Electron scooter is a rarity of Soviet manufacture

The Electron scooter was developed in 1973 by the design bureau of a machine-building plant in the city of Vyatka. The task was set to create an easy two-wheeled vehicle for two people, economical and inexpensive. The predecessor and the basis for development was the model "Vyatka-150", which was produced since 1957 and was copied in due time from the Italian analogue under the name "Vespa". This prototype was used in many countries, the scooter was of the simplest design and very technological.

A bit of history

Licensed, upgraded and even pirated versions, produced all over the world, made the Italian scooter very popular. We could not resist the temptation to use Vespa as the base model for the first Soviet scooter and Vyatka producers. Full copy did not become out of fear of claims from Italy, and the main parameters used.

So in 1957 appeared "Vyatka-150", and in 1964 the modification "Vyatka-150VP" was created, which differed from the previous version by an elongated base, a new body, a modernized front fork. The rear suspension received a chain drive instead of the previous direct connection of the engine to the drive wheel.

Production development

The improved transmission was the main argument in favor of the exclusivity of Vyatka-150VP. The modified model could already go on export without fear of getting claims from Italians about copyright infringement. In the series, a new model was launched in 1967, the anniversary of the fiftieth anniversary of the October Revolution, and the former "Vyatka" was then withdrawn from production.

New model

In 1973, as already mentioned, the Vyatka-Polyanskiy plant began to produce a Vyatka-Electron motor scooter, the legitimate successor to Vyatka-150. The body was radically redesigned, the rounded contours disappeared, the exterior became more rapid and modern. The engine added to the power, now the thrust was 7 liters. With., And the ignition system was completely redone. Instead of the former contact to the scooter "Electron" installed a novelty of that time - a device for contactless supply of a spark.

Service Difficulties

Because of this innovation, the scooter was named after Electron. Non-contact ignition was considered a breakthrough in the motorcycle industry, but a new, underdeveloped system often failed, or even simply refused. Workshops for adjusting the device was not yet, and the owners of "Electron" had to look for specialists privately, sometimes unsuccessfully. The rest of the scooter turned out to be quite successful. On the move, it was stable, the engine worked quietly, maneuverability was at a high level. The economy also pleased owners - the consumption of gasoline did not exceed three and a half liters per 100 kilometers in a mixed mode. And with a good adjustment, the Electron motor scooter consumed 3.1 liters per hundred kilometers.

Falling Demand

However, in general, an unhappy fate awaited a good car in the near future. By the end of the seventies the popularity of the scooter began to decline. This is due primarily to the increased opportunities for purchasing cars by the public. In addition, many preferred to buy motorcycles as a more adapted mode of transportation, and scooters did not differ in cross-country traffic, they got stuck on a washed road. They could not pass where the motorcycle could easily pass. Speed characteristics of the "Electron" also could not stand comparison.

Among other things, shipments of Czechoslovak motorcycles "Java" began in the USSR: the single-cylinder model "Java-250" and the two-cylinder "Java-350" with a sidecar. A beautiful, cherry-colored machine immediately won the market throughout the Soviet Union. Young people dreamed of acquiring a prestigious motorcycle, but about the motor scooter "Electron" was simply forgotten.

All the bases of "Sporttorg" in a short time were overstocked with unrealized scooters, stores one after another refused deliveries. And as a consequence, the management of the Vyatka-Polyanskiy plant was forced to stop the production of Electron, so the history of the Vyatka motor scooters ended there. Only many years later, after the collapse of the USSR, the plant managed to arrange the production of a scooter called "Strizh" - copies of the German "Zimzon".

Motor scooter "Electron": technical characteristics

• Number of places - 2.
• Engine carburetor, gasoline, single-cylinder, two-stroke.
• The volume of the cylinder is 148 cubic centimeters.
• Power - 7 liters. from.
• The weight of the motor scooter is 120 kg.
• The limiting speed is 80 km / h.
• The consumption of gasoline is 3.1 liters.
• The capacity of the gas tank is 12 liters.

Repairs

The Electron scooter, spare parts for which can still be found in specialized markets, is subject to recovery. Repair the rarity is not easy, but the more interesting will be the work.