Designed by HITLER - Modified by STALIN - Manufactured by MAO
The BMW is one of the most influential enduring designs in world history. These sidecar motorcycles were original designed for the civilian market in Nazi Germany in 1938, but because of their exceptional reliability and off road maneuverability, they were quickly adopted by Hitler’s military. The bikes proved themselves to be so good that soon other countries began making there own copies for their armed forces: the American government contracted Harley-Davidson to build the 1942 ZA, the French and Swiss also produced similar machines and in the last 1940s, Stalin’s USSR started producing the Ural motorcycle from the designs that they had taken from the German factories.
By this time, the design was already ten years old, but it was still so exceptional that only a few modifications were made. These were chiefly designed to harden the bikes against the harsh Siberian winters. In 1958, Stalin sold the designs for these ultra-tough descendants of the BMW R71 to Chairman Mao. The Chinese started to manufacture them immediately for the People Liberation Army.
The bikes that we restore are all genuine vintage motorcycles from the Mao-era. There are a very limited number of the vintage bikes available because in the rush to modernize China, the vast number of the bikes that were once used by the PLA have been forgotten and left to rust and disintegrate over the last thirty or so years. Motorcycles which are still in a good enough state to restore are now very rare. We believe therefore that each and every one of these bikes should be restored to the highest standard. To achieve this we have trained a team of expert mechanics, and we have sourced the highest quality materials and contractors. This ensures we produce the best available results consistently. I am sure that this is apparent if you look at the frame and general presentation of our rebuilt motorcycles.
We give all our bikes a full year warranty on the engine, gearbox and electrical system (which has electronic ignition and our own design electrical harness). If you buy locally, we offer a mobile mechanic service. All bikes come with covers, complete manuals and a standard tool set.
At factory is in Suzhou which is just outside Shanghai we pride ourselves on our unique operation. We invite any potently interested people to visit our factory and make your own assessment of our organization and commitment to get the best results.
If you are interested in buying some classic Chinese history, we can be contacted on the below email to answer any questions or enquiries.
Source: www.motocycles.net
