Since the domestication of the horse and the invention of the wheel, man has used all possible means of transportation for military purposes. Chariots, carts, cars. This fate was not spared and the motorcycle. We decided to understand the evolution of military motorcycles from the first models from the beginning of the 20th century to the present day.
The Motor Scout, introduced in 1898 by Frederick Sims, is considered to be the first military "motorcycle". The palm in this case went to the British brainchild controversially, since the invention of Sims had four wheels, but in all other respects it was just a motorcycle. Based on a bicycle frame and saddle, the Sims' Motor Scout was equipped with a French firm De Dion-Bouton's one-and-a-half power engine, a Maxim machine gun and an armored shield that protected the shooter's chest and head. In addition to the gunner driver, the Motor Scout could carry 450 kilograms of equipment and fuel, which was enough for it for 120 miles. Unfortunately, due to the end of the Boer War, Frederick Sim's invention did not become widespread in the army.
MOTOR SCOUT
World War I
By the beginning of the First World War, the idea of introducing motorcycles into the army was finally rooted in the minds of the military leaders of all progressive countries. The main reason for this was a completely rational idea to replace horses with motorized equipment. It was thanks to this that couriers and messengers were the first in the army to receive motorcycles, but many armies did not limit themselves to just such use. The first motorcycles, reinforced with machine guns, appeared in the German army. Unlike Sims' invention, these were modernized civilian motorcycles that did not have good armor. It is worth noting that attempts to create an armored motorcycle continued until the fifties of the XX century, but they did not lead to anything. Despite this drawback, German "mobile machine gun points" were successfully used in some operations on the fronts of the First World War.
The next step in the development of military motor vehicles was the quite logical appearance of mobile air defense systems. Aviation has already ceased to be used only as reconnaissance and began to be operated on a par with the rest of the equipment in hostilities. In this regard, there was a need to repel attacks from the air, for which large-caliber machine guns were installed on motorcycles.
Unfortunately, during the First World War, the motorcycle rarely entered the battlefield. His main occupation was the transportation of the wounded, courier service and the prompt delivery of various goods, including fuel for the rest of the equipment.
In World War I, a motorcycle rarely entered the battlefield. His main occupation was the transportation of the wounded, courier service and the prompt delivery of various goods.
Post war fever
After the end of the First World War, all the participating countries, which appreciated all the advantages of motor vehicles on the battlefield, began to develop new types of motorcycles. Many of them were too futuristic for their time. For example, in 1928 the French introduced the new Mercier motorcycle. Its main difference from other colleagues in the shop was the front caterpillar wheel, which at that time seemed a very fresh idea. Later, in 1938, also a French engineer, Leetre, introduced his motorcycle under the name Tractorcycle. As the name suggests, Leetre redesigned the 1928 model to make his motorcycle entirely tracked. It would seem that light armor and high cross-country ability should have made this model an ideal military motorcycle, but there were a number of serious shortcomings: high weight (400 kilograms), low speed (with a 500 cubic centimeters engine, it developed a speed of only 30 km / h) and poor handling. Since the motorcycle was turned by bending the track, the motorcycle was extremely unstable when turning. Later, Leetr added side wheels to his design, but the army was never interested in its development.
A non-standard model of a military motorcycle was also created in Italy. The designers of the Guzzi company presented a tricycle equipped with a machine gun and the same armor shield, but the distinguishing feature of this motorcycle was that the machine gun was directed backwards and there was no way to deploy it.
In Belgium, they also tried to create something original, and in 1935 the FN concern succeeded. Belgian designers have presented a simpler model of the M86 armored motorcycle. Compared to the rest of the European "colleagues" M86 turned out to be successful: the motorcycle was equipped with a boosted engine of 600 cubic centimeters, a reinforced frame, armor plates that covered the motorcycle and the driver on the sides and front. The M86 could also carry a fully armored sidecar with a Browning machine gun. During the entire production period, about 100 of these motorcycles were produced, which were in service with countries such as Romania, Bolivia, China, Venezuela and Brazil. Unfortunately, not a single copy has survived.
In addition to various ideas that were unsuitable for life, the "ordinary" motorcycle industry also developed. This was especially noticeable in Germany. After the end of the First World War, under the terms of the peace treaty, Germany was prohibited from producing all types of weapons, but there was not a word about motor vehicles. In this regard, a real dawn of motorcycle construction began in Germany. The main factor for the development of this area was that the average inhabitant of a devastated country could buy a motorcycle, while the car remained the lot of the rich. This is what prompted BMW to switch from making parts for trains to motorcycles and compete with Germany's second largest motorcycle manufacturer, Zundapp.
At first, BMW did not present anything new, installing the M2 B15 boxer engine on their motorcycles, which actually copied the English Douglas engine, but by 1924 the engineers presented the first production BMW R32 motorcycle created from scratch.
But time passed, and from the beginning of the 1930s the Bavarian concern realized the need to create a specialized military motorcycle. This is exactly what the BMW R35 has become. Unlike its predecessors, it had a telescopic front fork and a more powerful 400cc engine. An important point for the army was the cardan transmission, which was distinguished by high wear resistance relative to the chain one. Of course, the R35 also had "old sores", for example, a stiff rear suspension. Sometimes, under heavy loads, the frame burst, but this did not prevent the R35 from getting into service. This motorcycle was successful both in the infantry, motorized units and medical battalions, and in the police. Production of the BMW R35 continued until 1940, after which it gave way to highly specialized military motorcycles.
BELGIAN FN M86
GERMAN BMW R32
BMW R35
Along with the R35, BMW also produced the R12. In fact, it was an improved version of the R32. The motorcycle had a 745cc engine and a telescopic fork with hydraulic shock absorbers, which made it a class higher than the R35. For the military version of the R12, one of the two carburettors was removed from the design, which lowered power from 20 horsepower to 18. Thanks to its low price and good performance, the R12 became the most massive motorcycle in the German army. From 1924 to 1935, 36,000 of these motorcycles were produced. Like most BMW motorcycles, the R12 was produced in both solo and sidecar. Produced by the Royal company, it was curious in that it did not have a single weld and had a specially designed spring for the careful transportation of the wounded.
The last but not the least interesting motorcycle in the pre-war BMW line was the R71. Produced since 1938 in four modifications, it was the ancestor of the Soviet military motorcycle production.
In addition to BMW, the aforementioned Zundarr motorcycle concern also participated in the industrial race, which also carried out government orders. Zundarr supplied three main models: the K500, KS600 and K800. The K800 model with a sidecar was very popular among the soldiers. Due to their low cost, they easily fell into service, but out of the entire line presented by Zundarr, only the K800 could compete with the BMW R12. Also, the K800 was interesting in that it was the only four-cylinder model in service with the German army. This feature was partly a disadvantage, since the rear cylinders of the K800 were poorly cooled, which led to frequent oiling of the candles.
In Russia, during and after the end of the First World War, there was practically no motorcycle production of its own. This continued until the 1930s. It was then, at the time of the technical re-equipment of the Red Army, that the need arose for their own motorcycle, which could withstand all the hardships of the Russian weather. The first domestic motorcycles specially designed for the army were the L300 and the KhMZ 350. In fact, the KhMZ 350 was a copy of the American Harley-Davidson, but the Russian analogue was much inferior in quality to the western motorcycle, and it was decided to abandon it. It was replaced by the TIZ-AM600 produced since 1931. This motorcycle was developed and supplied only to the army. Being a combination of "Harley" and some British trends, the TIZ-AM600 was a proprietary development of the domestic auto industry, albeit not particularly outstanding.
In 1938, domestic design bureaus presented several models at once: Izh-8, Izh-9 and L-8. The brightest and most successful among the presented motorcycles was L-8. A relatively powerful overhead valve engine of 350 cubic centimeters was the pride of the domestic motorcycle industry. But despite the fact that the L-8 model was produced at several factories throughout Russia, the motorcycle did not meet all the needs of the army. This was due to the fact that each plant made its own amendments to the design of the motorcycle, which led to a lack of unification in spare parts and turned into a serious problem in combat conditions.
GERMAN ZUNDARR K800
SOVIET TIZ-AM600
SOVIET L-8
The Second World War
Kraftrad ("power wheel") - this is what motorcycles were called in the German army. It is from here that the abbreviation "Krad" or the letters "K" and "R" appeared in the designation of some motorcycles. But first things first.
Since 1940, real reforms began in the German army. Despite the success of almost all pre-war BMW and Zundarr models, the command demanded a completely new class from the manufacturers: heavy motorcycles. The first and only of its kind were two motorcycles: the BMW R75 and the Zundapp KS750. These were "draft horses" specially designed for off-road driving. Equipped with sidecar wheel drive and a special off-road speed, both motorcycles have proven themselves as good as possible. However, due to the high price, these motorcycles were supplied first to the African corps and paratroopers, and after 1942 to the SS troops. Also in 1942, it was decided to release a new improved motorcycle Zundapp KS750 with a BMW 286/1 sidecar, but, unfortunately, this model never saw the light of day. Its production was to begin after the execution of an order for the production of 40 thousand R75 and KS750, of which only about 17 thousand were produced during the entire war.
Something completely new for the German army was the half-track Sd. Kfz. 2, known as Kettenkrad. Produced from 1940 to 1945, the Kettenkrad was designed for the movement of light weapons and was more of a tractor than a motorcycle. Inside this model was a 1.5-liter Opel engine. In total, 8733 such units were produced during the war years, which were mainly supplied to the eastern front. The caterpillar traction coped well with the Russian off-road, but they also had their drawbacks. The Kettenkrad often rolled over on sharp turns, and because of the landing system, the driver could not quickly jump off the motorcycle. Also on Sd. Kfz. 2 it was impossible to drive on a hill diagonally.
Despite the success of almost all pre-war BMW and Zundarr models, the command demanded a completely new class from the manufacturers: heavy motorcycles.
There is a legend about the appearance of a full-fledged motorcycle in the Russian army: When in 1940 all the latest motorcycle developments of almost all countries were presented to the committee on armored forces, one of the high-ranking military officials asked: "What are the Germans advancing on?" In response, he was pointed to a BMW R71. From that moment, the development of the M72 motorcycle began. The first batch of these motorcycles left the assembly line in July 1941, after the invasion of German troops into the territory of the USSR. M72, in fact, did not differ from the R71: it had a simple design, an opposed lower valve engine, providing a low center of gravity, with a capacity of 22 hp. pp., a duplex tubular frame using variable section pipes, a front fork with hydraulic shock absorbers, a cardan drive of the rear wheel and power for each cylinder from an independent carburetor. Of course, the motorcycle was not fast (the maximum speed of the M72 is 90 km / h), but with high torque, which was a great advantage for a military vehicle.
The BMW R71 also impressed American designers. So, the American production "put" a two-cylinder R71 engine with a four-speed gearbox and a cardan shaft drive to the rear wheel on the classic basis of Harley-Davidson, having received a new Harley-Davidson 42XA motorcycle. This motorcycle was mainly used in North Africa. At the same time, the Harley-Davidson WLA42 entered the assembly line. The military motorcycle WLA42 was a descendant of the civilian Harley-Davidson WL and differed from its "peaceful brother" only by reinforced fenders, an air filter with an oil bath and other crankcase breathers that did not allow dirt to get inside the engine. It also had a trunk, leather cases and a holster for the Thompson M1A1 assault rifle. Inside, the motorcycle had a V-shaped two-cylinder engine with 740 cubic centimeters, which allowed it to develop an impressive speed of 110 km / h for that time.
The WLA42 was also supplied to the Soviet army, where a sidecar from domestic models was often installed on it. However, the Americans supplied other motorcycles to the Allied armies, such as the Indian, the 741 Military Scott and the Harley-Davidson WLA45.
The WLA42 military motorcycle was a descendant of the civilian Harley-Davidson WL. It differed from its "peaceful brother" with reinforced fenders, an air filter with an oil bath and other crankcase breathers that did not allow dirt to get inside the engine.
Army motorcycles after the war
After the end of World War II and the final cut of Germany between the allied countries, the BMW R35, produced by the Germans from 1935 to the 1940s, entered the arena again. In the Soviet occupation zone, R35 production resumed in the city of Eisenach in 1946. Of course, the bike has been modified and modified. It changed the electrical equipment and power system, and added a rear suspension. This is exactly what he began to do in the USSR. Powerful and unpretentious, it was in great demand. Roughly the same thing happened with the rest of the motorcycles of the Second World War. They were redrawn and changed, but the essence remained the same.
A serious novelty was shown in 1995 "Ural" IMZ-8.107, which is in great demand to this day. Equipped with a Gear-Up sidecar, this motorcycle is a derated version of the civilian IMZ-8.017. This bike can be equipped with a machine gun making it an excellent example of military motorcycle production.
Also popular now is the Army Harley-Davidson with a 350cc Rotax two-stroke single-cylinder engine. This model is widely distributed all over the world and is used as a reconnaissance or escort motorcycle. However, like most modern military motorcycles, the Harley has a drawback: it uses JP-8 fuel. The composition of JP-8 is more like a mixture of aviation kerosene and diesel fuel, making it unsuitable for use with conventional gasoline engines. But there are also exceptions. For example, the motorcycle HDT M103M1, created on the basis of the famous Kawasaki KLR650, uses simple diesel fuel, which is an indisputable advantage. Also, this motorcycle boasts high efficiency. At an average speed of 55 mph, it travels 96 miles per gallon of fuel.
URAL IMZ-8.107
