The bike is a Ural, hence the relevance in my original attempt at humor.
...and yes- roller bearings on the crank, just poor materials and workmanship.
I'm pretty sure the knife-and-hammer rules apply to the factory assembly methods, too. Cigarette butts in the gas tank, un-trued spoke wheels, wheel bearings without grease, carb floats that don't, and many other adventures in 'maintenance' are all part of the picture (or *were*, as all my experience is with Russian market bikes instead of 'export' versions).