Motorcycle "Chang-Yang" 750: dispel the secrets of the Chinese "Ural"

Vintage motorcycles are becoming more popular among fans of two-wheeled vehicles not only abroad, but also in Russia. People buy and restore old samples of motorcycle equipment, "Ural" and "Dnieper" plow the expanses of European and American roads. Particular attention is attracted to the motorcycle "Chang-Yang", more than others shrouded in a halo of secrecy.

Excursion to the history

Way Chang Jiang 750 (abbreviated CJ750) begins in the Soviet Union. In 1940, the Moscow experimental plant "Iskra" began to develop a heavy motorcycle under the leadership of N. P. Serdyukov.

The engineer passed an internship at the BMW plant for five years. The task was to create a heavy motorcycle, which will be used for military purposes, and the model was chosen BMW R71, well-proven in the Wehrmacht. Several copies were secretly purchased, and in the spring of 1941 the Soviet Union began to release its version of the motorcycle. It was called the M-72 and the class of "armored vehicles". More than eight thousand pieces of equipment came off the assembly line both in the version with the stroller, and in solitary.

At war

The motorcycle was used for military purposes. Provision was made for the installation of bags for ammunition, spare parts, as well as brackets for fastening a manual machine gun. They are called swivels. They could be installed, for example, a machinegun Degtyarev. He was fastened with bipods to his plate, and it was not only convenient to transport the machine gun from place to place, but also to fire even while driving.

There were even modifications with the possibility of installing a 82-mm mortar into the stroller, however, they were delivered in very limited quantities. A few years after the end of the war, civil motorcycles based on the M-72 were launched: the cross-country M-72K, two sports models (with and without a stroller) and racing M-80. However, the issue was small.

New country

In the fifties, the development of the M-72 was sold to the PRC. The motorcycle was called Chang Jiang and was produced at the aircraft factory (China Nanchang Aircraft Manufacturing Company). The unit was manufactured until the nineties, but nowadays its production will be illegal due to non-compliance with environmental standards. However, in China still produce small parts for this motorcycle to meet the needs of those who have purchased machinery in the past.
There are modifications of the CJ750 with an electric starter and an inclined fairing with two headlights.

Because of the limited speed and control, the motorcycle was mainly used by the police and in the medical service in the version with the stroller. China attempted to export Chang Jiang to European countries, but its low competitiveness prevented it. In the end, it was a copy of a motorcycle produced in the pre-war time, and despite some advantages (a proven design, the ability to carry quite heavy loads), could not oppose anything to a new generation of motorcycles.

Specifications

The motorcycle has a four-valve twin-cylinder engine with a displacement of 745 cm ³ . Transmission - four-speed, the diameter of the wheels is the same - 19 inches. Each cylinder receives fuel from its own carburetor. Motorcycle "Chang-Yang" refers to the road. It is quite heavy - about 230 kg with an empty tank without a stroller and 350 - with a stroller. The engine power is 27 horsepower, the maximum speed of the motorcycle is 120 km / h. However, drum brakes can not provide high-quality braking at high speeds, and the overall handling of the unit is quite low even in a single version, although the opposing arrangement of the cylinders provides a balance and a low center of gravity.

Motorcycle "Chang-Yang" is well suited for unhurried driving even for long distances, besides, it can cope with heavy loads and is equipped with a large gasoline tank of 24 liters.

Nowadays

Given that the motorcycle "Chang-Young" has not been produced for more than twenty years, his search can be compared with the purchase of "Urals" or "Dnepr" abroad. It's difficult, but possible. But in the country of production, these are frequent and inexpensive motorcycles. The same goes for the CJ750 - it is quite possible to find it in China, there it still traces the expanses of country roads. For a true fan of retro motorcycles, of course, there are no barriers, but buying them abroad, transporting and processing documents can result in a round sum. To everything else you can add money, which will certainly be required for repairs.