No wonder this motorcycle is so reminiscent of the American Harley-Davidson. After all, the American was his prototype. And the value of the "Kharkivian" is added by the fact that only 300 such models were created, and only one has survived to this day.
Sometimes you're looking for something like that and accidentally come across an interesting thing - a unique 1931 KhMZ-1M motorcycle. This is the first mass-produced bike of Ukrainian production. This model was developed in Kharkiv under the leadership of designer Soldatenko.
Initially, it was decided to launch about 4,000 motorcycles, but only 300 came off the assembly line. And, by the way, they wanted to send part of the planned 4,000 to the needs of the army.
It is believed that for the Soviet authorities it was of fundamental importance where such motorcycles would be manufactured. And Kharkiv, or rather the Kharkiv Auto Assembly Plant, was not considered by the party leadership. Only at the end of the 1940s did the Ukrainian SSR give the go-ahead, and the production of motor vehicles was established in Kyiv. However, these were completely different motorcycles...
"Kharkivyanin" was created with an eye on the American Harley. The design of the front fork and the drop-shaped gas tank, a signature feature of American motorcycles, were borrowed.
And I would like to add a few words about the technical characteristics of the Ukrainian Harley. KhMZ-1M had a 350-cc engine with a capacity of 8 hp. and a 3-speed manual gearbox. It could accelerate to 90 km/h and consumed 3.5 liters per 100 km. Among the features of the model are a chain drive, brakes on all wheels and two headlights.
It is nice that at least one such copy has "survived" to our days. Of course, it has been restored and is kept in a private collection.
