If they're good enough for the SAS...

[Jay GTI]

A mate of mine (highly dodgy, always ends up in places he shouldn't be) was down in Waiouru sniffing around the army base and spotted some light brown KTMs lined up next to a compound. Apparently SAS bikes for desert ops in far away sandy countries, but he knows next to nothing about bikes and could tell me sod all about them.

Anyone know what they are?

[george formby]

That's interestin.
Apparently they used Super Teneres in the first Gulf War too. Not a lot of info was available at the time though.

You would have to be very handy to shoot & ride at the same time me thinks. I wonder if the Taliban use Ag bikes or postie bikes, hmmmm

[Jay GTI]

The only detail he could give were they had a reasonable amount of fairings and bodywork, more than an SX or EXC, but definitely not to the level of the KTM desert race bikes. Could be custom plastics/fairings though.

[george formby]

Hmmmmmmmm, looky here

[Jay GTI]

iiiiiiiiinteresting... have forwarded to mate to see if that's what he spotted.

Nice searching!

[Mungatoke Mad]

That's interestin.
Apparently they used Super Teneres in the first Gulf War too. Not a lot of info was available at the time though.

You would have to be very handy to shoot & ride at the same time me thinks. I wonder if the Taliban use Ag bikes or postie bikes, hmmmm

Na the Taliban are under contract to Toyota

[Jay GTI]

Matey has confirmed, LC400 Militarys they are...

[oneofsix]

might be worth noting that just because they were seen there it doesn't follow the NZ Army will use them, they could be being tested. The army has tested Hummers but never bought them.

[fastoyz]

yes they do use them they are ktm 525 exc`s, have seen a couple pop up for sale now and again and they pretty much look like rattle can painted pieces of crap!

[george formby]

yes they do use them they are ktm 525 exc`s, have seen a couple pop up for sale now and again and they pretty much look like rattle can painted pieces of crap!

Not Squaddie proof then?

[Jay GTI]

yes they do use them they are ktm 525 exc`s, have seen a couple pop up for sale now and again and they pretty much look like rattle can painted pieces of crap!

Ha ha, ok so maybe not LC400s, but my mate really doesn't know anything about bikes so I'll forgive him. He can confirm the rattle can paint jobs though, there was large flakes of paint on the ground under one of them.

[fastoyz]

Not Squaddie proof then?

the importer i used to work for used to supply them with moose tubes

[pete376403]

US Marines bikes are Hayes diesel-powered KLRs. A lot to be said for being able to flag down a passing tank or truck and getting a bit of get-you-home fuel.

http://www.hayes-dt.com/military.htm#bike1

[FlangMasterJ]

My KLR250 was ex-military. Look's like they're upgrading.

[Ktmboy]

They used to be 520's but are being fazed out.
Have been used by the SAS in Afganistan (and other ops) way back before it was acknowledged that we even had troops over there(2000-2002).

We used fly them over secret squirrel like but were minus a few on the way home..