«Ural» will transfer the production of motorcycles from Russia to Kazakhstan

UralMotorcycles, which produces heavy motorcycles with a sidecar, is moving production from Russia to Kazakhstan. Ilya Khait, CEO of Ural Motorcycles, spoke about it. The move is due to a shortage of a number of components that are subject to sanctions, as well as a ban on the import of equipment from Russia. The vast majority of Ural motorcycles go to Western countries, including the United States. A new assembly site for UralMotorcycles has been organized in Petropavlovsk, Kazakhstan, which is located 600 km from Irbit (Sverdlovsk Region), where vehicles were previously produced.

At the same time, the work will continue at the Irbit Motorcycle Plant (IMZ) itself: frames and body elements for motorcycles will be manufactured there. According to Mr. Khait, the company will have to reduce a part of the staff at the former enterprise and hire new employees in Petropavlovsk. At the same time, the main management team will move from Russia to Kazakhstan. The choice of a neighboring state as a new site is due to the need to establish the production of motorcycles as soon as possible, as well as the Russian-speaking population of the city and the ability to organize logistics quickly.

The head of UralMotorcycles predicts a significant reduction in sales this year, and he links this not only with the situation around Ukraine, but also with many other factors. Ural Motorcycles is the only company in the world engaged in the serial production of heavy off-road motorcycles with a sidecar. They are equipped with a 749 cc two-cylinder engine developing 41 hp and 52 Nm of torque. The engine works with a 5-speed gearbox (four front and one rear). Thus, Ural Motorcycles is the direct successor to the classic Soviet Ural brand. In 2000, the bankrupt enterprise in Irbit was bought out by a group of investors, which included Ilya Khait.

The main market for Ural Motorcycles is the United States - the company has several dealers in almost every state. For example, prices for the new 2022 Gear Up model start at $18.9 thousand (about 1.4 million rubles at the current exchange rate).