Minsk (Ru:Минск), also known as M1NSK, is a

Belarus Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by R ...

ian brand of

motorcycle A motorcycle (motorbike, bike, or trike (if three-wheeled)) is a two or three-wheeled motor vehicle steered by a handlebar. Motorcycle design varies greatly to suit a range of different purposes: long-distance travel, commuting, cruising ...

s, scooters, ATVs and

snowmobiles A snowmobile, also known as a Ski-Doo, snowmachine, sled, motor sled, motor sledge, skimobile, or snow scooter, is a motorized vehicle designed for winter travel and recreation on snow. It is designed to be operated on snow and ice and does not ...

, produced by the

Minsk Minsk ( be, Мінск ; russian: Минск) is the capital and the largest city of Belarus, located on the Svislach and the now subterranean Niamiha rivers. As the capital, Minsk has a special administrative status in Belarus and is the admi ...

Motorcycle and Bicycle Plant (MMVZ). The first M1A motorcycle was released in 1951. Since 2007, the company is a private enterprise. More than 6.5 million Minsk motorcycles have been sold worldwide. M1NSK built bicycles are branded as Aist.

The beginning

After

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

the documentation and equipment of the German

DKW DKW (''Dampf-Kraft-Wagen'', en, "steam-powered car", also ''Deutsche Kinder-Wagen'' en, "German children's car". ''Das-Kleine-Wunder'', en, "the little wonder" or ''Des-Knaben-Wunsch'', en, "the boy's wish"- from when the company built to ...

factory in

Zschopau Zschopau (), is a town in the Erzgebirgskreis district of Saxony, Germany. Geography The town is located on the northwestern slopes of the Ore Mountains, on both Bank (geography), banks of the Zschopau (river), Zschopau River, about south-east ...

were taken to the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

war reparations War reparations are compensation payments made after a war by one side to the other. They are intended to cover damage or injury inflicted during a war. History Making one party pay a war indemnity is a common practice with a long history. R ...

. Production of the

RT 125 The RT 125 was a German two-stroke motorcycle made by DKW in Zschopau in the 1930s, IFA and MZ in the 1950s and early 1960s, and DKW in Ingolstadt in the 1950s and 1960s. "RT" stands for "Reichstyp" or "National Model". In the 1930s DKW pi ...

model began in

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

under the M1A brand. By the Order No.494 of the Ministry of automotive industry of the Soviet Union dated 12 July 1951 the production of M1A was transferred from Moscow to the Minsk Motorcycle and Bicycle Plant (MMVZ, then Motovelo). This model was imported into the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

by Neval Motorcycles, marketed as Neval.

MMVZ

The new models code name system was introduced in 1973 with the new Minsk MMVZ-3.111. ММВЗ-3 111 1973

Reliability and simplicity made Minsk motorcycles a cult brand in

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

, which was the most extensive

export An export in international trade is a good produced in one country that is sold into another country or a service provided in one country for a national or resident of another country. The seller of such goods or the service provider is an ...

market. Minsk motorcycles were among the

Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

motorcycles A motorcycle (motorbike, bike, or trike (if three-wheeled)) is a two or three-wheeled motor vehicle steered by a handlebar. Motorcycle design varies greatly to suit a range of different purposes: long-distance travel, commuting, cruising, ...

that were distributed by

SATRA Satra Corporation was a US trading and metal processing company. It is primarily known in the United Kingdom for its Satra Motors Limited subsidiary, which was the official importer and distributor of Soviet Union cars and motorcycles in that co ...

, UK, under the Minsk Saturn 125 and

Cossack The Cossacks , es, cosaco , et, Kasakad, cazacii , fi, Kasakat, cazacii , french: cosaques , hu, kozákok, cazacii , it, cosacchi , orv, коза́ки, pl, Kozacy , pt, cossacos , ro, cazaci , russian: казаки́ or ...

brand names from 1973 to 1979.

M1NSK

In 2007 Motovelo became a private company. Motorcycles sold under ''M1NSK'' brand are

rebadged In the automotive industry, rebadging is a form of market segmentation used by automobile manufacturers around the world. To allow for product differentiation without designing or engineering a new model or brand (at high cost or risk), a man ...

Chinese products. For example, M1nsk TRX 300i is a

Zongshen Zongshen () is a Chinese manufacturing company producing motorcycles, quad bikes, generators and engines, based in Chongqing, China. It claims to have a yearly output of over 1,000,000 motorcycles. Zongshen Chongqing is the original manufacture ...

RX3.

Key models

* 1951: Minsk М1А * 1956: Minsk М1М * 1973: Minsk MMVZ-3.111 * 1994: Minsk MMVZ-3.113 * 2010: M1NSK R * 2013: M1NSK TRX

Models

Mopeds

* MMVZ-1.101 (1995-1998). * MMVZ-1.102 (2003-2004). * MMVZ-2.154 (2006-2010). * M1NSK D 49

Scooters

* M1NSK TC 49 * M1NSK TM 49 * M1NSK TX 49

Electric scooters

* M1NSK Upa-Upa 500E

Road bikes

* Minsk M1A "Moscow" (1951) * Minsk M1M (1956-1961). * Minsk M-103 (1962-1964 biennium). * Minsk M-104 (1964-1967 biennium). * Minsk M-105 (1967-1971 biennium). * Minsk M-106 (1971-1973 biennium). * MMVZ-3.111 (1973-1976). * MMVZ-3.115 (1976-1980). * MMVZ-3.112 (1982-1995). * MMVZ-3.113 (C 125) * MMVZ-3.114 (C4 125) * MMVZ-3.119 (M 125, F 125H) * M1NSK C4 200 * M1NSK C4 250 * M1NSK R 250 * M1NSK CX 200 * M1NSK D4 125

Enduro

* M1NSK X 200 * M1NSK ERX 250 * M1NSK TRX 300i * KTNS RS3 (Malaysia Market)

Quads

* M1NSK KD 500 * M1NSK KD 625 * M1NSK KD 625B * M1NSK KD 500U

Snowmobiles

M1NSK NIX 390

Racing motorcycles

* Minsk M-201K (1956) * Minsk M-201M (1956) - a multi-day event. * Minsk SHK-125 (1961) - The road-racing circuit. * Minsk M-205 - highway-ring races. * Minsk M-213 (1969) - The multi-day event. * Minsk M-211 (1971 YG) * MMVZ-3.221 "Cross" - motocross. * MMVZ-3.216 (1977) * MMVZ-3.225 (1980) - motocross. * MMVZ-3.227 (1987-1991.) - Highway-ring races. * MMVZ-3.229 * MMVZ-3.232 (5.232) (1993) - trial. * RX 250 - motocross. * M1NSK RX 450 - motocross.

References

External links

Minsk Moto HomepageMinsk Bike Models
{{DEFAULTSORT:Minsk (Motorcycle) Companies based in Minsk Economy of Minsk Motorcycle manufacturers of the Soviet Union Motorcycle manufacturers of Belarus Science and technology in Belarus Soviet brands Belarusian brands