speaking of 'survival rig'......here's a WW2 entry from Harley

[41mag]

...who would have guessed 'tac' served in WW2?

The Chieftain's Hatch: Harley 2WD

Although not a tank, The Chieftain found this little piece of trivia in the Archives which motorcycle fans may find interesting.

worldoftanks.com

"
It was considered a likely candidate to be assigned to mountain or airborne units, being, as it was, a nimble, lightweight, small little thing. It was officially known as "Harley-Davidson Shaft-Drive, Two Wheel Drive, Motorcyle with Side Car. Thus, T-AC stuck a shipping label onto it, and sent it off to Camp Hale, in Pando, Colorado, site of the Mountain Training Center.

Testing was short, and the report basically boiled down to two lines.

The machine started easily at temperatures as low as -20 and operated suitably over mountain trails.

The machine had poor towing ability and, since this is a major requirement of mountain vehicles, the use of the motorcycle is not recommended."


etc

Read More

 

[The Heretic]

Light vehicles don't do well towing - especially with a small footprint on the ground (motorcycles have a very small footprint compared to most 4 wheeled vehicles like a jeep).

I have a two wheel tractor (Grillo 107d - like a rototiller, but with a PTO and different attachments I can remove and swap out - like a tiller, plow, mower, chipper, etc.). It can't pull a small harrow. It weighs 500 pounds with the flail mower. A 4WD ATV of the same weight would probably be able to pull the harrow - it would have 4 times or more the ground contact - a heavier one would certainly be able to pull it. As would a 4WD tractor of the same weight or more. I don't have either so I pulled the harrow around with my Toyota pickup - with no problems.

When I try to pull logs I often have problems with my pickup, but my flatbed, which weighs 3 times as much and has 6 wheels (DRW) - so about 50% more ground contact - feels like it doesn't even know it is pulling something.

OTOH, when in soft mud and rough terrain, the flatbed gets stuck very easily compared to the pickup, and my dirt bike rarely gets stuck.

I may get one of these:

 

[Hop Sing]

Cool stuff from both you guys - thanks!

 

[ditchtiger]

Ever hear of the "Rokon"?

rokon motorcycle - Search Videos

www.bing.com

 

[RVTECH]

I would like one of these....

 

[The Heretic]

Ever hear of the "Rokon"?
View attachment 603811

rokon motorcycle - Search Videos

www.bing.com

Most certainly. I've ridden similar bikes - but they weren't 2WD.

No suspension (no, the tires don't count). Small diameter tires means that it doesn't handle rough terrain or obstacles as well. Not street legal.

Rather have a Christini.

YMMV - literally.

 

[The Heretic]

A Beast on Two Wheels: The Christini AWD 450 Motorcycle

Read: A Beast on Two Wheels: The Christini AWD 450 Motorcycle from Drew Wallace on July 24, 2019 for Recoil.

www.recoilweb.com

 

[ditchtiger]

Most certainly. I've ridden similar bikes - but they weren't 2WD.

Rokon's are 2wd

 

[The Heretic]

Rokon's are 2wd

Yes, that is why I mentioned the one I rode wasn't.

 

[ditchtiger]

Yes, that is why I mentioned the one I rode wasn't.

I did not know there was a neutered model.

 

[ditchtiger]

Yes, that is why I mentioned the one I rode wasn't.

that's like buying a Firebird back in the "90s" with a v6 motor

 

[The Heretic]

I did not know there was a neutered model.

It wasn't a Rokon. I said it was "similar". Sorry I should have been more explicit. There are a number of bikes like the Rokon - similar layout, big fat tires, no suspension, air cooled Briggs & Stratton (or similar). The newer Rokons have suspensions now and are improved, but I would still rather ride a more conventional motorcycle. To each their own.

 

[ditchtiger]

TT500