| Industry | Import and distribution of Soviet Union products. Metal processing. |
|---|---|
| Area served | United States, United Kingdom, Australia |
| Products | Motorcycles, automobiles, tractors |
Satra Corporation was a New York-based international trading and metal processing company. It is primarily known in the United Kingdom for its Satra Motors Limited subsidiary, which was the official importer and distributor of Soviet Union cars and motorcycles in that country from 1973 to 1979. Satra is an acronym for "Soviet American Trade Association".[1]
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Satra Motors - imported, modified, and distributed Soviet cars such as Lada and Moskvich, and motorcycles made by Ural, Dnepr, Voskhod, Minsk, and the IZh whose Planeta and Jupiter were marketed. The motorcycles were sold in Britain and Australia under a single brand name, Cossack.
Satra Motors was based in Carnaby, Bridlington, North Humberside on the old airfield. As well as recruiting and supporting a dealer network, Satra Motors also operated its own retail locations.
Satra Belarus Limited, - also imported and distributed tractors from Belarus in the UK and US.
US Facilities were located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with additional facilities in Toronto, Canada.
The term Cossack motorcycle can apply to any number of motorcycles, made in the former Soviet Union, a reference to the horseback-riding Cossacks. Some are derived from the design of the 1938 BMW R71 sidecar motorcycle. Examples include the Ural or the Ukrainian Dnepr.
Cossack was also the brand name applied to all Soviet motorcycles distributed by Satra (originally located in Surrey, later moving to Carnaby) from 1973 to 1979, and used by the Australian importer, Capitol Motors until May 1976 when their motorcycle division shut down. These included the flat twins, but also smaller capacity machines, like the Voskhod 175 cc which was rebadged as a "Cossack". Ural, Dnepr, IZh, Voskhod and Minsk were some of the former Soviet Union manufacturers whose bikes were imported and rebadged.[2]