Haynes’ World is where we share stories of what we've been getting up to with our own cars, motorbikes and other vehicles.

This time: Soviet-era fettling

So, in the meantime, I need something to play with. My son seems to have inherited a condition from me that makes ‘underdog’ machines attractive – you know, bikes or cars that everyone assumes are poor quality/ugly/quirky or just plain rubbish.

One of his recent purchases is a 1967 IZH Planeta 350 motorbike.

Produced in Russia by the same company that made Kalashnikov rifles, this 2-stroke single-cylinder machine was designed to propel the population around the towns and countryside ‘adequately’. By Russian standards of the day, it had adequate performance with low-maintenance requirements. It could carry 2+ people, plus a week's shopping over unmade roads in adequate comfort.

By today's standards, the performance is woeful; top speed is apparently around 60mph, but it sounds like it’s going to explode above 45. The brakes are appalling; squeezing the front brake lever with all my strength produces little retardation, but causes the front forks to twist visibly. Pressing the rear brake pedal has no effect initially, then the rear wheel locks completely without warning.

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