28 January 2026
The Irbit Motorcycle Plant (IMZ), Russia’s only manufacturer of heavy-duty motorcycles with sidecars, is moving production to China. This decision follows a years-long crisis caused by sanctions, logistical problems, and the loss of key markets following the outbreak of full-scale war in Ukraine, reports 7×7 .
As the publication recalls, back in 2022, the plant partially moved assembly from the Sverdlovsk region to Kazakhstan, attempting to circumvent Western sanctions and maintain access to imported components, which accounted for over 70% of the motorcycles’ components. However, this measure failed to save the plant from losses. The decisive blow came with the decision by the US President Donald Trump administration to increase the import duty on goods from Kazakhstan to 25% in 2025, making Ural exports to the US market unprofitable.
As a result, IMZ management entered into an agreement with the Chinese company Yingang. In 2026, the new Ural Neo 500 model, entirely designed and manufactured in China, was introduced. It retains the signature sidecar, but is radically different from the classic Ural models in terms of design and features. Market launch is scheduled for May–June 2026, with a price tag of approximately $15,000, compared to $20,000 for the previous flagship Ural Gear Up.
The relocation of production was a necessary step after a series of setbacks. Sanctions in 2022 cut off the plant from supplies of critical components: Italian Brembo brakes, German Heidenau tires, Japanese NGK spark plugs, and Swedish SKF bearings. At the same time, “counter-sanctions” (a ban on the export of several goods, including motorcycles, imposed by Vladimir Putin in 2022) and a fourfold increase in logistics costs deprived IMZ of its main markets: before the war, 40% of sales came from the United States, 30% from Europe, and 25% from Asia.
The move to Kazakhstan allowed for a temporary resumption of exports, but did not resolve the structural problems. The Russian workshop in Irbit reduced its workforce to two assemblers by 2024, and in 2025, it transitioned to producing spare parts and warranty service. Kazakhstani production, which had reached 300 motorcycles per month, was undermined by US tariffs.
Previously, in 2016, the plant declared itself proud of its resistance to “universal Sinicization.” Now, as 7×7 notes, IMZ is forced to follow the path that many Russian automakers have already taken since 2022.
Step by step, the russian terrorist federation is turning chink.
For those not in the know, the Ural motorcycles got their start in the late 1930s, and were close copies of BMWs. “Five units were covertly purchased through Sweden and handed over to Moscow Motorcycle Plant, recently organized in a retooled bicycle factory. Soviet engineers dismantled the BMWs and reverse engineered the bike’s design in every detail” [Wiki].
I know of Germans who purchased them (new machines and well before the full-scale invasion) and completely disassemble the engines and trannies. This is to remove any manufacturing residues and dirt, like machining swarf, mold sand, and other debris! Only then will they give a relatively trouble-free service.