The subject says it all, what's the civilian equivalent of a Combat Controller's motorcycle? http://usmilitary.about.com/od/airforce/l/blcct.htm The caption under a picture reads, "Staff Sgt. Hosam Elsharrawy tweaks the engine of a motorcycle used by special tactics teams. Teams have used lightweight motorcycles for getting around in harsh environments since the Vietnam War." The article quotes a squadron commander as saying, "I can put a guy on a motorcycle, and he can pull portable lights out of his rucksack, shortly after landing at the location, to mark a runway."
What's the civilian equivalent of these motorcycles? How many cc's is the engine? Is there a civilian equivalent?
I think I read way back once apon a time that the army bought KTM's instead of HD's back in the 80's, I don't know what the Air Force are using. And heck by now things could be differant anyway.
I remember H-Ds with KTM engines being used, but not KTMs, not saying they weren't. The bike in the picture looked like a KLR to me.
Marines have some really cool motorcycles - Diesel powered bikes that started off as a KLR650. They've been saying for the last ten years that they'll sell a civilian version "next year".
Just found out what the USAF dirt bikes are. Originally Kawi KLR650s heavily modified by Hayes Diversified Tecnology.
Unfortunately still gasoline driven. Diesel bikes are so cool. They sound mean and the USMC bikes get a hundred miles to the gallon of JP8, slightly less on strait Diesel, slightly less on used vegetable oil (plus you get that french fry smell).
Yep, I just found the old article that had the military bike show-down...it was KLR's not KTM's that the Army bought...so I guess the AF picked them up too.
