Military Motorcycles & Scooters

The two wheeled motorcycle was one of the first motor vehicles adopted by the U.S. and other armies in the era when horses were still the dominant means of transportation.

U.S. Navy Officer at Brooklyn Navy Yard, WW II, with Cushman Motor Scooter
U.S. Navy Officer at Brooklyn Navy Yard, WW II, with Cushman Motor Scooter.

Today in WW II: 5 Jul 1943 Battle of Kursk (Operation Citadel) begins, last German offensive in Russia and largest tank battle [5-19 July].  More ↓
5 Jul 1945 In British election, Winston Churchill loses to Labour Party, Clement Atlee becomes Prime Minister.
Visit the Olive-Drab.com World War II Timeline for day-by-day events 1939-1945! See also WW2 Books.

Military Motorcycles, Scooters and Similar Vehicles

Many of the functions of military motorcycles were replaced by jeeps in WW II, but the motorcycle did not disappear. Dispatch riders and scouts, as well as military police, found the motorcycle enabled them to cover a lot of ground quickly on roads or even rough terrain. The two wheel motorcycle remains in military use for Special Forces and other specialized roles even today. Scooters were never as widely used but did play their part.

24th Infantry Division soldiers on motorcycles, National Training Center, Ft. Irwin, CA, 1 August 1984
24th Infantry Division soldiers on motorcycles, National Training Center, Ft. Irwin, CA, 1 August 1984.

The Olive-Drab.com Military Vehicle Charts have photos and information about motorcycles and scooters in these categories:

The Indian Military Model 841. In the late summer of 1943, the US War Department issued contracts to develop prototypes of new military motorcycles to both Harley-Davidson and Indian. The Indian Military Model 841 was shipped as a prototype but never saw service.

Military & Police motorcycles by Indian are reviewed on this page.

Antoine has photos of his restored Harley Davidson 1942 XA and the rare Indian 841 along with other motorcycle info and links.

Simplex Servi-Cycle. Devoted to owners and others interested in the history and products of the Simplex Manufacturing Corporation of New Orleans, Louisiana. A location for collectors to share information and resources about the Servi-Cycle. This page features the military model of the Servi-Cycle produced in the early 1940s for messenger and flight line use.

The Cushman Military Scooter is the focus of this site which includes the history of the various Cushman models.

Rokon All-Wheel-Drive Motorcycles are in use with the Brazilian Marines and were used by the US on a very limited scale in Vietnam and the Gulf War. Their history and models are described and illustrated on this home page for the Rokon Network developed by Bob Gallagher.

Molotov Cocktail (Weav's Old Russian Bikes) is the American home of the "Molotov" and other Russian/Soviet sidecar rigs of World War II, the Cold War and present day. A source of information for M72, K750, Dnepr, KMZ, Ural, IMZ, Irbit, Chang Jiang, Yangtsze, Izh, models and others. Lots of photos and detailed information on history, parts, and books and manuals including Weav's own authoritative book. .

Visit the Russian language Museum of Antique Cars and Motorcycles for its many photo-rich pages of automobiles, trucks, motorcycles and more. A few pages are in English or other languages, but navigation is somewhat difficult if you don't know the Russian language. For military motorcycles, visit these pages and follow the links:

Find More Information on the Internet

There are many fine websites that have additional information on this topic, too many to list here and too many to keep up with as they come and go. Use this Google web search form to get an up to date report of what's out there.

For good results, try entering this: "military motorcycles or scooters". Then click the Search button.