IZH Planeta 4 - Specifications & Review

Company History

From the 1920s through the late Soviet period, IZH produced simple, fixable motorcycles that mobilized millions across the USSR. Singles (Planeta) and twins (Jupiter) emphasized torque, ease of repair, and tolerance for poor fuel and rough roads. Owners learned to keep points clean, cables smooth, and chains oiled, turning basic garages into lifelines. Sidecars were common, turning IZH bikes into family transport and work vehicles. While fit and finish lagged Western machines, parts interchangeability and a nationwide service culture kept fleets alive for decades. After the 1990s economic transition, production shrank and diversified, but the brand’s imprint endures in regional clubs and the secondhand market. Historically, IZH symbolizes transport as necessity rather than hobby—metal that must start in winter and carry loads without complaint. For collectors, a tidy Jupiter or Planeta is nostalgia and mechanics class in one: you ride the history of a planned economy’s answer to distance and weather.