A Motorbike Developed for War
H-D’s past of offering the us military with motorcycles stretches straight to The First World War. The motorcycles that have made up the majority of the armed services inventory have usually been private bikes that have been redesigned for hardy use. World War I watched the utilization of the Harley-Davidson JD, most equipped with side-cars for personnel utilization or gun platforms for enemy engagement. WWII observed the widespread utilization of the H-D 45? flathead, although the popular XA model type made short appearances in the field. Vietnam-era bikes included Sportsters and full dressers utilized by MPs for patrolling and escort assignments. Zoom in to the late 80s when the armed services was looking for a mixed-sort bike that’s flexible to be employed on all terrains. Say hello to the MT 500, today’s motorbike highlight. The bike was first developed by SWM of Italy during the start of the 1980s, the motorbike experienced some victory in trail auto racing, garnering a couple of prizes and championships during its brief manufacture under that name tag and marketed under the model XN Tornado. Sometime around 84?, SWM had gone bankrupt, and the production legal rights were attained by CCM Armstrong Motorcycles of Bolton, Lancashire, England. From 1985 to 1987 this corporation produced the Armstrong MT 500 as well as the MT 350 and offered somewhere north of 2,000 pieces to the British armed forces, Canadian military, and Jordanian forces. H-D bought the rights to the machine as well as its manufacture from Armstrong in the later 1980s and commenced making them during the early 1990?s. Harley-Davidson produced the bikes in restricted numbers up through 2000, in fact it is said about 2,250 machines were made. In line with Nick Rymond, a noted specialist on this model and owner of Force Motorcycles, an outfit in England who specializes in these and other ex-police machines, Harley engineered the motorcycles in batches on an “as needed” basis. Nick guesses that close to 1,700 units were MT 350s built. Exactly what made these cycles so attractive for Harley-Davidson was the Rotax motor unit. These single-cylinder, 4-stroke, overhead-cam bikes were reported to be bullet proof, and lots of US racers were using the Rotax motor for dirt track racing at that time. The motor engines were built by Bombardier in its Austrian plant and mated with the chassis in the York, Pa, assembly warehouse as outlined by the information from the Harley-Davidson Gallery. These air-cooled motors are with a rating of 32 horsepower, and weighing only 380 lbs, is capable of a top speed of 90 miles per hour with a motorcyclist. A Mikuni carburetor feeds the gas and a five-speed transmission puts the action to the roads. The steel-boxed chassis carries oil in its tubing, plus the swing-arm rear utilizes dual shocks and an 18 inch rear rim with disc braking system, while up front the telescopic front forks carries a 21 inch wheel with a disc brake. The floor clearance is 8.6inches, good enough to clear the toughest of terrain. The gas tank supports 2.85 gal of petrol, and the motorbike runs a 12-volt alternator electric system.
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It appears military specs have changed as time passes, and the idea was to shift to a one-fuel and one-army approach, with diesel powered vehicles. As a result, the MT 500 faded into history. The featured Harley-Davidson is owned by Davey Katz of Connecticut, who got it in a trade with Bridgeport Harley-Davidson for audio visual projects he did for the store in its Hog Room. Be sure to put on safety gear like carbon fiber motorcycle helmets made from the top quality materials made in U.S.A. This can certainly safeguard you from serious head injuries or probably your life! safety and style can be fused in one helmet. Turbo charge your sites along with a wordpress plugin form. For further details, Visit
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