History of the 1938 R-71/75 BMW, Ural and Chinese Army Chang Jiang Motorcycle with Side Car
The history of the 1938 BMW R-71 and R-75 and the World War II Ural motorcycles begins with the pre-WW II planning of Joseph Stalin. Knowing that Russia would soon be at war with the Hitler's Germany.
Germany's Sidecar Weapon
The Special Forces had thousands of BMW sidecars that the German army loved for their maneuverability, reliability, economy, and ease of maintenance.
Carrying a machine gun and solider with supplies, the sidecar "weapon" was so feared by the otherwise "fixed" Russian ground troops, that the side car motorcycle soon became a legend.
Prisoner of War Tech Transfer
Despite the utility of the vehicle, the Russian campaign didn't go too well for the Germans. When I lived in Russia, I found out from some of my friends that the expertise of the Russian factory that had created a similar bike to the German BMW, the Ural, was helped a great deal by captured German engineers.
From Russia with Gloves
The official story goes that the Chinese built Russian Ural (Chang Jiang) was a hand over of manufacturing expertise from Russia to China in the early days of the Cold War, around 1951. China had many textile manufacturing plants, but little heavy army motorcycle equipment or automotive manufacturing, so the trade off was good for both countries.
However, according to the Chinese version, the Ural (Chang Jiang) motorcycle is in fact a combination of features from several BMW military models used in WW II.
The German army used several versions of the 1938 BMW R-71 and R-75, depending on their theatre of operation. A Saharan version was used in North Africa, with a modified engine and an air cleaner; the Siberian version had special operating modifications for cold weather, and tough terrain, so, the Chinese Chang Jiang is a hardy spin off of the Siberian version.
"As these bikes were manufactured in the same factory as heavy artillery and tanks, it's no wonder they are sturdy, have lasted so long, and work so well for modern restorations."
-- Cajun Mike |
