Australian Military, Third Military to start using E-Bikes

[ActionJackson]

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.

It has very impressive specs, especially the weight at 29kg! The only way I could get my Vado SL to even get close to matching that weight is by mounting another Vado SL on top of it somehow. I bet it goes really fast downhill once it gets rolling though

 

[PDoz]

It has very impressive specs, especially the weight at 29kg! The only way I could get my Vado SL to even get close to matching that weight is by mounting another Vado SL on top of it somehow. I bet it goes really fast downhill once it gets rolling though

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To be fair, it's 10 lg heavier than my levo sl carbon, but has the equivalent to another 4x range extenders ( 4 kg) in battery power. Add an extra 1 kg if you want an alloy rather than carbon frame - so only 5 kg heavier.? Perhaps it'd be fairer to compare it to my giant full epro - add an extra 500 wh battery (3.5 kg' and there is only a 2 kg difference. Both my bikes only have 150-160 mm pf travel

An SL with those batteries will cost $20 k Aus vs $7 k for the stealth. If you had told me 10 years ago that I'd be valling a stealth a bargain, I'd be prescribing some strong drugs!

Now, I'm 100 % certain that if I was to tackle a ride long enough to need all that battery power then I'd be looking for something with a throttle ! Nobody is forcing you guys to stop spinning cranks whilst dodging cars, but comparing a vado to a stealth is almost as stupid as comparing them to a ducati. How hard is it to accept we all have different ways to enjoy 2 wheels?

 

[ActionJackson]

but comparing a vado to a stealth is almost as stupid as comparing them to a ducati.

Well the specs are nearly the same as my Vado SL - except it weighs half of that PoS you’re on about - 250W!! Wow it’s like a motorcycle! Probably good enough for the Australian Army though because obviously they can’t afford real tactical motorcycles it appears.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Voltman: You seem to not understand.
Stealth is available as a light tactical motorcycle to the Australian Army, with all its tremendous power and speed.

It makes no sense as a civilian e-bike because of Australian law that limits both power and speed. I'm not sure what it takes to register the full power & high speed Stealth as a motorcycle in Australia but the company would have had a hard time in European Union:

• Limiting to 45 km/h (power limit is 4 kW)
• Equipping with all L1e-B mandatory equipment
• Obtaining Type Approval: EU Certificate of Conformity.

And there is no law in EU allowing more than L1e-B for electric bi-wheel vehicle.

As for me, I enjoy the fact I can ride a 24 kg S-Vado at 45 km/h in the EU, and I am perfectly street legal with it. If I needed same with FS, Bulls E-Stream Evo 45 offers both true FS and L1e-B capability. R & M are present with their HS e-bikes, too, so I cannot really understand all the fuss about Stealth:

• Because it is Australian?
• Because it has a throttle?
• Because it is powerful and fast but only for the military?

 

[ActionJackson]

Voltman: You seem to not understand.
Stealth is available as a light tactical motorcycle to the Australian Army, with all its tremendous power and speed.

It makes no sense as a civilian e-bike because of Australian law that limits both power and speed. I'm not sure what it takes to register the full power & high speed Stealth as a motorcycle in Australia but the company would have had a hard time in European Union:

• Limiting to 45 km/h (power limit is 4 kW)
• Equipping with all L1e-B mandatory equipment
• Obtaining Type Approval: EU Certificate of Conformity.

And there is no law in EU allowing more than L1e-B for electric bi-wheel vehicle.

As for me, I enjoy the fact I can ride a 24 kg S-Vado at 45 km/h in the EU, and I am perfectly street legal with it. If I needed same with FS, Bulls E-Stream Evo 45 offers both true FS and L1e-B capability. R & M are present with their HS e-bikes, too, so I cannot really understand all the fuss about Stealth:

• Because it is Australian?
• Because it has a throttle?
• Because it is powerful and fast but only for the military?

Oh. I thought we were talking about that heinous red Costco looking thing they’re hawking for $6000. The one with a 250w hub motor with max speed of 25km/h, standard range 100km, and weighs 29kg. Not to mention has a knockoff of a 1999 Giant’s inverted suspension for the seat post.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Well, I could not fail to notice the lack of any lighting on Stealth e-motorcycles. So the Australian Army only fights in daytime? Also, in doubt if the bicycle grade brakes are appropriate for a light motorcycle. Finally, cannot get why there are any pedals in Stealth motorcycles for.

 

[ActionJackson]

Well, I could not fail to notice the lack of any lighting on Stealth e-motorcycles. So the Australian Army only fights in daytime?

The French were like that in May-June of 1940. They bivouacked and slept each night alongside the roads into France. On the other hand the Germans were taking methamphetamines (which they invented) to sustain 24x7 operations. Rommel rolled right through the French with his 7th Panzer division after moving night and day.

 

[Alicia Margaret]

The Army is not expected riding these electric motorcycles either with traffic or on bike paths. Not in the times of peace, at least.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Still cannot see them riding with the traffic or on bike paths.

 

[ActionJackson]

Hmmmm. No lights, no weapons, no comms radio, no water, but it looks like they have a notebook in a backpack’ish vest. Maybe a magnetic compass in their pocket. They’re riding well defined trails.

It’s the Boy Scouts on a Jamboree!!!

 

[PDoz]

Hmmmm. No lights, no weapons, no comms radio, no water, but it looks like they have a notebook in a backpack’ish vest. Maybe a magnetic compass in their pocket. They’re riding well defined trails.

It’s the Boy Scouts on a Jamboree!!!

" reconnaissance"

You know, like when boy scouts head out with a map and compass , getting away from

Still cannot see them riding with the traffic or on bike paths.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

" reconnaissance"

Good they at least carry pistols.

 

[ActionJackson]

" reconnaissance"

You know, like when boy scouts head out with a map and compass , getting away from

The Chairman approves!

 

[Haystacks]

SAS are using quietkats with...... bafang ultras, with........fat tyres NV goggles, gun rack on the bars, HUD based GPS.

You two are a joy to behold though, a beautiful display of cognitive dissonance and group think.

Stefan, come to england - i want to race you 400 miles along the pennines - bridleway not cycle way, lets put your BS to bed. fat tyre ultra vs any of your spesh bikes. Spring or autumn 2022 works for me.

 

[indianajo]

No assault rifle required. A satellite phone in the pocket, a coded laser designator, the ordnance comes from the UAV up at 40000 feet. Reconnaissance & Forward observer in one now, on a silent bicycle or mule. Air Force capable radios were 40 lb and the size of a microwave oven when I was in 1980-83. Only Division Headquarters had any. Since TDRSS the Army can communicate from ground to space.

 

[ActionJackson]

No assault rifle required. A satellite phone in the pocket, a coded laser designator, the ordnance comes from the UAV up at 40000 feet. Reconnaissance & Forward observer in one now, on a silent bicycle or mule. Air Force capable radios were 40 lb and the size of a microwave oven when I was in 1980-83. Only Division Headquarters had any. Since TDRSS the Army can communicate from ground to space.

@indianajo - sorry but that’s dead wrong wild fantasy, in the US Military at least. NO one ever enters a battle space without a defensive firearm - 95% have a standard M4A1 assault rifle at minimum. Very few carry only a side arm. In my active duty days as a Naval Aviator flying missions at 38000 ft over the ocean, even I carried a .45 M1911A1 or 9mm M9 pistol. I have no idea why either, because if my crew and I had survived a bailout from an E-6B Mercury I sure wouldn’t risk getting involved in a gun fight when we finally reached the shore or a boat .

Military allocation of the TDRSS network is for command - requires a huge equipment footprint including a dish antenna. Point-to-point communications for air support is via secure UHF comms, usually a PRC-152. Point to point tactical ground communications via satellites is a fantasy - it’s not resilient in actual battle because it has a single point of failure.

But anyway you don’t need to trust my word - I’m retired, so I’m not up to speed on what exactly they use these days, but here’s a good 2021 article which talks about that :

Putting warheads on foreheads — This is the gear Air Force CCTs carry into battle

Calling in air support and setting up landing zones takes more than training: it also takes specialized gear.

taskandpurpose.com

And then again maybe the Aussies can’t afford rifles so instead they buy bicycles with Chinese parts, and maybe give their lads non-secure consumer satellite phones - because they’ll die or get captured anyways. After all they’ve leased their only Northern seaport (Port Darwin) exclusively to the Peoples Republic of China for 99 years .

 

[Ebiker33]

The new cavalry, no more horses, but a charge of an Ebike brigade.
Imagine putting a 9mm auto on the front with a laser.
Whatever companies start landing Ebike contracts with the military will do very well.
Imagine the range extension on any operations and equipment hauling.

And later they can make a civilian version, military advancements might lead to better Ebikes for all once major militaries start adopting them.

 

[Ebiker33]

We had a discussion in the Watt Wagon forums of motors using special materials for the gears to make them much more silient,(stealth) my thinking is the military might be interested in what Watt Wagons is running prototypes on right now. The owner of Watt Wagons is doing some R & D that is unique in the industry right now. He just needs to make sure the gears don't die under heat and massive torque. From what I understand these might be ready for sale in 2022 as an aftermarket replacement on all Bafang Ultra's

 

[john peck]

SAS are using quietkats with...... bafang ultras, with........fat tyres NV goggles, gun rack on the bars, HUD based GPS.



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You two are a joy to behold though, a beautiful display of cognitive dissonance and group think.

Stefan, come to england - i want to race you 400 miles along the pennines - bridleway not cycle way, lets put your BS to bed. fat tyre ultra vs any of your spesh bikes. Spring or autumn 2022 works for me.

I´ll just bet they´re not restricted to 25 kph

 

[DiggyGun]

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.

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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.

The Allies also used bikes during the D-Day Normandy Landings.