Build a motorcycle and realize that you are great. Conversation with Yuri Shif

Yuri Shif: “We just need to build motorcycles”

Minsk resident Yuri Shif is one of the leading custom specialists in the post-Soviet space, participant and winner of international shows and championships. “Motoexpert” asked Yuri about the features of the Belarusian school of customization and the secrets of building champion motorcycles.

I started riding a motorcycle at 14, that is, I have more than 40 years of experience. In those days, of course, there was no customization even close. I started building motorcycles based on individual projects in the early 2000s, when the market was ready for such products. I had never done anything like this before, but when I got down to business, I had to go to Europe to study. I went to exhibitions and looked at the work of local artists. I have a good relationship with the German company Thunderbike, so I learned some things from them. When he returned, he opened a workshop. Three and a half people worked there. But we immediately got down to business seriously, in 2003 we released the Silver Stort motorcycle, which ended up on the pages of European and American publications. Over time, there were more people, and we began to carry out a full cycle of work, from design to painting. Since 2005, we have been exhibiting at international exhibitions; in 2010, we won the World Customization Championship in America. My principle is simple: if you dig a hole for a long time, someday oil will flow out of it.

A custom-designed motorcycle – how serious is it? Does changing the wheels and steering wheel and painting the tank count?

This is tuning, and we don’t do tuning. A custom-designed motorcycle is when a person arrives on a Harley - Davidson Fat Boy, and leaves on a completely different motorcycle. Some features may remain, but overall the rework will be complete. The first task of a customizer is not to spoil what was already there, the second is to make a unique motorcycle for a specific customer.

Such projects must be expensive. Who can afford a custom of your level?

Customers can be divided into three categories: businessmen, public people and everyone else. The geography is wide, people buy from Europe and Asia. Most of the clients are from Russia, and they do not always live there.

Belarus is located between Russia and Europe. Does this give you an advantage over Russian masters?

Since the bulk of our clients are from Russia, I seriously thought about where to open a workshop, in Moscow or Minsk. But in the Russian capital, production would be much more expensive. Employees would have to pay more, and other costs would be higher. We provide some parts to third party manufacturers. Our equipment cannot cope with some complex things, and it makes no sense to maintain, for example, a serious machine park with small volumes. Therefore, we design everything ourselves, and order the production of some parts externally. And not in Russia or Europe, but in Minsk. This is another reason to keep the workshop here. Minsk has a good production culture, many factories capable of solving a variety of problems. Everything happens officially, you don’t need to negotiate with Uncle Vasya for a bottle or bargain if someone decides to rip off more money from you. In Moscow, factories are closing or being repurposed, and specialists are leaving. But here we managed to preserve the good things that happened under the Soviet Union. The school remains, there is a continuity of generations. So in this regard, Minsk is an advanced city.

Where do employees come from if there is no customization school in the country?

The sieve principle works. You fill it to the top with sand, rinse it, and a golden grain of sand remains at the bottom. You need more people - you have to row more. People come from all different areas. The main thing is the ability to work with your hands and learn at the same time. Such things are not taught anywhere. So a person must have a set of certain skills and talents that will develop in the process of work. Everyone’s preparation is different, some start leading projects almost from the very beginning, others take quite a long time to get involved. We have a large team, all employees can connect to one motorcycle at different stages, so there are great opportunities for training and development. I myself also love to work. Especially with a file, it's my favorite tool. Although lately I’ve been managing more.

How are things going with customization in Belarus? Are there any competitors?

People show up and do interesting things. But I don’t divide customizing into Russian and Belarusian. In this regard, we have a lot in common, and drawing a line would not be very correct. In general, we actually have a common country, so all the processes are very similar.

Has the Russian economic crisis hit you hard?

I wouldn't call it a crisis. These are new economic realities that we now have to live with. Work more, earn less. Since we sell motorcycles mainly to Russia, the situation also affects us. Sometimes we sell equipment to Europe, America or Arab countries, but these are isolated cases, and the main client is here.

There was a story when you made a motorcycle project for the Minsk Motorcycle Plant, and even a prototype was built. Moreover, it is very nice, with a design on par with the best European models. Where did he end up?

When the plant's owner changed, the idea arose to create a joint project. I developed a neoclassical design, and it almost came to production. It was shown at an exhibition in Italy, local companies were ready to support the project, but it was not successfully implemented. Test copies are one thing, but mass production of a technically complex product with stable quality is another. We have forgotten how to do it, and this is a very serious story.

Is it difficult to legalize a homemade motorcycle so that you can ride it on the roads?

We have already worked out the procedure. It is the same in complexity both in Russia and in Belarus. And this is part of our work, which must be accepted and carried out.

Your motorcycles participate in competitions and receive prizes. How does this system work? Are you asking the customer for a motorcycle he paid for to take him to the show?

It happens, and no one has ever refused us. Some motorcycles belong to the workshop. This is our face, they are stored with us, we show them to our guests and take them to events.

Do you have any favorite historical periods that are reflected in motorcycles?

A motorcycle is not a very old thing, it is a little over 100 years old. All motorcycle history deserves attention and love. You need to know history, know traditions. Usually customizers choose one style and build their motorcycles in it. And I like different styles, I like to switch from one to another, today to do something old school, tomorrow - from the future.

What education does a customizer need?

A person is formed during his life's journey. Even after graduating from a specialized university, a person at work is usually advised to forget everything he was taught. And even more so in our work. Both technical and artistic are suitable for general development.

Which motorcycles do you want to build custom motorcycles from, and which ones do you not?

I have a broad outlook here. For example, good custom bikes come from Soviet motorcycles. For our workshop, it was fundamental not just to win the World Championship, but to use equipment with a Russian engine for this. And we did it. You can build beautiful motorcycles without any reference to a country or brand. Of course, there are vehicles with soul and character like Harley - Davidson, Ducati, Triumph. But we have work at the Minsk and IZh bases. I generally consider the “Fastest M1 NSK” project to be one of the most successful in the history of our workshop.

How is a motorcycle project born? What will the customer request?

This is the result of teamwork, a process of mutual flow of ideas. It starts with acquaintance, friendship, we communicate a lot, and from this a motorcycle appears. The Ducky motorcycle was built specifically for the big European show and required a lot of preparation. The point was to completely customize it in front of the viewer in three days. Such competitions have fairly strict rules, they stipulate what parts you can bring with you, what needs to be done on the spot. Finally, the motorcycle must be started. And we won in Germany against the German team.

“Yuri Gagarin” is a different story. It started eight years ago with the Valery Chkalov motorcycle. One of the customers liked it, but the motorcycle did not sell, and we do not build copies. Therefore, we built a continuation on the same theme, the second part of the triptych. After some time we will take on the third, but I don’t know what it will be yet. Motorcycle ideas sometimes take many years to develop, especially when they are complex projects with continuation.

Does one motorcycle take a lot of time?

It happens differently. The absolute record is the Terminator project. We did it for two and a half years. But the record was not only temporary. We never had such complex, labor-intensive and technologically advanced motorcycles. It was made almost entirely of stainless steel, with a special engine, special suspension, and all components were unique.

How does it all work? Any problems while driving? And how important are driving characteristics in general for a custom car that is made mainly for show and not for driving?

The development of exotic-looking units is carried out by specialists who are very well versed in the subject. We even made a video about the Terminator that shows how its suspension works while on the move. So all our motorcycles are capable of driving, and some actually go on the road. But here again, a lot depends on the tasks. If you want to win the world championship in customization, it is unlikely that they will ride it to work every day.

You put very complex and unusual engines on some custom cars, like a four-cylinder boxer. But building a unique and efficient engine is a lot of work that requires the highest qualifications...

In fact, the core of our team, before customization, was involved in motor sports, specialized in karting, and won several championships in Belarus and Russia. Therefore, our engineers are well versed in engines and can build very complex components.

Is there any big goal left in customizing, to win something else or build something grandiose?

In fact, we have already won enough titles, satisfied all our ambitions and proved everything to everyone. A very respected customizer, custom critic and blogger, American Cyril Hughes, taught me one right thing. You just need to work and not think about what prizes they will receive. The most important thing is not to take good places, but to build good motorcycles, and then everything will work out.

Cozy bulletproof vest > November 19, 2021 17:26 Nikolay Bogomolov

Entertainment for children

A new cartoon from Disney, Encanto, was released at the Central Cinema. This is a story about the Madrigal family, who live in the mountains of Colombia in a magical area. Everyone in the family was given a gift by the magic of this place - from super strength to the ability to heal. Only young Mirabelle was left out of work. But as soon as the city was in danger, it was she who volunteered to save it.

Photo kinopoisk.ru

“And you also had to get a ticket!”

You can also remember that a similar style was used to design the body not only of “eared” babies with a rear engine layout, but also, for example, for the Chevrolet Corvair. Quite a prestigious car for the average American from the 1960s.

Chevrolet Corvair (1960). Manufacturer's photo

The Zaporshe air intakes are striking. It is clear that such a bright detail could not be ignored. In this case, this is not just decoration - just like in ZAZ, they serve for ventilation of the engine compartment.

Yes, you heard it right: the 3.2-liter engine sits between two axles. One of the fundamental conditions was the opportunity to enjoy driving. It was a success. The car is pushing so hard that... However, we won’t.

— I repeat, technically this is a Porsche. You can open the specifications of the Boxster S - the engine power, length and width of the platform are indicated there. And we just installed a few body panels... - when it comes to technical details, Yuri Shif winces and, it seems, experiences incredible melancholy.

The owner of the workshop immediately stops attempts to divert the conversation towards characteristics and suggests talking not about the central-engine layout, ideal weight distribution or cooling system under the hood, but about the idea.

The master's hand still got into the photo, although he dodged with all his might

Note that for him, almost any project inevitably turns into a mockery, a mockery of the mass market. With regret, he is forced to play by the rules of marketers, but he will not fail to prick them at a convenient (and also inconvenient!) opportunity, so overt irony is necessarily present. Allusion is generally his favorite technique.

Be it the name of the model (cafe tracker - a reference to the cafe racer) or, as in this case, the idea of ​​a thoroughbred premium, wrapped in a Soviet budget car, sold on coupons.

Of course, the customizer dismisses any talk about pampering and fun out of hand. He remembers his nomenklatura essence, that he is not joking here, people work for him - a family that needs to be fed. In the workshops there are machines, working with metal, in the warehouse there are barrels of paint. But by the sly movement of his eyebrows you understand that he is constantly testing you, like, has he figured out the idea?

- Still, is it a Porsche or a Zaporshe? - we ask the key question.

“We have preserved the body architecture of the ZAZ-968,” Yuri Shif again avoids answering, folding the roof of the car.

— How does the idea of ​​a roadster and “Zaporozhets” fit together?

- Great... Let's go, the weather permits!

“A custom project can be “combed” endlessly”

We walk around the car: the family ZAZ stamping, the gas tank flap on the front fender, in the area of ​​the rear bumper there is a hole for a crooked starter. This is the whole Shift. The details are so recognizable, but at the same time not striking!

You grab the C-shaped handle with an indecently protruding button and feel a feeling of nostalgia. And when you sit in the cabin, made of eco-leather, you understand that this is how it should be: the dashboard, the multimedia system, the rear camera. There is no disharmony or foreignness. Where is that border? Mastery...

Of course, an experienced car enthusiast with a sufficient Soviet background will immediately notice inconsistencies in the little things: “There are five bolts on the rims, not four, like the “big-eared” one. There was a mistake!”

Not really. The mechanical part, including the wheel stand, is Porsche's expertise. This means there should be five bolts, although the appearance of the disks is very reminiscent of the Zaporozhets. We say, it’s difficult to understand where the ZAZ ends and the Boxster begins.

But there really are questions about the side mirrors. They are too elegant and look alien.

New establishments

The new Zavod gastropub has an industrial atmosphere, but you can also stay in comfortable VIP rooms or a karaoke room. The interior of the establishment is replete with pipes, metal and concrete, which creates the feeling of being in a brewery. The gastropub always has live music, sports broadcasts, table football and free arcade machines. The menu includes signature burgers and meat pies from the chef, as well as more than 25 types of foam and mulled wine according to an unusual recipe.

A restaurant of Belarusian cuisine “Bulbashi” has opened in the capital on Svobody Square, 4. The establishment has three rooms with completely different moods. The first floor is a coffee drinking area, the second is a “home kitchen”, and the third is a “living room”. The interior is thought out to the smallest detail: the walls are painted with messages from Belarusians to their descendants, the ceiling is hung with clay pots, and the table setting is Neman crystal. The menu for each dish indicates the location where this or that product came from, for example, the Bely Bor hunting farm, where you can buy deer meat. Between the first and second halls there is a pantry where you can buy pickles, liqueurs, cheeses and sausages. This is a full-time mini-shop with its own production. The main idea of ​​the establishment is to cook from seasonal Belarusian products: Naroch eel, rare farm cheeses, Slutsk deer and everything that the Belarusian land is rich in. The chef promises a new presentation of classic dishes.