Kawasaki recently introduced the D-Tracker and KLX250 (Off-road version of the same bike) in Malaysia and BikerVoodoo has also presented information on Military bikes, but here is something that I’m sure you’ll find interesting – the JGSDF Military Kawasaki KLX250!

The USMC now uses the M1030M1, a Diesel variant of the Kawasaki KLR650 based motorcycle, but in earlier times also used the KLR250D8.

The military Kawasaki KLR250, predecessor to the KLX250, was in production for about 20 years and has been used by a variety of personnel for duties as mundane as domestic base courier services, all the way to in-theatre communications, scouting, special forces use, and even airborn troops. The KLR250 was used by the USMC, US Army, USAF and also the Canadian military. It has seen action in Grenada, Panama and Desert Storm. In spite of the military success achieved by Kawasaki in North America, Japanese Ground Self-Defence Forces (JGSDF) has utilised the Honda XLR250R as a military motorcycle but in recent times, the JGSDF has turned to Kawasaki for their KLX250 instead.

The militarised KLX250 is equipped for reconnaisance and also equips artillery units. In addition to being set up for all-terrain use, the KLX is painted Olive Drab all over, and the powerplant is blacked out. Racks for stowage of equipment, radios and packs are fitted, along with black out taillamps, and protective bars for the front and rear lights.

SPECIFICATIONS
Length: 2,135mm
Width: 885mm
Height: 1,210mm
Weight: 117kg
Max. Speed: 135km/h
Crew: 1
Manufacturer: Kawasaki Heavy Industries

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STRONG AS A TANK, LIGHT AS A DAY PACK, FOLDS LIKE A KNIFE,
MILITARY BIKE NOW AVAILABLE FOR CIVILIAN USE

Ever since the ‘Safety Bicycle‘ was invented towards the end of the 19th century, military strategists have looking at the bicycle as a cheap, efficient means of transport for soldiers. To a certain extent the advent of advanced pneumatic tyres and sturdier fram construction resulted in the usage of bicycles for messenger and scout duties, replacing horses in war. In the United States, France and Britain, bicycle troops were employed, but mostly in militia or territorial army units.

The first widespread use of the bicycle in warfare was recorded during the Second Boer War, and the most famous unit was the Theron se Verkenningskorps (Theron Reconnaisance Corps). During WW1, bicycle mounted light infantry units were used by the Germans and Italians. In their 1937 invasion of China, Japan employed about 50,000 bicycle troops. Bicycle infantry can travel up to 75 miles daily compared to 25 miles for foot infantry, despite consuming basically the same quantity of food and water. They also have about 50% more load-carrying capacity.

US soldier uses a Montague Paratrooper® in Afghanistan

One of the most famous uses of Japanese bicycle-mounted infantry, known to almost every Malaysian who has studied history in school was in the Battle of Malaya, where the success of the Japanese ‘blitzkreig’ was attributed not to tanks, but to thousands of Japanese troops on bicycles! The bikes allowed quiet and flexible transport of thousands of soldiers and made few demands on the Japanese army, neither needing motor vehicles nor precious petrol (gasoline). Mounted on bicycles, the Japanese troops were often able to move faster than retreating British/Allied Forces.

To this day bicycles are used in combat by the Swiss and Swedish Armies, US Special Forces in Afghanistan and LTTE Tamil Tigers. I’m also very sure that Holland, a nation where bicycle riding is as natural as breathing, must have some sort of bicycle mounted troops.

In 1987 David Montague, a student of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, formed the Montague Corporation, a company which was to design and produce full-size, high-performance folding bicycles. Montague’s first design was called the “Montague BiFrame” for its patented Concentrus System. This system united the two parts of the frame with concentric seat tubes, one nested inside the other. This system allows a bike with a full-size frame to fold in half while maintaining the structural integrity of the design.

Ten years later, in 1997, Montague received a two-year grant from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to work with the United States Marine Corps in developing a Tactical Electric No Signature (TENS) Mountain Bike. For this project Montague developed a new folding design, enabling the bike to fold faster for paratroopers exiting from military aircraft while also increasing its load bearing capacity. This gave rise to the Paratrooper Folding Tactical Mountain Bicycle®, Montague’s non-electric Military Mountain Bike which can be used by the USMC, Paratroopers, Military Police, Law Enforcement and other military divisions.

The F.I.T.™(Folding Integrated Technology) system was developed to allow a full-size, high-performance mountain bike to fold in half so that it could fit through the cargo door of a military aircraft with an airborne ranger. When the soldier would hit the ground, he or she would have a tactical mountain bike to use as transportation, thereby bridging the gap between walking and deploying heavy military vehicles. This would not only aid in transportation but it would help to facilitate battlefield reporting as well.

The Paratrooper® is a full-size, 24-speed mountain bike that is built to traverse all sorts of terrain silently at high speeds with no thermal or acoustic radar signature – key components when trying to avoid the enemy. The Paratrooper® offers up to 500 pounds of load hauling capability and it does not need gasoline. It has enhanced off-body load bearing capabilities, a high level of maneuverability, and can compact to a portable size in less than 30 seconds. The bikes are indeed used in conjunction with LAV’s (Light Armored Vehicles) and HMMWV’s as back up transportation and they also help to facilitate battlefield reporting. Just by turning a lever, the Montague Paratrooper™ folds in less than 30 seconds into 3′ x 3′ pack that can be dropped from a plane, strapped to the side of an LAV or thrown in the back of a trunk. It comes equipped with front suspension, SRAM X-5 shifters and uses standard mountain bike wheels and components.

The Paratrooper® is available for purchase at a suggested retail price of US$725.00. For more
information call 800-736-5348 or go on line at www.militarybikes.com.

SOURCE, COMMUTE BY BIKE REVIEW

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Host of the History Channel’s military history documentary Mail Call, retired USMC Gunnery Sergeant Ronald Lee Ermey narrates this short video clip on the United States Marine Corps Combat Motorcycle School. Featuring the tough-as-nails Kawasaki KLR650 and the Diesel version, the M1030M1. The M1030M1 JP8/Diesel Military Motorcycle has been under development since 1998. It is designed to operate reliably and efficiently on Kerosene based fuels to include Diesel Fuel and Aviation Kerosene. Hayes Diversified Technologies (HDT) is under contract with the United States Marine Corps to delivery over 440 M1030M1s. Production was scheduled to begin in March of 2006.