Harley's reputation for supplying the armed services with motorbikes stretches back into WWI. The bikes which make up almost all of the armed forces listing have generally been civilian bikes which had been reconstructed for rugged use. WWI saw the use of the Harley JD, most pre-loaded with side-cars for staff use or high-powered rifles platforms for enemy engagement.
The Second World War witnessed the extensive utilization of the Harley-Davidson 45" flathead, although the famous XA model made a brief appearance in the field. Vietnam war motorcycles included Sportsters and full dressers used by MPs for patrolling and other responsibilities. Advance to the late 80's when the armed forces was looking for a hybrid-type motorcycle which was adaptable to be employed on all terrains. Say hi to the MT 500, our feature motorbike for today.
Primarily developed by SWM of Italy around the early 80's, the bike witnessed quite a few victory in trail auto racing, earning several prizes and championships during its brief manufacture under that nameplate and promoted under the model type XN Tornado. At some point around 1984, SWM had gone bankrupt, and the production rights were attained by CCM Armstrong Motorcycles of Bolton, Lancashire, England. In the mid 1980's this company produced the Armstrong MT 500 and the MT 350 and provided somewhere north a couple of thousand pieces to the British armed forces, Canadian military services, and Jordanian armies.
Harley-Davidson bought the rights to the machine as well as manufacture from Armstrong in the late 1980's and commenced manufacturing them around the early 1990's. Harley built the bikes in minimal numbers up through 2000, and it is said about 2,250 motorcycles were made.
In line with Nick Rymond, a noted specialist on this model and owner of Force Motorcycles, an outfit in England that specializes in these along with other former police bikes, Harley produced the motorbikes in batches with an "as needed" basis. He guesses that close to 1,700 pieces were MT 350s constructed.
The thing that made these motorbikes so attractive for Harley-Davidson was the Rotax engine. These 1 cylinder, 4-stroke, overhead-cam bikes were reported to be bullet resistant, and several US racers were using the Rotax motor for dirt track racing at that time. The engines were constructed by Bombardier in its Austrian factory and mated with the chassis in the York, Pa, factory as outlined by the info from the Harley Gallery.
These motorcycles are rated at 32 horsepower, and weighing only 380 pounds, can achieve a max 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 chassis provides oil in its tubing, and the swing-arm rear end utilizes twin shock absorber and an 18" backside rim with disc brakes, while upfront the telescopic forks has a 21" rim with a disc brake. The ground clearance is 8.6inches, more than sufficient to clear the worst of terrain. The gas tank holds 2.85 gal of fuel, and the motorcycle runs a 12-volt electric system.
It seems military specs have revised over time, and the thought ended up being to shift to a one-army, one-fuel approach, with diesel powered vehicles. For that reason, the MT 500 faded into history.
The featured bike belongs to Davey Katz of Connecticut, who got it in a trade with Bridgeport Harley-Davidson for audio visual work he did for the dealership in its Hog Room.
