Harley Davidson mt350 ex army bikes

[Fishandchips]

Just noticed these on eBay. Are they any good? Is the price reasonable?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/192058941699

Prices start at £2k which looks a bit in the pricey side but I don't know?

Cheers

[Andi_Archer]

Hi Bud yes have one myself as do a few other members here.They were bult around the 80s for the US and UK services on a budget so robust and very tinkerable with plenty of spares about.A 350cc Rotax single cyclinder oil in frame design with 2 gallon fuel tank but no guage giving around 60 mpg [around 100 miles on the tacho is time to look for a garage].They sell for usually around the £1700 to £2000 dependent on condition and though somewhat heavy for a Green Laner are not shy of the mud.

Have a mooch around the mtriders forum if you want more in depth information and advice.Members do tend to sell them on their already farkled and in good condition along with their bigger sibling the Armstrong MT500.

[Tonibe63]

I was due to go on a rideout back in September up Yorkshire area on the MT's but had to pull out ............ I think it was the same Company that is selling those on Ebay so you could do a try out ride if you're not sure.

[lancashirelad]

Just noticed these on eBay. Are they any good? Is the price reasonable?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/192058941699

Prices start at £2k which looks a bit in the pricey side but I don't know?

Cheers

Try one for a day on one of Dave at DC Classics trail runs, if you don't like the bike then nowt's lost??

Edit...oops beaten to it!!!

[Apophis]

Hi
you will need a sorted one or it will cost you money to get it sorted

I use to supply parts for these bikes and have had my fair share of them the seller in question use to buy alot of parts from me and is a Nice chap

things to look out for is

Rust in Fuel Tank ( try to get one with a Plastic tank )
inlet Rubber Is a weak point on them as well, this is due to the OE one not fitting the inlet corectly

the mod they all seem to do to these bikes is cut the top of the Air box off and put washers under the needle in the carb so look under the seat and make sure it hasnt been molested on the air box the difference is negligable.

Price of parts

take a look at the price of the parts now as there are only a coulple of suppliers and they like to charge for parts IE the rotax engine is now well out of date and parts for that engine only come into the uk from rotax Via force motorcycles and he charges what he wants and blames the exchange rate


the forum use to be a welth of inforamtion but there are w***kers on there as well, from the People i still talk to from there say there are more than there use to be

Good Point is they are a two wheeled Tractor and will plod along all day and the Best combo i found was a E start 500 for off road and on road

before anyone buys one they should do a lot of reserch and dont go in Half cocked

[Richard Simpson]

These bikes were originally made in Italy and sold onto the civi market as the SWM Tornado trail bike in the late 1970s. So, the chassis and engine technology is about the same as that on the original Yam XT500. You could have a 350 in Italy (tax at the time was less on 350s in Italy) or a 500 in export markets.

When SWM went bust, UK automotive component manufacturer Armstrong took over the design...it was pretty much an assembly job with components coming from Italy, and the engine from Austria. Little fresh tooling was needed. Armstrong added panniers, gun racks and various other military 'stuff' to make the bike suitable for army use. All these bikes were kick-start only.

It was sold exclusively to the British army to replace a two-stroke bike originating in Canada supplied just a few years earlier...two-stokes caused the army logistics problems with oil/fuel.

Armstrong then sold its motorcycle division (which had been CCM) back to the Clews family, which had originally started CCM as a manufacturer of BSA-engined MX bikes.

At this point, the US Army decided that it wanted to re-equip with motorcycles. Harley-D acquired the rights to the MT and revised the design to US requirements (350 cc engine, electric start, front disc brake).

They went on to become the NATO standard motorcycle, until motorcycles fell out of favour with the military (again).

Now they mostly use quads, many with diesel engines. However the US army continues to experiment with diesel motorcycles, having switched over to the Kawasaki KLR 650 when the Harleys finally got too long in the tooth.

Petrol remains a problem...the US army wants everything diesel

http://newatlas.com/go/4272/

Limited numbers of motorcycles came back in service with the British army, ranging from throw-away Chinese junk to KTMs and the like, in Afghanistan.

Basically, the military seems to dislike motorcycles: they need constant mechanical attention in the field and you have to put petrol in them, but when it comes to doing fighting finds that it can't manage without them.

[frenchy3]

I was a member of the MT riders club and owned one of these bikes for ten years. They are heavy 163kg but are built like tanks. The engine is as close to indestructible as i have ever seen. The bike is well over engineered and has a great luggage capacity with the two removeable panniers. There are many upgrades in common use including fitting the CCM604 engine(minimal modification) Mikuni carb/Dellorto etc. They are very good off road and on. I have nothing but praise for these bikes.

Hi
you will need a sorted one or it will cost you money to get it sorted

I use to supply parts for these bikes and have had my fair share of them the seller in question use to buy alot of parts from me and is a Nice chap

things to look out for is

Rust in Fuel Tank ( try to get one with a Plastic tank )
inlet Rubber Is a weak point on them as well, this is due to the OE one not fitting the inlet corectly

the mod they all seem to do to these bikes is cut the top of the Air box off and put washers under the needle in the carb so look under the seat and make sure it hasnt been molested on the air box the difference is negligable.

Price of parts

take a look at the price of the parts now as there are only a coulple of suppliers and they like to charge for parts IE the rotax engine is now well out of date and parts for that engine only come into the uk from rotax Via force motorcycles and he charges what he wants and blames the exchange rate


the forum use to be a welth of inforamtion but there are w***kers on there as well, from the People i still talk to from there say there are more than there use to be

Good Point is they are a two wheeled Tractor and will plod along all day and the Best combo i found was a E start 500 for off road and on road

before anyone buys one they should do a lot of reserch and dont go in Half cocked

[Boo Cock]

Just like they said, good bikes but just a little bit on the heavy side, but, I don't think they are any heavier than some of the newer water cooled bikes today. I've done plenty of miles on mine, including a trip to Hanover then down to Morocco and home again.
The 500 has much more grunt but the 350 can easily be sorted with a Dellorto carb kit and maybe a cam if you want more. The 500 needs a little practice for left foot starting but is soon mastered.
All in all I give them full marks for a damned good all round bike. (thumbs)

[Pint Master]

A mate had one,Harley badged 350,it was 20 years old and was well made with a robust engine,on the lanes it was awful main problem being lack of ground clearance so in deep mud or ruts it ground out,it had no power whatsoever and was really tedious to ride.

[Godspeed]

A mate had one,Harley badged 350,it was 20 years old and was well made with a robust engine,on the lanes it was awful main problem being lack of ground clearance so in deep mud or ruts it ground out,it had no power whatsoever and was really tedious to ride.

I'm not sure the current owners on here would say that they have limited ground clearance, I've never found that problem in ruts or mud

They're not massively quick, and yes they are weighty, but they pull really well and will keep up with most of other off-road traffic. I think it depends on the rider more than the bike. I'd never call them tedious...

I'm in Bristol if you wanted to test one out.

Prices have been going up recently, and now a basic one that's in average condition will be about £1800. We'll sorted ones are now fetching up to £2500.

The MT riders have a great club, organise regular meets throughout the country, and there is a wealth of knowledge and experience amongst us.

Cheers