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Military motorcycles

Discussion in 'Military Vehicle Restoration' started by A-58, Dec 21, 2018.

  1. A-58

    A-58 Cool Dude

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    Some of the best known and little known, and some unknown (to me) military motorbikes. Cool video.

     
  2. OpanaPointer

    OpanaPointer I Point at Opana Staff Member WW2|ORG Editor

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    The National Museum of Transport, in St. Louis, Mo., has one of the motorcycles Steve McQueen used in "The Great Escape."
     
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  3. KodiakBeer

    KodiakBeer Member

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    I've always loved the low-slung look of the Indian 841. In the civilian world it's simply the Indian Scout, the light bike they offered in addition the the Indian Chief.

    .
     
  4. Ron Goldstein

    Ron Goldstein WWII Veteran

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  5. von Poop

    von Poop Waspish

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    Chatting to a bloke that collected welbikes & also had a Cushman or two. 'Parascooters' in general.
    Absolutely eye-watering prices for intact-ish WW2 examples.
    There was a German one 'Triumph Roller fur ladungstruppen', but not sure it went beyond trials.
    Italian Volugrafo Aermoto was what he really wanted. Not common it seems... Exhaust ran through the frame, & twin tyres?!

    Nice article in W&T on them. Must reread now.

    133-12e.jpg 1942itaermotovolugrafoaviotrasportato11.jpg
     
  6. CAC

    CAC Ace of Spades

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    A real chick puller that one...
     
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  7. OpanaPointer

    OpanaPointer I Point at Opana Staff Member WW2|ORG Editor

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    ♫Get your bitty motor runnin'.
    Head out on the camel way.
    Lookin' for adventure
    And whatever comes our way
    Yeah SarMajor go make it happen
    Take the world in a combat embrace
    Fire all of your Stens at once
    And explode into Tunis.♫
     
  8. A-58

    A-58 Cool Dude

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    Hey dudes, y'all startin' to wreck my thread here....
     
  9. von Poop

    von Poop Waspish

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    WLA chopper is quite an interesting Google term.
    I'm not a fan of the WLA's aesthetics anyway, so am quite content to see them cut up.
    Not that I particularly like most choppers either.

    From:
    harley-davidson-w-l-a-i5222.jpg

    To:
    IMG_2879.JPG
    Etc.

    Some WW2 things surprise me with their modernity.
    The bikes (particularly the American ones) mostly remind me it was a long time ago. Fairly archaic.
     
  10. OpanaPointer

    OpanaPointer I Point at Opana Staff Member WW2|ORG Editor

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    I miss my '37 (not the one below, mine was blue). I re-did the leather myself. San Diego to Pusan and back is a great way to get saddlebags done.

    [​IMG]
     
  11. von Poop

    von Poop Waspish

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    Sounds like a long way on a hardtail.
    Mind you, a mile or two on a hardtail is a bleedin' long way.

    Mr Payne on 2T has a beautiful 1940 Norton 16H.
    Found in completely original condition, possibly where it was dumped by the BEF, bulletholes & all if memory serves.
    Then restored by someone I can only describe as the epitome of rivet-counting entirely understandable madness.
    BEF 1940 Vehicle markings.

    My favourite WW2 motorcycle nugget is the price of those big Zundapp & BMW 750 combinations (without armament or spares).
    3185 RM each.

    1600 RM would pay for a Kubelwagen...
    30,000 a Bf109.
     
  12. OpanaPointer

    OpanaPointer I Point at Opana Staff Member WW2|ORG Editor

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    The flattie came to the US via Enterprise back in the '60s. The owner died before he could ride it in the US. Family were friends and they offered it to me when they moved to new, smaller, digs. Hard to keep a hog in an apartment. None of his kids wanted it.
     
  13. KodiakBeer

    KodiakBeer Member

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  14. OpanaPointer

    OpanaPointer I Point at Opana Staff Member WW2|ORG Editor

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    And .50 cal. carrier!
     
  15. CAC

    CAC Ace of Spades

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    [​IMG]
     
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  16. Carronade

    Carronade Ace

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    One feature of some motorcycle/sidecar combinations, particularly German, was that the sidecar wheel was powered, connected by an axle to the rear wheel of the motorcycle, essentially what we today would call a three-wheel ATV.
     
  17. wooley12

    wooley12 Active Member

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    That tripped a memory . There was a BMW with a sidecar with a drive shaft powering the sidecar wheel a in the basement of a small motorcycle shop that I worked at while in college. BMW R75. last produced in 1944.

    Wikipedia
    "Since the target of 20,200 BMW R75's was not reached, it remained in production until the Eisenach factory was so badly damaged by Allied bombing that production ceased in 1944. "
     
  18. von Poop

    von Poop Waspish

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    Complete with reverse gear on R75 & KS750.
    Which is always slightly odd to watch.
     
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  19. wooley12

    wooley12 Active Member

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    I should put this here. Col Darby 1942 Algeria. About the time my father joined the unit.
    darbyonharley.jpg
     
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  20. Jba45ww2

    Jba45ww2 Well-Known Member

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    I have been going through my pictures and found the following -
    Motor_0001.jpg
    Motor_0002.jpg
    Motor_0003.jpg
    Motor_0004.jpg
     
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