA), each of which worked on its own shaft. The power plant is mechanical, three-shaft, with three double-casing turbo-gear turbines with a power of 22,000 hp each. each. Two turbines were located side by side in the bow engine room, another was located in the aft engine room. The normal fuel supply of 210 tons of fuel oil at full speed was enough for about 300 miles of navigation, and at economic speed - for 780 miles. A full reserve of 600 tons was enough for 835 and 2100 miles, respectively.

The artillery armament consisted of five 130-mm B-13 mounts of the 1st series (B-13-Iс), located along the center plane of the ship. Two of them were installed linearly and elevated in the bow and stern, the fifth was installed between the bow superstructure and the first chimney. The ammunition consisted of 150 rounds per barrel (200 in overload), the mass of the projectile was 33.5 kg, the maximum firing range was 139 cabs (25.6 km). Each gun was protected by a box-shaped bulletproof shield, 13 mm thick.

The ship's anti-aircraft armament consisted of two 76.2-mm 34-K installations (height reach - 9.5 km, projectile weight - 6.61 kg, rate of fire - up to 20 rounds per minute) installed on the aft superstructure, two 45-mm 21-K installations on the bow superstructure and six (according to other sources, four) 12.7-mm DK machine guns.

The Mina fire control system with the central firing apparatus TsAS-2 was created specifically for small ships (destroyers and leaders) based on the Italian system. The domestic fire control device was significantly simplified, but nevertheless made it possible to conduct accurate shooting over long distances, using the readings of two B-42 command and rangefinder posts equipped with four-meter rangefinders. The Mina system allowed main caliber artillery to fire even at a temporarily hiding naval target.

The torpedo armament consisted of two four-tube 533-mm N-7 torpedo tubes located in the center plane of the ship. Steam-gas torpedoes 53-38 were used (the weight of the warhead was 300 kg, with the weight of the torpedo itself being 1615 kg). The ship's ammunition consisted of 16 torpedoes, 8 of which were located in the cellar, the rest in torpedo tubes. To control torpedo firing, the “Mina” device was also used, which made it possible to fire volleys, as well as launch torpedoes one at a time at intervals of 0.5 to 3 seconds.

The main technical characteristics of the leader "Minsk" are given in the table at the end of this article.

Repair dimensions of the cylinder, piston, rings of the MMVZ Minsk motorcycle engines 125 cm3

Construction and testing

"Minsk" was laid down on October 5, 1934 in Leningrad at the shipbuilding plant named after. A. Zhdanova. A year later, its hull was launched into the water. Despite the pressure from above, the construction of the leader proceeded with difficulty. To speed up the delivery of the ship, the crew was involved in the outfitting work. The installation of the main systems and mechanisms was completed by the end of 1937; even earlier, in the same year, mooring tests began. Finally, on May 9, 1938, the Minsk headed out to sea under its own power for factory sea trials. The test speed at rated power turned out to be less than the design speed - about 40 knots; with afterburner it was possible to achieve the design 40.5 knots. Other shortcomings also emerged - insufficient hull strength, poor controllability at low and medium speed, excessive roll, inherited from the original project 1. In the same year, an emergency occurred on the leader, which had not yet been delivered to the fleet - during a storm the ship was torn from its anchors and hit the stern the stem of the cruiser "Kirov". As a result, the leader's stern and propellers were damaged, and his commander, Captain 3rd Rank A.N. Petrov, was removed from his post. On November 10, 1938, the Minsk was delivered to the fleet, and its official service began in February of the following year.

Leader of the Minsk destroyers before the war

Total

The M1nsk company took the right path, using the name of a well-known brand and seriously concerned about quality control. Despite its Chinese origin, the Minsk D4 125 motorcycle is really reliable in operation, and with proper care there are no problems with it. It is also not difficult to find spare parts and consumables for it, since the manufacturer actively supports all produced motorcycles. So if you are looking for your first motorcycle, budget and simple in design, the Minsk D4 125 is worth taking a closer look at. This is not to say that it is better than all other 125 cc competitors, but it is better than many, that’s for sure, and reviews about it are mostly positive.

Start of service

Having entered service, "Minsk", under the command of Captain 3rd Rank A.V. Volkov, began to carry out planned combat training tasks, showing good results in firing training. The summer was spent in training cruises and practicing joint voyages with other ships of the Baltic Fleet.

“Minsk” received its first combat mission on September 18, 1939 - the day before the USSR began an operation to annex Polish territories. On September 19, the leaders of "Minsk" and "Leningrad" with destroyers went to sea to search for Polish submarines. Having not met the enemy, the ships returned to base, while they were fired upon several times by Estonian reconnaissance aircraft flying nearby.

After the conclusion of a mutual assistance pact between the USSR and Estonia, in October 1939, the ships of the Baltic Fleet were relocated from Kronstadt to Tallinn. On October 12, the Minsk with the destroyers Gordy and Smetlivy entered Tallinn harbor.

Participation in the Soviet-Finnish war

In mid-November 1939, on the eve of the war with Finland, Minsk was returned to Kronstadt to be put on combat readiness. The leader joined a detachment of special-purpose ships intended to occupy islands in the Gulf of Finland, as part of the 2nd division of destroyers (“Wrathful”, “Proud”, “Threatening”).

The first combat operation in which Minsk participated was the identification of the location of the Finnish coastal battery on the island of Kilpisaari. On December 6 and 7, the leader, together with the destroyers Karl Marx and Volodarsky, unsuccessfully shelled the island, trying to find out where the Finnish firing points were.

The next day, Minsk took part in the operation against the six-gun 254-mm Saarenpä battery on Bjorke Island, providing security for the minesweepers and destroyers of the 3rd Division. This time the Finns fired at the Minsk, taking it into the “fork”, but did not achieve any hits. The leader responded with fire from his guns, expending 14 shells. As a result of the battle, Soviet sailors managed to establish the approximate location of the Finnish battery.

On December 12, it was decided to repeat the reconnaissance in force. The leaders "Minsk", "Leningrad" and the destroyer "Steregushchy" were supposed to divert the enemy's coastal batteries from the destroyers of the 3rd division and gunboats, which were supporting units of the 7th Army with fire. In conditions of a force seven storm, the task was completed, there were no losses or damage to the ships. In total, the ships of the Baltic Fleet came out to fire at this battery six times; 417 305 mm and 596 130 mm shells were fired at it. The shelling turned out to be ineffective; it was not possible to suppress the battery, although hits were achieved in the command post and personnel shelters.

The activities of the surface forces of the Baltic Fleet ceased in the early twenties of January 1940 due to severe icing of the Gulf of Finland. The last time the Minsk went to sea was on January 20 in search of the S-2 submarine, which was blown up by a Finnish mine on January 3. After spending two days at sea, the leader returned to base in conditions of severe icing - the thickness of the ice cover reached half a meter!

Interwar period

In the summer of 1940, Minsk, as part of a detachment of light forces of the Baltic Fleet, took part in numerous exercises and combat training. On July 18, he arrived in Riga and stood directly in front of the presidential palace, demonstrating the Soviet military presence to the president and parliament of Latvia. After the formation of the Latvian SSR, the leader went to the base for repairs, and then participated in major exercises of the Baltic Fleet to test the defense of the mouth of the Gulf of Finland.

Leader "Minsk" in Riga harbor, 1940.

During the autumn storms in the Baltic, the insufficient hull strength inherent in the leaders of projects 1 and 38 made itself felt. During the passage from Kronstadt to Tallinn, the Minsk was caught in a strong storm. While sailing against a wave at a speed of 30 knots and with a headwind of 8–9 points, corrugations formed on the leader's forecastle, which was the reason for a major overhaul with strengthening of the bow, which lasted throughout the winter of 1940–1941. In the spring, the leader began exercises, and on June 17, 1941 he moved to a new fleet base - Tallinn.

Similar models

• Minsk MMVZ-3.1131 (Minsk 125). It was he who served as the basis for the development of the new model, and the differences between them are minimal.
• Sunrise 3M. Especially the latest motorcycles in the series. You can find them on the secondary market for very modest money, but most copies are in poor condition.
• Owl . Having replaced the aforementioned Voskhod on the assembly line, this bike has deservedly gained popular love.

Participation in the Great Patriotic War

With the outbreak of hostilities, the Minsk, according to pre-war plans, went to sea to lay a minefield on the Hanko-Osmussar line. Such staging was carried out regularly and lasted until the end of July in the absence of contact with the enemy (with the exception of aviation). A temporary demagnetization system was installed on the leader, they regularly conducted training exercises, and participated in transport convoys.

Meanwhile, the front was approaching Tallinn - on August 7, German troops reached the coast of the Gulf of Finland. The warships of the Tallinn naval base were included in the land defense system. 40 sailors from the Minsk went ashore to take part in the battles with the Germans. On August 22–23, acting together with Leningrad, the leader fired over 1,000 main-caliber shells at enemy batteries. However, the German offensive continued - despite the heroic resistance of the defenders of Tallinn, it became clear that the city was doomed and would fall any day.

On August 26, shelling of ships by German field artillery began, and on the same day, permission was finally received to evacuate the naval base and troops of the 10th Rifle Corps to Kronstadt. Preparations have begun for the infamous Tallinn Crossing.

"Minsk" was included in the cover detachment, which also included the destroyers "Skory" and "Slavny", 2 submarines, 4 torpedo boats, 4 small hunters, 5 base minesweepers, as well as a messenger ship. The task of the detachment was to cover transport ships from organized convoys on the transition from Keri Island to Vaindlo Island. On board the leader there was a reserve command post of the Baltic Fleet, headed by the chief of staff of the fleet, Rear Admiral Yu. A. Panteleev.

The ships left Tallinn on the evening of August 28, while Soviet torpedo boats that intended to join the detachment were mistakenly fired upon - fortunately, no one was hit. In general, the main threat during the transition was not surface forces, but mines and enemy aircraft. Almost immediately after setting out to sea, the minesweepers traveling at the head of the detachment began to hit German mines. In the evening, at about 20–21 o'clock, the destroyer "Slavny" was damaged by a nearby mine explosion, which, however, was able to continue the voyage. “Minsk” also did not escape the explosion - at approximately 21:40 a mine exploded in its right paravane, at a distance of 10–12 m from the side. Due to damage to the hull, up to 500 tons of water entered the hull, but there was no immediate threat of death for the ship. However, the damage turned out to be serious - cars stopped, the steering wheel jammed, and all navigation equipment failed. Meanwhile, the minesweepers continued to move and soon disappeared from sight - the explosion was not noticed on them, and no one gave orders to stop, although from the end minesweeper they saw that the leader was far behind. Immobilized and out of control, the Minsk remained in the minefield. It was very dangerous to spend the night in such a place, so the order was given to the destroyer Skory to take the leader in tow. While trying to carry out this order, the “Fast” was blown up by a mine and sank a few minutes later - only 78 people from its crew were saved, the commander and commissar refused to leave the sinking ship.

After the death of the "Skoroy" "Minsk" anchored for the night. Radiograms were sent from its side with an order to the departing minesweepers to return, but only one of them (T-210) was able to do this. The rest were detained by order of the fleet commander in order to strengthen the defense of the cruiser Kirov. As a result, the only minesweeper that returned to the covering detachment had to lead seven ships the next morning.

Overnight on the Minsk they were able to start the machines, drain some of the flooded compartments and install a new paravan to replace the broken one. On the morning of August 29, the T-210 trawled the parking lot, catching two more mines, and went with the trawl at the head of the detachment. "Minsk" followed the leader "Leningrad" at a speed of 12 knots. Air attacks soon began, which were successfully repelled by anti-aircraft fire. At 10:20, the Minsk finally received a response from the fleet commander to the request to return the minesweepers, in which he reported that six low-speed minesweepers and a patrol ship were moving towards the cover detachment from Rodsher Island. Since the covering detachment had already passed the sites of the main minefields, its commander parted with the T-210, so as not to embarrass the high-speed ships when evading air attacks, and together with the Leningrad and the destroyer Smetlivy, the detachment went to Kronstadt. Two hours later, the Minsk joined the cruiser Kirov, and at 17:16 anchored in the Kronstadt roadstead. Since the leader had underwater damage, the next day she was docked at the Kronstadt Marine Plant for repairs.

The repair took almost a month, and on September 23, Minsk entered service. This day was chosen by the German command for the next massive bombing of ships in Kronstadt (the two previous raids took place on September 21 and 22). Taking advantage of good weather, the Germans carried out five daytime attacks, in which about 100 Ju 87 dive bombers and Ju 88 bombers took part. The Minsk was attacked by six dive bombers, which achieved two 50-kg bombs hitting the stern. Another (250 kg) bomb, having pierced the boat hanging overboard, exploded in the water next to the hull in the area of ​​the 3rd boiler room.

On the picture. Above: Bombs hit Minsk on September 23. Below: the lost leader is being towed into Kronstadt harbor. A list to the left side is visible, with a plume of leaking fuel behind.

As a result, a fire broke out on the Minsk, and boiler room No. 3 and some other compartments were flooded. Due to the fact that only one boiler No. 2 was in operation, which went out due to the damage received, the ship lost power and electricity, since the standard diesel generator No. 4 was removed for repairs back in 1940. Boiler No. 1, which had not received damage, was forbidden to be lit by the commander of the Minsk, Captain 2nd Rank P.N. Petunin, fearing that the smoke would attract the attention of German aircraft (although the ship, located in a cramped harbor with perfect visibility, was already like on the palm). As a result, the uncontrollable Minsk ran aground with its stern near the shore. The crew fought for survivability, but the measures taken were insufficient to level the roll and drain the flooded compartments. A tugboat approached the leader and took him along to the Kronstadt Military Harbor. An attempt to start boiler No. 1 was made only at the end of the towing, but after 15 minutes, due to a breakdown of the feed pump, the steam pressure dropped again.

The approaching rescue ships and tugboats began to pump water out of the compartments, but at 21:30 a new air raid followed. A 250-kg bomb exploded 40 m from the stern of the Minsk, which led to new damage to the plating, and the resulting wave rocked the ship and flooded the already drained compartments. Half an hour later, "Minsk" sat on the ground at a depth of 8.5 m - only pipes, masts and part of the superstructures remained above the water. In total, 7 people from the ship’s crew were killed and 35 were injured in one day.

Leader "Minsk", sunk at the Kronstadt Military Harbor

The main mechanisms of the Minsk suffered little damage, so it was decided to return the ship to service. In the fall and winter, preparatory work was carried out to seal the holes, and the actual ship-lifting work began in the summer of 1942. On August 25, the leader was raised to the surface and put into dry dock. The repairs were extensive and complex, so it was possible to fully return the ship to combat effectiveness only in Leningrad at the shipbuilding plant named after. Zhdanova. However, it was impossible to tow the ship through the Sea Canal in full view of the enemy, so the workers and sailors were given the task of providing the Minsk with the ability to make its own move. The work to prepare the leader for the transition took exactly 60 days, during which boilers No. 1 and No. 2 were put into operation, a steam heating system was installed, the diesel generator, electrical equipment, lighting system and power networks were repaired. The interior was cleared of silt and oil spilled from damaged tanks. On September 26, the Minsk left the dock and began to prepare for sea trials and the transition to Leningrad, but misfortunes continued to haunt it.

After returning from sea trials, the leader stood in the middle of the Srednaya Harbor of Kronstadt, but due to strong winds, he began to drift with his stern onto the Petrovskaya Pier. To take the ship away from the pier, captain 3rd rank M. G. Ivanov, who was on duty for the raid, arrived on board. After the ship had moved away from the pier to a safe distance, the machines were stopped, and then one of the turbines was moved to the “small back” position. However, instead of braking, the ship began to pick up speed and crashed into a granite pier, cutting off its bow. As it turned out, during the repair, someone mixed up the contacts of the electric tachometer sensor of the middle turbine, so commands from the bridge came to the engine room in inverted form - if the command “move forward” was given on the bridge, then “move backward” was accepted in the engine room and vice versa . Interestingly, during sea trials this error went unnoticed.

The restoration took ten days, after which the Minsk went out for testing twice more (November 3 and 5), after which it was finally accepted into the fleet. The transition to Leningrad was scheduled for November 9, for which the commander of the Baltic Fleet squadron, Vice Admiral V.P. Drozd, arrived on board the leader. Since the Germans then occupied the southern coast of the Gulf of Finland, and the entire route from Kronstadt to Leningrad was covered by their artillery, the transition to repairs turned out to be a non-trivial task. 11 smoke-catching boats were involved in ensuring the transition; aviation was used to strike enemy positions, as well as large-caliber artillery from the battleship Marat and the Kronstadt forts.

During the passage at night, the Minsk was discovered by German observers, and an artillery battery opened fire on it. Fortunately, direct hits were avoided, and Minsk safely reached its destination - the Vyborg embankment opposite. The repairs were carried out in very difficult conditions and in a short time - by the beginning of the 1943 campaign, the leader had to be introduced into the fleet. The enemy interfered with the repair work, periodically shelling the ship's location, which caused losses among plant workers and crew, and led to new damage. And yet, despite all the difficulties, the task of restoring the leader was completed on time. During the repairs at the Minsk, the third boiler was restored, and the electrical wiring, all navigation instruments, radio equipment and fire control devices were replaced. The main caliber guns were replaced with new, more advanced B-13-2s with streamlined shields, and the anti-aircraft artillery was significantly strengthened by installing six 37-mm 70-K machine guns (while the outdated 45-mm 21-K guns were removed).

The Mina main caliber fire control device has been upgraded to improve fire accuracy. On June 22, 1943, after checking the operation of the demagnetization system, Minsk became fully operational. Exercises and training of personnel began, and soon Minsk was included in the artillery defense system of Leningrad. On July 3, he took up a position between the Finlyandsky and Volodarsky bridges, and on July 30, a firing position near the Nevsky Forest Park. In September, a new commander arrived on the ship to replace the wounded S.I. Rabinovich - captain 3rd rank G.N. Motorov.

Leader of "Minsk on the Neva", 1945.

​After the blockade of Leningrad was lifted in 1944, the leader was again repaired at the plant named after. Zhdanova. The repairs were completed on August 28, but due to the high mine danger, the Minsk did not go to sea, like other ships of the Baltic Fleet squadron. The leader's crew spent the rest of the year studying and training. “Minsk” met May 1945 in Leningrad, where shortly before it took part in the May Day parade. After the war, the leader underwent long-term repairs, and in 1949 she was reclassified as a destroyer. In 1951, in the status of a training ship, "Minsk" was transferred to the Higher Naval Engineering School named after. F. E. Dzerzhinsky. In 1953 it became a non-self-propelled training vessel, a year later it was renamed “Chorokh”, and in 1957 it was renamed UTS-14. On April 3, 1958, the former Minsk was excluded from the fleet lists and turned into a floating target. In the same year, the ship was sunk while testing cruise missiles in the Gulf of Finland near the island of Maly Tyuters.

Training ship "Chorokh", photo 1955-1956.

To summarize, it is worth noting that the designers of the leaders of projects 1 and 38 managed to achieve the specified parameters - the resulting ships developed high speed and had powerful artillery weapons. They had to pay for this with the strength of the overly lightweight hull, as well as the fuel supply. However, the leaders of projects 1 and 38 were the embodiment of the achievements of Soviet shipbuilding thought of the interwar period and became a good school for many designers. The failure to use these ships in a combat situation is entirely a consequence of miscalculations in the training of personnel, unsatisfactory planning of combat operations and the weak repair and technical base of the Soviet Navy.

The lineup

At the moment, three main models are produced, as well as a redesigned Minsk motorcycle in the old design. Here is the current model range:

• Model C125;
• Model D4 125;
• Model M125.

Also, as already mentioned, a fairly old model MMVZ-3.1131 is produced, now it is called Leader. This motorcycle managed to retain all the main features of the original model; especially fans of Soviet motorcycles like the design, which, if possible, has not been changed. Also, Minsk tuning is often carried out with this option.

Model C125

This option is considered basic, so it makes sense to start a review of the Minsk motorcycle with it. This modification was created for any type of road. Also, the technical characteristics of the Minsk motorcycle of all modifications are based on this bike.

This model can be used even off-road; for this purpose, high-quality tires with a high tread are installed. But such a modification somewhat limits the speed on the highway; vibration is felt when driving over 60 km/h.

A two-stroke engine has one cylinder. This is quite enough for optimal operation. Consumption per 100 km when driving on a highway does not exceed 3 liters; on a country road this figure approaches 4 liters. The engine is started using a kick starter.

This method allowed us to achieve maximum reliability in any conditions. The weight of the motorcycle does not exceed 120 kg. The small size, as well as the presence of a two-stroke engine, leads to the fact that this technique is often used for a moped.

Model D4 125

This modification also has a single-cylinder engine, but here it is four-stroke. In essence, this is a sports motorcycle, the high number of revolutions allows you to maintain high speeds for a long time.

The power allows the motorcycle to accelerate to 100 km/h. The presence of 5 gears in the box makes the bike quite responsive and capable of rapid acceleration. Fuel consumption here does not exceed 2.6 liters per 100 km on the highway. There is an electric starter.

The net weight of the model is 100 kg. Some disadvantages, according to many, are the welded passenger footrests. Even if they are not needed, you will not be able to remove them. But this characteristic does not reduce the popularity of this modification.

Model M125

Of course, a review of the Minsk motorcycle could not do without mentioning the most popular model. It is Minsk 125 that is the most popular modification. It is very unpretentious, can withstand any road very well, and we can say about this motorcycle that it is indestructible.

Also, repairing it in practice turns out to be a fairly simple task. Even compression, which can vary on other engines in the series, does not create problems here. The engine here is single-cylinder, two-stroke. Reviews say that there are no problems with it. It consumes the bare minimum of fuel, about 2.5 liters on the highway.

The basic version is offered with drum brakes, but if desired, you can order a modification with a disc brake. You can also purchase a Minsk motorcycle with a sidecar, this will allow you to transport additional loads on it. The weight of this model is 120 kg.

Minsk Leader

This modification almost completely replicates MMVZ-3.1131. There are some changes, but overall the descriptions are the same. It is worth noting that, unlike the base model, there is a slightly larger engine capacity, which makes the motorcycle more playful. Otherwise, it completely repeats the legendary Soviet model.

When deciding whether to buy this variety, you should take into account that the shock absorbers are not very good, which reduces the level of comfort.

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