You can chat with this person for hours. Talk about small arms (this is professional - at one time I worked as a shooting instructor), about soldiers’ uniforms from the era of World War II (this is “game” - with comrades they organize reconstructions of the battles of the Great Patriotic War), about motorcycles. When a hobby takes on such a serious nature, knowledge of the subject is raised to a degree and overgrown with side information, the quantity and variety of which can easily compete with Internet sources. I don’t argue - I listen to Mikhail Dmitrievich and absorb it as best I can.
Of course, motorcycles are the main thing. A disease, a passion that has been around for more than a quarter of a century and is constantly progressing, bringing new fruits and results. Four years ago we already met with a Krasnoyarsk restorer. Now that more restored specimens have appeared in Mikhail Dmitrievich Shestakov’s collection, it’s time to see each other again.
Absolute authenticity
A familiar room, combining a workshop and an improvised exhibition hall, an impressive part of which is occupied by the pride of the collection - heavy combat vehicles BMW R75 and Zundapp KS750. On the wall, as usual, there are handguns - MP-40 and PPS, photographs. And other motorcycles, which for some reason are few in number this time.
— I placed something else in another place, and a couple of models — R35 in military and civilian versions — went to Moscow; one of the BMW dealers asked for them as exhibition ones.
Speaking about this as something completely ordinary, Mikhail Dmitrievich is being somewhat disingenuous.
He has something to be proud of. After all, the “Shestakov-restoration” label is not just a plate on the frames of restored equipment, but also quality and a name. Not only in the Russian restoration circle, but in the world. — The love for motorcycles came in my youth.
There was once a “Kozlik” K-125. Then, while relaxing in a village, I met a BMW R75. A man arrived there with his wife in it. Knowing from my father’s stories what kind of car it was, I was personally and clearly convinced of its exclusivity. And, what’s most curious, a quarter of a century later, while looking for another copy of the “75,” I found exactly that motorcycle. The first car in my collection is a BMW R35. For my birthday, knowing my passion, my friends gave it to me. “The Thirty-Fifth,” being a reparations project, was not a rarity in its time. Once upon a time it was even presented to distinguished miners. That's why I have three of them in different versions. And yet, there is a special attitude towards the BMW R75 and Zundapp KS750. Moreover, I got them in the African “configuration”: wide tires, powerful filter elements. Apparently, these motorcycles began to fight in the corps of Erwin Rommel. By the way, the only non-original thing about them is the tires, whose donor was the 401st Moskvich. Previously, they were generally equipped with “rubber” from some helicopters. However, I will soon eliminate this shortcoming of the restoration.
For me, Wehrmacht motor vehicles are not some kind of object bearing Nazi symbols, but an example of technical excellence, which is somehow relevant even now. At the same time, I collect all the currently rare motorcycles that come into my field of vision. Among the domestic ones, for example, I have TIZ-AM-600 and “Red October”.
I don’t understand when anyone sees any political overtones in this kind of restoration. Recently in Novosibirsk a person was fined for copying armored vehicles from the Second World War, including German ones. But the restoration of these complex machines is in many ways a tribute to our fathers and grandfathers, who defeated the enemy who fought using such complex weapons.
Restoration in Russia and the West is a whole world. To understand it, you need to know its laws, which are fair in many ways, very demanding in some ways, and sometimes downright merciless. At one time, Mikhail Dmitrievich, by his own admission, made an unforgivable mistake. I attached handles like door handles to the cartridge boxes that are mounted on motorcycle strollers. “Restoration” forums were then indignant as if it was not about small details, but about the fact that the domestic post-war “Dnepr” was passed off as the past hell of the eastern front BMW! Can you imagine the reaction if the inaccuracy touches on more significant things? And now the restoration credo of my interlocutor is complete, absolute authenticity.
When restoring motorcycles, this is much more difficult to achieve than with cars. No, it cannot be said that there are any relaxations regarding the latter. However, the body hides much that is extremely difficult to restore. Motorcycles, as you understand, have everything in sight. Therefore, the accuracy of detailing is given special importance. In essence, a restorer can be “absolved” only for the wiring, which should only be vinyl (the Krasnoyarsk master learned to make it in the “image and likeness”), and for the fasteners (on different modifications the bolts could “look” in different directions) . Everything else must match - and then you can get out of it as you want. Otherwise, calling such a specimen restored can only be a stretch.
Take, for example, the bolts produced by the Ribe company, famous in Germany in the 30s and 40s, which had a corresponding stamp on the head. To use others means to question the quality of the result. And you can get them in different ways. There is a known case when one of the restorers was allowed to see the Messerschmidt, which had just been raised from the swamp, where he acquired a number of them. Someone buys them - given the huge number, it is by no means cheap. Mikhail Dmitrievich spent a lot of effort and money on creating equipment and using a 20-ton press to independently produce Ribe bolts.
What can we say about the larger details! For example, a battery: a unique product that should and must be “one to one” with what was installed on the eve of World War II. Mikhail Dmitrievich only used the filling from a battery from a Japanese scooter. And the case with the Bosch label has been recreated with amazing precision. The Krasnoyarsk resident independently produces oil seals and many elements (including frames) that have not survived to our times.
But this, we repeat, is only a small part of the entire design of the motorcycle. Thus, when making a frame for the BMW R75, Mikhail Dmitrievich even repeated the shape of the welds, and when repairing (if such a concept is acceptable here) the gearbox, metal analysis is even carried out before manufacturing the gears. We have our own know-how (which, however, came from abroad) in the processing of external surfaces. The master abandoned sandblasting and achieves perfect evenness using glass blasting, when the parts are “beaten” with glass beads 150 microns in size.
It is difficult to say whether a similar approach exists among other restorers, of whom there are only a couple dozen in the territory of the former USSR. Mikhail Dmitrievich confidently names Alexei Popov from the Baltic states, a friend and, in his words, a teacher - also the owner of a unique collection and a person who adheres to strict restoration rules.
However, restoration is generally a typical activity for the Baltic states. Pro-European views and a considerable amount of captured equipment contribute to this. By the way, in the Old World itself the situation with the latter is not so rosy. My interlocutor believes that restorers in Russia have a much better chance of discovering unique specimens that have survived to this day. The fact is that back in the 50-60s (before the moment when they began to represent some kind of collectible value), most motorcycles in Europe were put under pressure. And the Russian people, having repaired and “tuned” equipment more than once, are still ready to use copies produced almost 70 years ago. Of course, they do not reach the connoisseur in their original form, but they do!
DAS IS FANTASTIC
Mikhail Dmitrievich, showing off his favorite toys - armed with BMW and Zundapp - refreshes my memories about their restoration. The “Bavarian” was obtained for spare parts, and the ancestor of the models sold together with the manufacturer to China was in the form of three either half-dead or globally “modernized” copies, among which there was a very interesting sample that made us think closely about its origin.
It must be said that both motorcycles were quite (adjusted for the fact that they were openly “anti-Soviet”) loved in the Red Army and the post-war “national economy.” 26 “horses”, drive to the sidecar wheel, a forced-locking cross-axle differential and a reduction range in all four gears, including two rear ones. It seems that it was precisely the stories of their father, a front-line soldier, who reached Berlin and spoke about them with great respect (“the lorry” they pulled out was almost guaranteed - they were surrounded by a platoon of soldiers, the differential was blocked, and only lumps of dirt from under the wheels; and “ “forty-fives” were not at all a heavy burden for these cars), formed a love for motorcycles. In particular, to the German ones.
So that “supposedly” Zundapp, bought in the countryside, became a real mystery. Built on a KS750 frame, it carried a BMW engine and R75 forks. The generator from “Belarus” and some other domestic parts did not speak of “garden tuning” at all, since the very high-quality stripes on the wings suggested the work of some experienced restorer.
The search for an answer did not yield results immediately, but it exceeded all expectations. As it turned out, this hybrid was produced in a small edition immediately after the war at the Serpukhov plant and sold through the “Sporting Goods” chain of stores. It is hardly possible to talk about any kind of mass production (remember that BMW produced about 18 thousand units and Zundapp only about 16 thousand, they were supplied to the elite units of the Wehrmacht - the SS, reconnaissance) - most likely, it could be talk about several hundred copies, which probably never even left Moscow. But something else is interesting - a technical “collage”, invented for some reason in Serpukhov.
Apparently, the USSR had a good understanding of the structure of German technology, otherwise how can one explain the choice of the Zündapp frame, more powerful than that of BMW? Or a beam fork, which, being telescopic, required almost no labor-intensive maintenance, while the Zundapp fork, with its complex lever design, required constant attention.
Let us note that the flight of technical imagination in Germany at that time was the highest and, one might say, unattainable for other world manufacturers. If back in the 20s, for example, BMW allowed itself to “stoop” to copying the English “boxer” Douglas, then already in the 30s Bavarian designers were at the forefront of engineering motorcycle fashion. To confirm this, we can give at least the following example. There are discrepancies regarding the speed record (there is information that the motorcycle managed to reach 279.5 km/h; another source says only 210 km/h), but one thing is known for sure - it was one of the BMW models.
Propaganda and more
Of course, technological progress was determined not so much by civilian market needs, but rather by military requirements from the beginning of the 30s. So, if, say, the BMW R4 of the 1932 model year was more of a sports, cross-country motorcycle, then its immediate descendant - the R35, which appeared in 1935 - was already oriented towards military use.
Recently Mikhail Dmitrievich restored R4. Curious car! There is only one place, there is no rear suspension as such - all driver comfort is concentrated in two springs under the seat. The front suspension is an example of the search for optimal technical solutions - the unit is not a motorcycle unit, but rather a car one. The telescopic fork was invented only in 1935, and then the R4 received a quarter-elliptical spring similar to those that were later equipped with our GAZ-67. By the way, this single-cylinder 400 cc 12-horsepower model was loved by Joseph Goebbels, who first participated in competitions with it, and then carried out his propaganda raids around the country using the R4. It is noteworthy that the collector received this BMW in relatively good condition. The former owner dismantled the captured car and lovingly put the parts into boxes.
The Krasnoyarsk restorer has three copies of the BMW R35 - in a civilian-elegant black color with white eyeliner on the wings, in a Wehrmacht military-colored feldgrau version, and as an EMW model.
The 14-horsepower motorcycle with one 340 cc cylinder was produced from 1935 to 1940. Production resumed in 1946 in the city of Eisenach, which was located in the Soviet occupation zone (hence the changed name - Eisenacher Motoren Werke).
In the GDR, the motorcycle was even modernized, changing the electrical equipment and power system, as well as equipping the R35 with a rear suspension (previously there was none, and this often caused the frame to burst). High-torque and reliable, it was loved in our country, because even with an impressive mileage it allowed us to plow vegetable gardens. And spare parts for it were not exclusive - until the 80s they were ordered through Posyltorg.
Her Majesty Motorization
When it comes to some kind of comparison of the motorization of troops of former opponents, in general about the structure of the armies of the USSR, Germany and the Allies, it can be studied at least using the example of motorized equipment. More than 50 types of different two- and three-wheeled vehicles fought in the Wehrmacht. Not always successful, however, isn’t this an indicator of the attitude towards both one’s own soldiers and the method of conducting combat operations (for example, at the beginning of World War II, the Red Army had no more than 15 thousand motorcycles).
In principle, only two-stroke models were not “conscripted” into the Wehrmacht. But everything else, regardless of design and previous civilian use, became operational and was divided into light, medium and heavy motorcycles. True, as the famous researcher of the German armed forces Werner Oswald writes, the first in their most compact form could not withstand the hardships of military service. But motorcycles such as the R35 have proven themselves to be exceptionally good. Although the tasks they solved were not the broadest and not always directly combat ones.
However, the BMW R75 and Zundapp KS750 did not become the main driving force of the Wehrmacht. Exceptional in their complex design, they cost the German “Armament Directorate” more than other Volkswagen “rogues”. Therefore, the main combat load fell on the shoulders of less expensive vehicles. Among these in Krasnoyarsk there is a largely remarkable BMW R12.
In fact, appearing in 1935, produced until 1942 and distributed in the amount of 36 thousand copies, this motorcycle tried on almost all possible military specialties. Used in the solo version, more often he fought with a wheelchair, and then the range of his tasks could be very diverse: evacuation of the wounded, for which special stretchers were installed on him, delivery of ammunition and food to the front lines, transportation of various cargoes, and, ultimately, reconnaissance, patrolling and so on, which was facilitated by machine gun equipment.
The R12 engine was already a two-cylinder boxer engine with a volume of 750 cubic meters and a power of 18 hp. pp., and with an interesting and clearly ahead of its time system. It is now common to say that German technology was not prepared for the harsh conditions of the eastern front. But this “boxer” was allowed into the cold without any problems, since it heated the intake tract with exhaust gases. And this was not the only innovative solution of the R12.
For the first time in world practice, a telescopic fork was used on it (while there was still no suspension at the rear). Obviously, not least for the transportation of the wounded, the carriage had a peculiarly curved spring. And it itself was a rather curious design from Royal. It looks ordinary, it does not have a single welded seam and is connected at the joints using rolling.
Founding Father
If the R12 was the most popular, then its successor R71, one might say, became famous differently. The machine, produced as part of a series of four similar models, appeared in 1938 and became known not so much for some German exploits, but for the fact that it essentially formed the Soviet military motorcycle potential and the entire post-war motorcycle industry of the Soviet Union.
The model was more modern than the “twelfth”. Each of the two opposed cylinders was filled with an individual carburetor with a combustible mixture, which provided more liter power - 22 “horses” were already removed from 750 “cubes” (the R71, however, lost in torque at the bottom). The frame changed from stamped to tubular duplex. The fork was improved, and finally a rear spark plug suspension appeared.
R71, see which
It has not yet been possible to see it live (the restoration process is in full swing and at the moment the motorcycle is in a state of restored, but not yet assembled parts) - also in some way the pride of the collection. Firstly, it was released in a circulation of less than 3,500 copies and is now a rarity. And, secondly, Mikhail Dmitrievich logically notes that it is better to have the source than its copy, which, like anything similar to it, is worse than the original.
The fact is that the German R71 became not even a prototype, but a twin brother of our M72. There is interesting information regarding the appearance of the latter, which theoretically has the right to claim realism. The point is this: before launching into production, five “seventy-first” were sent to Switzerland. Obviously, for testing in harsh mountain conditions. Only three motorcycles made it back by rail. It is unknown where the other two disappeared.
Official sources have a different opinion regarding the appearance of the M72. At the beginning of 1940, at a meeting of representatives of the Main Armored Directorate with the directors of Soviet motorcycle factories, one of the highest military officials, looking at the displayed domestic and foreign equipment (Zundapp, Harley Davidson, BSA, BMW), asked what motorcycles the German army was currently advancing on? Experts pointed to the BMW R71, and the appearance of a mass-produced domestic motorcycle among the troops (note, as opposed to Soviet vehicles also presented at that meeting - IZH-8, L-8, TIZ-AM-600, PMZ-A-750) was a foregone conclusion . Although this happened only in July 1941. And this is not a matter of production, which was scattered across several enterprises in components and assemblies (by the way, it is known for certain that the head of the design bureau at the Moscow Motorcycle Plant worked at the BMW aircraft engine production for five years - from 1935 to 1940; one must assume that he “copied” the drawings It wasn’t particularly difficult for him). Before production, the technical documentation for the BMW R71 had to be significantly improved.
It has long been established that German technical thought, with its exclusivity, covered not only direct design solutions, but also everything related to the processing of materials, fitting of parts, etc. So, the documentation for the BMW R71, as official sources again say, was carried out according to second class of accuracy. In other words, both in the manufacture of transmission elements and in the production of minor external parts, the tolerances were the same. And, of course, they were minimal! Moreover, the approach, unique in its thoroughness, concerned both the configuration of the equipment and the ease of use of all its equipment.
Mikhail Dmitrievich, as a restorer who strives not only for the complete authenticity of the motorcycle itself, but also for all its minor details, has the opportunity to verify this personally. He cites the example of the Harley Davidson WLA42, which came to us under Lend-Lease. Yes, “machine kits” from the States came in neat boxes, lined with roofing felt on the inside, all technological holes were closed with special plugs. The holster for the Thompson submachine gun, made of buffalo leather and strapped to the right of the front wheel, also commanded respect (the weapon itself, also included in the mutual aid list, was sent with only two magazines, which is why it was distributed to quartermasters and “did not fire”).
However, at the same time, there was hardly a single part in the “American” that could not be cut or caused burrs. The Germans, of course, did not allow themselves to do this. To enter the bookmaker’s website you will need a 1xbet mirror working for today, a welcome bonus for the first deposit of 5,000 rubles! And the military “option” of even such equipment as motorcycles was as extensive as possible. Special fastenings implied the presence of 20-liter canisters; if there was a machine gun, boxes for ammunition of 250 rounds hung on easily detachable brackets on the sides of the stroller. Since 1943, when our aviation recovered from the crushing blow of the summer of 1941, and the safety of the Wehrmacht’s motorized columns became a big question, blackout tarpaulin covers appeared on the main lighting equipment, and special Notek headlights appeared on the wheelchairs.
And at the same time, much of what the Germans invented was overly complicated or had elements that did not carry any functional load. Notek blackout headlights, instead of a regular light bulb (as was logically requested), hid an unreasonably intricate system of mirrors under their visor. The canisters (copied after the war by the domestic industry, right down to the stampings on the sides) were marked as if they were archival parts, where the manufacturer’s mark was supposed to confirm quality. And this is just the tip of the iceberg, whose name is German pedantry. And it is precisely this that is in many ways the reason for the impressive financial investments (for development, for equipment), which could have been logical in peacetime, but did not “fight back” during the war.
And yet, in these technically complex, technologically labor-intensive machines, there is that charm that is inherent in things that personify an entire era - historical and design. It hardly needs saying that German motorcycles, on each of which a lot of effort and time was spent on restoration, should not be treated as equipment of opponents and occupiers (especially since they fought on both sides of the front and, in fact, created a domestic motorcycle industry in its Soviet form), but as that element of the historical-time period that revealed much of what was previously incomprehensible and unknown (perhaps not even realized). He showed, for example, his attitude towards an ordinary German soldier. Contrary to the logic then prevailing among the Allied troops, he demonstrated both the tactical and strategic priorities of the Wehrmacht. Finally, he determined a sober arrangement of military-historical assessments. And this, you know, inspires respect.
Krasnoyarsk-Irkutsk
Maxim Markin photo by the author and from the archive of Mikhail Shestakov
Automarket+Sport No. 20
BMW R75
The German tracked motorcycle was not the brightest vehicle of the Second World War. This title rightfully went to the BMW R75 unit. The boxer engine with two cylinders and valves located in the upper part made a splash in the engine industry. The ignition system was equipped with automatic stabilization of the spark advance angle. Despite its considerable weight, the bike was quite maneuverable and passable. In addition, the excellent performance indicators provided by the 750 cc engine. allowed the motorcycle to easily accelerate and pick up speed up to 90 km/h.
The reason for the ease of control was the drive not only to the rear of the motorcycle, but also to the sidecar wheel. Moreover, for comfortable movement in cold climates, the floor of the stroller was equipped with a heating system. The driver was warmed by an air supply system from the engine.
At that time, mobile operations carried out by the German army could not be imagined without this unit. The BMW R75 was in service with various Wehrmacht formations. Everyone rode them - from infantry troops to landing troops.
In addition to excellent cross-country ability, the unit boasted good load capacity. Even with passengers, the device could pull a 450-kilogram trailer, for example, anti-tank installations or mortars. We can say that the BMW R75 is a universal German motorcycle of the 2nd World War. It served not only to transport officers and equipment, but was also used as a communications or reconnaissance vehicle. There were motorcycle companies, consisting of almost 65% of such units.
The device weighed about 660 kilograms with an attached stroller. This made it one of the heaviest motorcycles of its time. Oddly enough, such weight had little effect on cross-country ability. In addition, it was very stable and maneuverable while driving. The fuel consumption was also surprising. In standard configuration, without installing an additional gas tank, the R75 could travel 340 kilometers without refueling.
In conclusion, we can say that the systems installed on German military motorcycles began to be in great demand. Soviet analogues of the BMW R75 are still used in rural areas of our country and even on city streets.
