The Ural Wolf is the odd one out in the factory’s history: a two-wheeled chopper instead of a sidecar outfit. Sold as the IMZ-8.1238 and built from 1998 to 2011, it had a 1,690 mm wheelbase, the longest in the range, and was developed by factory engineers together with the Night Wolves biker club.
Ural Wolf at a glance
| Maker | IMZ-Ural, Irbit |
|---|---|
| Factory designation | IMZ-8.1238 |
| Production | 1998–2011 |
| Type | chopper, no sidecar |
| Wheelbase | 1,690 mm, the longest in the range |
| Based on | Ural Kobra, with added shock absorbers |
| Developed with | the Night Wolves biker club |
| Public debut | exhibition in Nizhny Tagil, 2000 |
| Engine | air-cooled two-cylinder boxer, four-stroke |
| Final drive | shaft |
History of the Ural Wolf
The factory tries a chopper
By the late 1990s the factory was in trouble: in 1998 it built fewer than 2,000 machines and employed nearly 4,000 people. The new owner brought in fresh management and ordered new ideas, and money was invested in a two-wheeled motorcycle, the chopper-styled Ural Wolf.
Design and reception
The Wolf was created by the factory’s engineers with the help of the Night Wolves biker club, and it was based on the Ural Kobra with added shock absorbers. Its 1,690 mm wheelbase set it apart from every other Ural. At an exhibition in Nizhny Tagil in 2000 the motorcycle received praise from President Vladimir Putin during a short presentation. Commercially, however, the Wolf’s price was too high and its quality too low, and the company could not sell enough to stay afloat; production ended in 2011.
Design and features
- Chopper layout: a long, low motorcycle with no sidecar.
- 1,690 mm wheelbase: the longest of any Ural.
- Night Wolves involvement: designed with the biker club of the same name.
- Kobra base: derived from the Ural Kobra, with added shock absorbers.
Ural Wolf versions
- Ural Wolf (IMZ-8.1238): the production chopper, 1998–2011.
The Wolf was the two-wheeled exception in a range of sidecar outfits; the solo Ural is covered on the Solo page. More machines are in the Ural collection.
Video: Ural Wolf engine sound
Video by autimies on YouTube.
Sources
- Урал Волк, Russian Wikipedia: design, wheelbase, Night Wolves, debut
- IMZ-Ural, English Wikipedia: investment in the Wolf, commercial failure, production years
