Minsk (), also known as M1NSK, is a

Belarus Belarus, officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east and northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Belarus spans an a ...

ian brand of

motorcycle A motorcycle (motorbike, bike; uni (if one-wheeled); trike (if three-wheeled); quad (if four-wheeled)) is a lightweight private 1-to-2 passenger personal motor vehicle Steering, steered by a Motorcycle handlebar, handlebar from a saddle-style ...

s, scooters,

ATV ATV may refer to: Broadcasting * Amateur television *Analog television Television broadcaster * Andorra Televisió * Anguilla Television * Ayna TV, Afghanistan * ATV (Armenia) * ATV (Aruba), NBC affiliate * ATV (Australian TV station), Melbourn ...

s and

snowmobiles A snowmobile, also known as a snowmachine (chiefly Alaskan), motor sled (chiefly Canadian), motor sledge, skimobile, snow scooter, or simply a sled is a motorized vehicle designed for winter travel and recreation on snow. Their engines normally ...

, produced by the

Minsk Minsk (, ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Belarus, located on the Svislach (Berezina), Svislach and the now subterranean Nyamiha, Niamiha rivers. As the capital, Minsk has a special administrative status in Belarus and is the administra ...

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 also builds

bicycle A bicycle, also called a pedal cycle, bike, push-bike or cycle, is a human-powered transport, human-powered or motorized bicycle, motor-assisted, bicycle pedal, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, with two bicycle wheel, wheels attached to a ...

s branded as Aist.

The beginning

After

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

the documentation and equipment of the German

DKW DKW (''Dampfkraftwagen'', – the same initials later also used for ''Des Knaben Wunsch'', ; ''Das Kleine Wunder'', and ''Deutsche Kinderwagen'', ) was a German car- and motorcycle-marque. DKW was one of the four companies that formed Auto U ...

factory in

Zschopau Zschopau (), is a town in the Erzgebirgskreis district of Saxony, Germany. The town grew around the castle, which was built in the mid-12th century to protect the Salt Road, which crossed the Zschopau River here. Mining was also practiced from ...

were taken to the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

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. War reparations can take the form of hard currency, precious metals, natural resources, in ...

. 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 , . In the 1930s DKW pioneered the Schnürle two-str ...

model began in

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

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 Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

by Neval Motorcycles, marketed as Neval.

MMVZ

The new models code name system was introduced in 1973 with the new Minsk MMVZ-3.111. Reliability and simplicity made Minsk motorcycles a cult brand in

Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

, 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 a ...

market. Minsk motorcycles were among the

Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

motorcycles A motorcycle (motorbike, bike; uni (if one-wheeled); trike (if three-wheeled); quad (if four-wheeled)) is a lightweight private 1-to-2 passenger personal motor vehicle Steering, steered by a Motorcycle handlebar, handlebar from a saddle-style ...

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 are a predominantly East Slavic Eastern Christian people originating in the Pontic–Caspian steppe of eastern Ukraine and southern Russia. Cossacks played an important role in defending the southern borders of Ukraine and Rus ...

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 (also known as badge engineering, an intentionally ironic misnomer in that little or no actual engineering takes place) is a form of market segmentation used by automobile manufacturers around the world. T ...

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

Zongshen Zongshen () is a Chinese manufacturing company which produces motorcycles, quad bikes, generators, and engines. It is based in Chongqing, China and claims to have a yearly output of over 1,000,000 motorcycles. History Zuo Zongshen founded th ...

RX3.

Key models

* 1951: Minsk М1А * 1956: Minsk М1М * 1973: Minsk MMVZ-3.111 * 1994:

Minsk MMVZ-3.113 Minsk (, ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Belarus, located on the Svislach (Berezina), Svislach and the now subterranean Nyamiha, Niamiha rivers. As the capital, Minsk has a special administrative status in Belarus and is the administra ...

* 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