IZH Motorcycles are all 2-strokes and pretty much all 350cc.
These have been imported to the UK under the names Cossack, Neval and for a very short period Kalasnikov.
Tough modern emission standards in Europe have killed these bikes as far as new imports go.
Fairly easy to identify, the Izh Jupiter has 2 cylinders and the Izh Planeta has only one, there is also the Planeta Sport, with a high power (for Russia) single.

Izh Jupiter and Planeta 2
Distinctive high front mud guard, rounded curves and very few surviving examples make this model almost collectors stuff.
As with all Izh bikes the Jupiter is the twin and the Planeta is the single.

Izh Jupiter and Planeta 3
Much more common than the Izh 2, but still hard to find in good condition.
The 3 retains the rubber coated steel pillion grip halfway along the seat.
Just like the previous model the weak 6 volt electrics can be frustrating if every wire and junction isn't perfectly clean and dry.

Another Jupiter 3, many owners remove the pillion grab handle and recover the seat. The huge aluminium casting just behind the cylinders are snow guards for the tiny carburetor.

The Planeta Sport
The bike of legends, over 30 hp, large effective brakes, and nimble sporty handling. Remember this was the 70's. The Japanese could hardly keep up.

Jupiter and Planeta 5 have (by izh standards) fairly modern styling. both are air cooled 2-strokes and are simple updates of the earlier bikes. For some reason these later bikes don't seem to go round corners in a predictable way.
Pushing the forks up a bit in the yokes seem to help a little as does fitting decent tyres, but even with this they are a little strange.

Izh went a bit overboard with this one and watercooled the engine.
The extra complexity doesn't increase power, but they feel smoother, just because the water dampens the racket coming from the engine and gearbox.
Probably only a few in the UK, so worth something from a "I've got the strangest bike in the UK" point of view

MORE WILL FOLLOW
PLEASE VISIT AGAIN

Competing for "strangest bike in the UK" is this Izh springbok. There seems to be one in the UK, so if you see one for sale, this is it. It really is a shame this didn't sell better, as it has a lot going for it. Light weight, enough power at 32 hp and up to date (in a Russian way) styling. European emission standards killed this off.

Some of the picture on this page are reproduced with permission from F2 Motorcycles ltd