Alicia Margaret
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Australian Military, Third Military to start using E-Bikes
- Thread starter Alicia Margaret
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Stefan Mikes
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The Army is not expected riding these electric motorcycles either with traffic or on bike paths. Not in the times of peace, at least.
The Aus army is regularly deployed in a support role - bushfire support, assistance in floods and medical emergencies, even getting food supplies into a rural town recently when covid closed all the supermarkets! Those stealth bikes WILL get used on what passes for roads around here. Following the 2019 bushfires, there was a constant convoy of army vehicles heading east from our nearby base into the bushfire ravaged country - it took them weeks to re open our national highways, get emergency supplies to stranded towns, they even used the navy to evacuate the population of Mallacoota via coast
They also use public spaces for training purposes - I'll never forget sitting beside the Jardine river crossing on a motorbike ride - closer to Indonesia than Cairns . Two unmarked helicopters hovering above dropping heavily armed personnel covered in warpaint. We were a week away from any civilisation and for all we knew , it could have been the start of an invasion.
For what it's worth, the guys at stealth were emtb enthusiasts before emtb was a thing. Sadly they gravitated towards the US / illegal high powered market rather than adapting / chasing the legal emtb scene here. Some of that was political - in 2018 they were getting charged gst on parts destined for production bikes whilst their international built competition was importing / selling bikes without tax. Stealth chose to chase an alternate / US market +/- govt contracts rather than the domestic market. It's a real shame, because they have access to a spectacular engineer as well as some extremely talented machinists , potentially they could build a mid drive with inbuilt gearbox ......they even had a central gearbox back in 2018.
Ps our local SES ( state emergency services) volunteers have had a motorbike squad for decades - they assist with alpine searches / rescue missions regularly and cover huge distances through walking tracks etc - places where motorbikes would not usually be allowed, but they provide an amazing service. It probably helps that some of them are international enduro champions......
Those stealth bikes would make a LOT more sense than 100 kg motorbikes - you'd have more chance of hearing a call as you rode along a cliff. They are lighter to carry through flooded rivers / lift over fallen trees etc. If they made a road registered version, it'd be parked in my shed instead if my dirt bike
Those stealth bikes would make a LOT more sense than 100 kg motorbikes - you'd have more chance of hearing a call as you rode along a cliff. They are lighter to carry through flooded rivers / lift over fallen trees etc. If they made a road registered version, it'd be parked in my shed instead if my dirt bike
Stefan Mikes
Gravel e-biker
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PDoz, with my deepest respect to what you're writing:
Civilians are not expected to drive tanks, either. These lightweight electric motorcycles make sense for the Army but I hope you would not advice using them by civilians?
Civilians are not expected to drive tanks, either. These lightweight electric motorcycles make sense for the Army but I hope you would not advice using them by civilians?
They do produce a "legal bike " version, https://stealthelectricbikes.com/stealth-p-7/. Not something I'm interested in as a mtb , but I could imagine using one for 4x4 tracks in the local ranges.
If they produced a register able version of their f 37 but with the 9 speed gearbox I would be tempted as a replacement for my motorbike. We have thousands of km of 4x4 tracks in the ranges to the north of our home, Many of those trails are too rocky to be enjoyable on a mountain bike, but the stealth bridges the gap between mtb and motorbike. Unfortunately they haven't made a register-able version .
ActionJackson
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- Tokyo
The Imperial Japanese Army captured Malaya and Singapore in a storm trooper blitzkrieg down the peninsula on bicycles. Back then bicycles were definitely a force multiplier as the IJA only had a force strength of 30,000, mostly infantry versus 138,000 on the British/Australian side, who also had some measure of air cover. There’s definitely a large amount of blame on the British commands but the bicycles gave the Japanese mobility without the need for fuel supplies or large vehicles. 7,000 Australians didn’t return home alive from that campaign- mostly dying in captivity.
The Aussies need a hell of a lot more than bicycles though to defend their homeland against China. The status quo of their naval and air forces warrants a lot more attention and funding. Maybe the bikes are just a cheap distraction for their infantry.
Stefan Mikes
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Funny they do not mention the motor used.
indianajo
Well-Known Member
In the US Army, we didn't send 5 ton tractor trailers on any combat missions. Supply runs mostly. Reconnaisance sometimes, without the trailer. There was a shortage of jeeps in my unit. 730 soldiers, 320 trucks, 6 jeeps.
After I did a # of successful parts seeking runs out of my Personally Owned Vehicle (Chevette), TACOM bought me & 3 other maintenance officers diesel GMC Blazers. 4 in Kansas, 4 in the Germany storage depot.
The silence of an ebike is amazing for the mobility it offers. Cavalry was using M-60 tanks & jeeps for reconnissance '80-83. The Humvee hadn't been developed yet. Before that Cav had Detroit Diesel equipped tracked personnel carriers, which could be heard 10 miles away. Great engine, noisy as ****.
After I did a # of successful parts seeking runs out of my Personally Owned Vehicle (Chevette), TACOM bought me & 3 other maintenance officers diesel GMC Blazers. 4 in Kansas, 4 in the Germany storage depot.
The silence of an ebike is amazing for the mobility it offers. Cavalry was using M-60 tanks & jeeps for reconnissance '80-83. The Humvee hadn't been developed yet. Before that Cav had Detroit Diesel equipped tracked personnel carriers, which could be heard 10 miles away. Great engine, noisy as ****.
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PedalUma
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Here is a good article on the topic. War bikes were then put into service a highly valued cargo bikes after the war.
How did the Japanese Army use bicycles
In its 1937 invasion of China, Japan employed some 50,000 bicycle troops.
www.waffenradforums.net
ruffruff
Well-Known Member
I'd love one on my farm!
Stefan Mikes
Gravel e-biker
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I'm confused, or perhaps you are? Those are Aus $ , so even with the added weight / cost of a 1 kwh battery upgrade , t's cheaper than your rigid bike ! Admittedly I'd be asking them to upgrade the suspension - which they are willing to do.
Completely academic, though, because I'm not interested in an overweight , overpowered bicycle - I want one of their light motorbikes to be road registered
Stefan Mikes
Gravel e-biker
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Did you notice PDoz the rear suspension is not a rear suspension at all, as it does not support the bottom bracket, for instance? In your FS e-bikes, the entire part of the frame you're sitting on is suspended, including the bottom bracket. Stealth has duplicated the 1990's idea of Giant (and other brands of those times) by actually making a complicated suspension system that effectively replaces a suspension seat-post only. It is not a full suspension e-bike
Really missed that detail?
Giant Boulder Duo Shock (1990's). The same idea: a hardtail with an expensive suspension seat-post
That idea was identified as fundamentally wrong soon.
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john peck
Well-Known Member
Back in the late 70´s Schwinn produced an electric prototype in hopes of interesting the military, but
I guess in wasn´t costly enuff or hi-tech enuff for the Pentagon cuz nothing came of it. Read something
in ´Popular Mechanics´; it sounded pretty wimpy by today´s standards.
I guess in wasn´t costly enuff or hi-tech enuff for the Pentagon cuz nothing came of it. Read something
in ´Popular Mechanics´; it sounded pretty wimpy by today´s standards.
Haystacks
Well-Known Member
you really havn't a clue. As a former super v 3000 and a gary fisher level betty owner i know you are clueless. But if you know better, head over to emtb forums, i'm suuuuure gary would love you. I dare you.Did you notice PDoz the rear suspension is not a rear suspension at all, as it does not support the bottom bracket, for instance? In your FS e-bikes, the entire part of the frame you're sitting on is suspended, including the bottom bracket. Stealth has duplicated the 1990's idea of Giant (and other brands of those times) by actually making a complicated suspension system that effectively replaces a suspension seat-post only. It is not a full suspension e-bike
Really missed that detail?
View attachment 104046
Giant Boulder Duo Shock (1990's). The same idea: a hardtail with an expensive suspension seat-post
Did you notice PDoz the rear suspension is not a rear suspension at all, as it does not support the bottom bracket, for instance? In your FS e-bikes, the entire part of the frame you're sitting on is suspended, including the bottom bracket. Stealth has duplicated the 1990's idea of Giant (and other brands of those times) by actually making a complicated suspension system that effectively replaces a suspension seat-post only. It is not a full suspension e-bike
Really missed that detail?
Giant Boulder Duo Shock (1990's). The same idea: a hardtail with an expensive suspension seat-post
No, they have an active swing arm that pivots close to the bottom bracket. The stealth guys are hard core enthusiasts , they just prioritise robust construction over traditional bicycle priorities
Stefan Mikes
Gravel e-biker
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I hope it is true, as it looks as if the bottom bracket were a part of the chainstay in the picture.
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