IZh (motorcycle)

IZh (Russian: Иж) is a brand of Soviet Union motorcycles produced between 1933 and 2008 in Izhevsk by the state industry of the Soviet Union and later Russia. The first motorcycles under this brand were created in 1929, and from 1933, they were mass-produced by the IzhMZ plant. After World War II, IZh motorcycles were manufactured by the Izhevsk Machine-Building Plant, and from 1996, by the company Izhmash-Moto. It was one of the main motorcycle manufacturers in the Soviet Union, with over 10 million IZh motorcycles produced by 1999. After the war, the factory specialized in mid-range motorcycles of the 350 cm³ class and also produced sports motorcycles until the 1990s. In addition to motorcycles, the Lada Izhevsk brand – named after the river – was also used for cars produced by Izhmash (later IzhAvto) and other products.