I made my dad happy: he took the old Yamaha and turned it into the Planet-Sport IZH!

Specifications

Most of the Izh Sport components were produced in the USSR, although some parts were imported: a Japanese Mikuni carburetor, Hungarian optics from Pannonia, an Italian Veglia Borletti speedometer and some other little things. The technical characteristics of the Izh Planet Sport 350 were excellent; the thrust-to-weight ratio of the motorcycle was almost twice that of the super-popular Jawa 350, providing acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h in 11 seconds! The motorcycle was so reliable that there were rumors among Soviet bikers that it was originally developed exclusively as an export model. The service life of the CPG, according to reviews, reached 50-60 thousand kilometers, which is a record for a 2-stroke engine. The maximum speed of the Izh Planet Sport is 140 km/h.

Engine

On Izh Sport in the first years of production, the power reached 32 horsepower, but later it was reduced to 28 hp. for the sake of efficiency and engine life (volume - 340 cm³). The separate lubrication system and engine mounting on rubber mounts implemented in this model were original innovations, thanks to which the bike successfully competed with Japanese and European models in the markets of Great Britain, Finland and other countries. Excellent engine performance combined with high build quality made this bike incredibly popular.

Transmission

The bike is equipped with a classic 4-speed gearbox, simple and reliable. Gears change in the usual manner, 1-N-2-3-4. The gear ratio of the top, fourth gear is 1.0, and you can safely switch to it already at 70 km/h - it will ensure smooth acceleration.

Chassis and brakes

Despite some innovative solutions, the Izh Planet Sport characteristics corresponded to its time. That’s why the motorcycle got a regular, welded frame, and the fork is a simple rodless telescope with a free play of 150 mm. At the rear there is a swingarm with a stroke of 95 mm, so the suspension cannot be called soft. The brakes are drum brakes, not very effective, and the declared stopping distance at a speed of 60 km/h is at least 16 meters.

Electronics

The electronic content of this model was partially imported. Thus, the sound signal was produced at the Japanese company Nikko, the ignition switch was borrowed from Jawa, original Magneti Marelli spark plugs came to the Soviet Union from sunny Italy, and no less original batteries came from the Land of the Rising Sun. But in general, the electrical circuit of the motorcycle is simple and easy to understand.

Weight and dimensions

The dry weight of Izh PS is only 135 kg. Thanks to this, the bike has good dynamics and does not forbid some recklessness, which, in fact, is why Soviet motorcyclists fell in love with it. Its dimensions are appropriate; this model is more compact than Izh Jupiter 5 or Planet 3.

Controllability

For bikers accustomed to modern motorcycles, riding an Izh PS may seem unusual. The bike handles well, but the steering angles are wide and you can easily drop the bike, especially when turning at low speed. This feature is worth keeping in mind.

Fuel consumption

Although the declared fuel consumption does not exceed 3.5 liters at a speed of 50 km/h, during control measurements in normal mode it is about 6 liters. When driving off-road, it can be even higher, but the 14-liter gas tank is enough even for long trips. The Izh Planet Sport engine prefers gasoline with an octane rating of at least 93, but in fact you can safely fill in AI-92 purchased at a trusted gas station.

IZh "Planet-Sport" against the Japanese.

The appearance of a new motorcycle in the USSR was an important event for the entire huge country. In a planned economy, even modernizations were rare and attracted attention, let alone a fundamentally new model that occupied the niche of road sports motorcycles, which was completely absent before. In 1973, something strange, but certainly positive, happened - the Izhevsk plant began serial production of the first sportbike in the history of the Soviet Union, the IZh “Planet-Sport”, which, as it turned out, was the only one... and not only in the USSR, but also in the Russian Federation.

But let's not talk about sad things! I propose to open the January 1974 magazine “Behind the Wheel” and read the large presentation article “Discovery of a New Planet”, filled with pride (we must admit it is not unfounded) for the new Soviet motorcycle:

This event is significant not only for the plant, but also for the domestic motorcycle industry - we have a new type of motorcycle, not inferior to most foreign models . It is called a road sports car because it has the qualities of both a road car and a sports car. Time will tell how much demand there is for these cars, which are more expensive than regular road cars. But we can already say: motorcycle manufacturers have taken a step forward in creating a machine design that is fundamentally new for us.

We had to create an almost new motorcycle, starting from the external forms and layout and ending with the design of components and parts. “Planet-Sport” is the first domestic motorcycle equipped with a separate engine lubrication system. It was developed by Soviet specialists. A large reserve of engine power and well-chosen gear ratios of the four-speed gearbox provide high dynamic qualities of the motorcycle. Its speed is 140 km/h. It accelerates to 100 km/h in 11 seconds.

What are these most foreign samples ? Maybe the technical perfection of “PS” is a populist Soviet-nostalgic myth, forgive the rough definition?

Let's take competitors of the same age from the main Japanese motorcycle factories and compare.

Specifications.

Engine displacement………..340 cm2 Engine type…………………2 stroke Number of cylinders……………….1 Cylinder diameter………………76 mm Piston stroke………………… …75 mm Compression ratio………………. 10-10.5:1 Engine power…………….32 hp. Torque……………….34 Nm at 5800 Carburetor……………………1 x Mikuni VM32-89 Gearbox……………….4 speeds Dry weight………………….. 135 kg Maximum speed………….140 km/h Acceleration time to 100 km/h…….11 sec

Specifications.

Engine displacement………..326 cm2 Engine type…………………four-stroke Number of cylinders……………….2 Cylinder diameter………………64 mm Piston stroke……………………… 50.6 mm Compression ratio………………. 9.5:1 Engine power…………….36 hp Torque……………….25 Nm at 9500 Carburetor………………………2 Gearbox……………….5 speeds Dry weight…………………..149 kg Maximum speed… ……….170 km/h Quarter mile…………………13.8 sec

Specifications.

Engine displacement………..326 cm2 Engine type…………………two-stroke Number of cylinders……………….2 Cylinder diameter………………62 mm Piston stroke……………………… 56 mm Compression ratio………………. ? Engine power…………….42 hp. Torque……………….38 Nm at 7000 Carburetor……………………2 x Mikuni VM 26 Gearbox……………….5 speeds Dry weight…………………..158 kg Maximum speed………….160+ km/h Quarter mile…………………13.8 sec

Specifications.

Engine displacement………..347 cm2 Engine type………………two-stroke Number of cylinders……………….2 Cylinder diameter………………64 mm Piston stroke……………………… 54 mm Compression ratio………………. 6.9:1 Engine power…………….36 hp. Torque……………….38 Nm at 6500 Carburetor……………………2 Gearbox……………….5 speeds Dry weight…………………..139 kg Maximum speed… ……….160+ km/h Quarter mile…………………?

Specifications.

Engine displacement………..247 cm2 Engine type…………………two-stroke Number of cylinders……………….2 Cylinder diameter………………54 mm Piston stroke……………………… 54 mm Compression ratio………………. 7.3:1 Engine power…………….29 hp Torque……………….27.5 Nm at 7000 Carburetor……………………2 x Mikuni VM 24 SH Gearbox……………….6 speeds Dry weight………………….. 138 kg Maximum speed………….152 km/h Quarter mile…………………15.1 sec

Carefully comparing the characteristics of the IZH with reference motorcycles, we see that Planet-Sport has not surpassed anyone, which is not surprising - the Japanese school of motorcycle building had already been formed by the 60s, but the domestic one... it doesn’t even exist now. The more interesting “PS” looks! There are no shameful or disastrous numbers; everything is at a fairly good level for its time. The loss in speed obviously arose due to the use of a 4-speed gearbox - the fifth gearbox was simply not enough to realize the engine's service life. Plus, pay attention to the torque numbers - a good 34 Nm at the lowest revs. “Planet-Sport” was created as if with an eye on the Great Soviet Off-Road. This is not a sportbike, rather a light touring motorcycle (one can feel an eye toward enduro) with a brutal single-cylinder two-stroke, like on your “Planet-3”. In its essence, the “PS” is closest to Yamaha, and in terms of dynamic characteristics - to the 250 cc Suzuki.

The question remained hanging in the air: Planet-Sport was discontinued in 1984. This is a good life cycle. If only there was a sequel. Why did the legendary “Dog” not have an heir?

Not for the weak

IZh “Planet Sport” actually sold well abroad, supplies were even established in the USA. True, according to the recollections of the chief designer of IzhMash G.L. Pisarev, success in the States was hindered by Autoexport’s lack of experience in working overseas. Izhevsk residents did not have a service network in America, and the factory workers could not participate in establishing its work, since as defense industry workers, most of them were restricted from traveling abroad. But there were no problems with selling the motorcycle; domestic sales and the traditional IZh markets in Europe - Great Britain, the Netherlands, Finland and others - were enough.

Compared to the glamorous “Java” IZh “Planet Sport” looked more sporty and even harsh. That's how he was on the move.

The main advantage of the IZh “Planet Sport” is its dynamics with a volume of 350 cubic meters, which is modest by world standards. see Maximum speed – 140 km/h, acceleration to hundreds – 11 seconds. And it’s not surprising, because with a motorcycle weight of 135 kg, the engine developed 32 hp, i.e. there was only 4 kilograms of load per “horse”! No other vehicle in the country offered such power. A powerful sports motorcycle required special handling, for example, in the two lowest gears, if you handled the gas handle carelessly, you could stand on the goat and turn over on your back.

The performance of a properly tuned Planet Sport engine is simply explosive. More or less restrained at low speeds, it rapidly increases power when the handle is turned towards itself.

And here it is important to keep an eye on the front wheel so as not to miss the moment when it leaves the ground - especially if there is a passenger sitting behind you and especially on versions of the first years, with a short rear swingarm

Most PS ILs were orange and yellow-orange. Red and green were rare, and young people did not like green, at least in Ukraine.

Our colleagues, auto journalists of the 1970s, in their publications called on owners of IZH PS to be careful and emphasized that IZH PS was a motorcycle for trained drivers. And it was true

Unlike ordinary road “Jupiters” and “Planets”, not to mention the comfortable “Java” and “Cheset”, the dynamic “Planet Sport” required more truly masculine qualities from the driver - composure, constant control of speed and position in space. This, by the way, is the answer to the question why only a select few bought IZH PS: it could easily show who is a dude and who is a really cool guy. Not everyone was ready for this. Actually, just like today.

I made my dad happy: he took the old Yamaha and turned it into the Planet-Sport IZH!

“Planet-Sport” is one of the best Soviet motorcycles, with which our industry reached its zenith. A bright and original design, decent “figures” and imported components allowed it to compete on equal terms with “foreign cars” even in foreign markets - an unthinkable success by today’s standards.

This text was written for the September issue of MOTO magazine, which was not published as well as the October and, apparently, November issue. Having survived the “damned 90s”, the rise from the knees of the 00s and the stability of the early 10s, the current management of the magazine, judging by the delay, could not stand it.

Desk work is not for me, so let this note come out here.

Thanks to Vladimir Tetyukhin for the wonderful photographs.

Today, a well-restored PS is one of the few domestic motorcycles that are truly valuable to fans, and the price tags are rising every year. Demand also drives prices for spare parts, which are increasingly being labeled with a dozen labels - “rarity”, “shortage”, “early” and “Japanese”. For the red corner in the garage - yes, but no more.

For a Euryday motorcycle, the Japanese necroclassic, the face of which is the Yamaha SR400, is much better suited. Appearing in 1978, it can be considered the same age as Planet-Sport, which debuted in 1973, and much more successful - it is still sold in some markets. Why not the basis for restomod?

The union of the two grandmothers in this loving ecstasy did not seem a problem in theory, but in reality it took a long time. The main problem is the PS tank, which refused to sit on the thick pipe of the Yamaha frame, which acts as an oil tank. A friend came to the rescue, donating the lower part of his old SR tank and welding the top of the PS to it.

The fenders and lighting equipment fit without any problems, but the service had to tinker with the saddle and fork “flags”, welding the brackets and turning out the adapters. Stickers were attached to the early PSs, but I preferred the later heavy metal nameplates; such decorations look more convincing.

The most expensive acquisition was an early speedometer with a “reverse” orange arrow; they managed to “make friends” with the Yamaha speedometer drive. But the remote controls and levers remained original, Japanese; all this old-fashioned fittings fit very organically into the look of the restomod.

The only thing that gives it away as a replica is the exhaust located on the “wrong” side and the large 4-stroke engine. It hurts not only the eyes, but also the nose - there are no sweet notes of refined sugar and condensed milk in the exhaust blend, so even the blind can call this motorcycle fake.

A little later, a video about this motorcycle will appear on the channel of the Motoexpert magazine:

https://www.youtube.com/user/motoexpertmagazine

Subscribe to my blog on Yandex.Zen, there’s even more interesting stuff there:

zen.yandex.ru/fedotov_moto

Made in USSR + Japan

It is interesting that all the main components and assemblies were domestic (except perhaps for the Japanese carburetor), that is, our own technologies made it possible to implement any modern designs - and to do this in mass production and with the expectation of long-term operation. Which, in fact, is not surprising, because IzhMash at that time was a defense complex enterprise. Only minor components of IZH PS were purchased abroad - lighting equipment and electrical appliances.

The Avtoexport advertising poster shows an experimental motorcycle; it was distinguished by its engine and cladding parts.

Imported parts provided the new product with a marketable appearance: style, design, neatness of finishing - what we really had problems with. According to the recollections of IzhMash veterans, in the first year of production (1973 - 1974) 30 thousand sets of 12 units of components each were purchased from Japan.

In the second year, by the way, the Japanese raised the price 2.5 times, purchased spare parts again, but in the end this played a role and the later PeEs lost imported parts, losing not only the “foreign” finish, but also 4 liters. With. power.

Conclusion

In the modern world, restoration of retro motorcycles remains the preserve of enthusiasts who are willing to spend not only a lot of time, but also a lot of money on their favorite hobby. If you are one of them, then Izh PS can take its place in your garage. But there is no point in buying it specifically for driving, unless you are a fan of retro technology.

Specifications