Izh custom

Izh motorcycles have appeared on the Russian market for a long time, and are still popular. It has won hearts in the past with its looks, versatility and powerful engine. At the moment, all these advantages are already quite outdated and therefore it is often used as a donor for customization.

Why choose Izh for remodeling?

• Low cost motorcycle.
• Easy to find spare parts.
• It is convenient for driving around the city.
• Quite a good engine.

In recent years, the motorcycle has undergone many changes and has been chosen as the basis for various styles of Izh customs. Let's talk about the most popular ones.

Popular customization areas

Retro style

Antique cars and motorcycles are now back in fashion, with owners taking them out of barns and trying to restore their appearance and performance.

The most popular for making retro custom Izh Planet 5. Restoring it to its factory appearance is not an easy task, because it is quite difficult to find original dashboards, which often break due to their fragility. There is also a shortage of original saddlebags and uncreased gas tanks.

The most expensive and labor-intensive task would be to restore the Soviet chrome and paint all the chips and cracks.

Cafe Racer

This is also a type of retro style, only British, from the 60s and 70s. The main modifications for the cafe racer style are:

• flat seat,
• The original shank
• streamlined tank,
• Round mirrors,
• Instead of a dashboard, one round gauge,
• Solid dark color
• Lots of chrome elements.

Chopper

Izh Planet 5 is often made into a real chopper. This option is not suitable for most as it is very complex. First of all, it will be necessary to carry out large manipulations with the frame, and for this you need special equipment. To do this, make the following changes:

• Extend the front fork
• Install a wide rear wheel of small diameter,
• They make a wide seat with a characteristic fit,
• Create a high steering wheel
• The parts are painted dark and chrome plated.

The story of my conversion of the Soviet motorcycle IZH Planet into Cafe Racer So it all started in 2012, when a friend turned me on to this topic, and he did not have a motorcycle... As a result, I purchased IZH Planet 5, it has a number of advantages over Jupiter 5: -1 cylinder, -gearbox can be sorted out without disassembling the engine, -1 muffler, But there is also a big minus - low-speed due to the massive CV, I didn’t cut or lighten it... The motorcycle was in a ruined state from the countryside, everything was loose, the wiring was like supposed to be in blue tape for the village, the engine was on its last legs, the wheels were in disrepair, the suspension was dead... Ultimately, everything was replaced except the frame and engine. While I could take it apart at a friend’s garage and wash and clean everything, then I had to move, I had to drag everything into the apartment on the 3rd floor and take a vacation for 2 weeks to get everything done, I worked until nightfall every day. Initially, the motorcycle was restored to stock form using new parts (I won’t attach a photo), after riding it 50 km in a couple of days, it became sharply cold and winter began. The motorcycle was put in the garage, thoughts were spinning in my head about how to change its appearance into a more normal one, at that time I didn’t even know about cafe racer, I thought that sports were cool, but I didn’t want to get involved in sports. Winter came, I decided to disassemble the engine by removing the cylinder and saw that the connecting rod was walking like a rope in the CV, and the piston was hanging on the connecting rod. I removed the engine and took it home to be rebuilt. During the disassembly of the engine, the KV went under restoration, the gearbox was rebuilt, all the sprockets, chains, clutch were replaced, the piston was bored out, everything that was possible... The middle of winter had begun, and I already wanted to put the engine in and start it. So it was in minus 20 degrees below zero, but how nice it was when it started right up! But I was not left alone by the appearance, the tires, the seat, the instrument panel above the headlight,... I started with tires and bought a Metzeler 3 ME22, the motorcycle immediately began to look different, a completely different matter! At this moment the piston was bored and it was partially disassembled, but I liked the look of it without the rear carrot and tidy more. Already by the warm time it looked like in the photo, but I was not satisfied with the exhaust system and its sound, the tank did not fit into the overall appearance, and the seat itself, too. It started to rain and there was no time to ride, but as usual I wasn’t happy with the appearance, suddenly I saw what Cafe Racer and realized that this was what I’d been looking for for a long time! After looking at a bunch of photos, we decided to take action! The main thing that had to be done: - put clip-ons under the upper crossbar - another tank was needed, - shorten the seat or something else - lower the fork further - remove the glove compartments, - make a custom resonator and everything that was thought up along the way... So there were the first sketches and in just over a month the plan was accomplished! While the tank was being painted, I made the seat, shortening it by 10-15cm and making a different shape (made by furniture makers). The ordered resonator arrived instead of the standard exhaust pipe, all sorts of little things were purchased in the form of small dimensions, brake lights, small remote controls for the steering wheel, xenon, we also decided to install an FUOZ and an optical sensor, + in addition to this there is a coil for 2 spark plugs, I’m so happy with it I like it better (it works more stably). I decided to abandon the tidy, it is not needed, all I need is a bicycle speedometer and a cylinder temperature indicator with a voltmeter, and the neutral and turn indicators with a light switch button were built into the headlight housing. During the work, I remade the cover on the rear wheel that closed it into an open one, and installed a chain tensioner so that it would not sag on the frame.

As a result, after a lot of alterations and the introduction of auxiliary electronics, the result was a completely normal motorcycle :) Although it took a lot of time and effort, the result paid off! A small list of what has been converted: -a resonator (it is as long as the wheel, in the photo it seems longer because of the angle) -a tank from the 4th series IZH -branded tires with normal spoked wheels -custom seat -custom wiring -xenon -temperature, voltage control, electronic speedometer -FUOZ ignition (formation of ignition angle advance), optical sensor -ignition coil for 2 spark plugs -got rid of the ignition switch, there are relays on the power units -battery is screwed to the shield under the seat -everything is screwed into hexagons

I probably didn’t take into account a bunch of little things in the work done, but let’s look at the result: But the suspension still needs to be replaced, but that’s a completely different story :) Thanks for your attention!

The coolest Izh Customs

Custom Dirt Tracker Izh Planet 3

Style: Dirt Tracker. Basis: Izh Planet 3.

For this custom motorcycle, the frame and pendulum were redesigned, which allows the shock absorbers to be tilted. A slightly boiled gas tank and a generator from Minsk were installed. A complete overhaul of the engine was carried out, the wiring was simplified and the battery was completely removed, the central gearbox was polished, and the brakes were modified.

Homemade fenders, tail, exhaust, seat, racks, steering wheel, speedometer housing, air filter, turn signals, footrests and headlight mount were made especially for the custom.

The borrowed parts included a kick starter from an Izh K-16, a headlight from an old motorcycle made in the GDR, a fork from a Soviet motorcycle and a side stand from an Izh 56.

New ones were also installed: clutch, motor chain, Mikuni carburetor, soft ProGrip handles, carbon mud guards. The front wheel has 100x80x18 tires, and the rear wheel has 120x80x18 tires with a 20mm welded rim.

Custom cafe racer Beckman from Izh Jupiter

Style: Cafe racer. Donor: Izh Jupiter 4 1982. Manufactured by: Iron Custom Motorcycles, for the 2016 AMD World & European Championship of Custombike Building.

The project was made in the style of the 70-80s, and in its creation only spare parts available in Russia from previous years were used, as well as homemade parts.

What did you do?

• A three-cylinder engine was manufactured.
• We remade the frame with a fork from a K-750 motorcycle.
• The wheels were taken from Izh Sh-12 with tires size 450-18.
• The motorcycle was painted in vintage colors and many parts were polished.
• We made a homemade exhaust system from stainless steel.
• We dismantled all the instruments, left only the ignition switch and installed a speedometer from an Izh-49.
• The tail was made in the style of a cafe racer and a GAZ-51 light signal was installed on it.
• The front and lower fairings were made by hand.
• The square-shaped tank was also made by hand.
• The seat, handles, footrests, kick starter leg and triggers were covered with thermal vinyl.
• We also removed all unnecessary parts to simplify the design and appearance.

Cafe racer from Izha from MJ Custom Company

Style: Cafe Racer. Donor: IZH-Jupiter 5. Author: Andrey from MJ Custom Company. Budget: $200.

Stages of work:

• Sketch of a motorcycle drawing.
• Made a classic steering wheel.
• The tank was installed from Java 634 and the same one was taken for making the rear hump.
• Stiffening ribs are made.
• The front wing is made partly from the remains of the old wing and modified with other elements.
• The number was attached as additional protection from dirt and the backlight and brake light were also attached to it.
• The speedometer is also taken from old Java.
• The ignition switch is located on the electrical box, and the battery is mounted on the motorcycle axle.
• The seat padding is made of karemat and covered with artificial leather.
• After this, the motorcycle was painted and assembled.

Chief Planet Sport: scrambler dog

Style: Scrambler. Donor: Izh Planet Sport. Project author: Yuri Shif Custom.

The Scrambler is a cross between a street bike and an enduro bike, with spoked wheels, beefy tires, a raised exhaust, a narrow seat, wide handlebars and a lightweight design.

This custom was assembled from almost a bunch of parts and looks very similar to the Izh Planet Sport, but in fact there are few original spare parts left.

The gas tank retains its original appearance, but is made by hand. It's the same with devices.

Disc brakes were installed, a new steering wheel and fork were installed, and the suspension was modified.

The engine remained old, but was thoroughly modified and tuned, resulting in increased power and torque.

Izh board tracker Iron Phoenix

Style: board tracker. Donor for custom: Izh-49.

What was done?

The frame was sawn with a grinder and welded. The rear swingarm has been lengthened, and the suspension remains the same, only the shock absorbers have been modernized. The rear wheel is made wider due to new flanges.

At the front of the motorcycle there is a lever fork with reverse thrust; the springs are taken from the Urals and Izh. A homemade shock absorber support is welded to the lower cross member. A homemade steering wheel is placed on top, through which control cables are threaded. The standard tank from Izh was overcooked and lengthened.

The engine was modernized by installing a Mikni carburetor from Izh-PS, increasing the compression ratio and expanding the intake channel. The generator was installed from Sova. The exhaust pipes were made by hand, and the muffler was taken from the original and slightly modified.