Why don't militaries use the sidecar MG anymore? Motorcycles

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>>28732828
>fast, robust, and good in many terrains

>>28732871
/thread

>>28732871
A top of the line motorcycle costs like $8,000, not $50 mil.

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TFW motorcycle jousting will never be a real sport.

>>28732828
Airborne units use minibikes and dirtbikes in operations to take airstrips and create airheads IIRC.

>>28733011
>A top of the line motorcycle costs like $8,000
Not even close.
$13-15,000 isn't even top of the line.

Top of the line military would be 50k minimum

>>28735062
Yeah but for a high mobility light infantry unit in short term use you don't need a Ducati you need a Honda dirtbike.

>>28732828
Content-less bump.

>>28732828
How does a sidecar compare to a quad?

Czech special forces used dirtbikes in Afghanistan

>>28735062
I can't find an article outlining how much it costs, but the Kawasaki the marines use has an MSRP of $7,000. Granted, the conversion does completely replace the engine with a diesel unit, but if that doubled or even tripled the cost to the military, it still wouldn't be near $50,000.

>>28735270
As someone who's ridden in a sidecar and rode a quad, it really doesn't as far as mobility goes. I don't see the application of either as OP has outlined to be very effective. On paper, it sounds really cool--a light MG or SAW on a fast moving vehicle that can go across bad terrain. In practice, however, it wouldn't be nearly as flexible as you'd imagine (limited traverse of the gun + something like a ditch would tie it up), and would probably be too tempting a target. The marines right now have the right idea, using them for scouting tasks.

>>28735510
what if you had a trike with two wheels in front, gunner in front, with steering linkage to the driver behind

>>28735552
too many parts that can malfunction, and low driver visibility.

>>28735510
i like the idea of wheeler recon, but its very niche and would have its uses in SOF instead of general military use

anyone can ride a bike, but only a few can handle them with the high levels of skill needed to apply them to military use, there is a reason why motor bike riders are refereed to as organ donors by paramedics

>>28735552
what about halftrack+motorycle, the one that they used at the end of the Saving Private Ryan?

>>28735657
Thats called a kettenkrad

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>>28735676
thank you!

>imagine doing wheelie with this

>>28735552
A lot of engineering to only partially mitigate an issue that overall diminishes the value of the vehicle. Would it look cool? Absolutely. Would it circumvent enough of the issues that a sidecar mounted MG has? Not really.

>>28735657
What >>28735676 said, and the kettenkrad wasn't really supposed to be used like that, afaik. Also last time I checked, they only used it to lure a tank into a trap that didn't work completely and got everyone killed. Not the best example of critical strategic thinking.

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>>28735552
wobbly wibbly

>>28735727
thats fucking rad fund it

>>28735062
Just because the US army would pay 50k for a motorcycle doesn't mean it's worth 50k

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>>28735731
it's already used in Java for about forever, they use it for transport stuff (including a fucking cabinet or car chassis pic related). you can buy it for about $80 i guess

>>28735778
do you have a closeup of the steering mechanism

>>28735778
They use the same thing in Mexico.

>>28735792
It's a straight, elongated neck. Aside from the basket front end, that's it. It's nothing complicated.

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>>28735792

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>>28735792
couldnt find a bigger image but here you go

>>28735812
what do they call it over there? it's called "becak" here (its pronounced like "bay-chuck")

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>>28735214
>Ducati you need a Honda dirtbike.
To be fair, a Ducati like this would be fucking awesome

>>28735835
"In Mexico, they are called bicitaxi or taxi ecologico (literally "ecological taxi").[citation needed]"

>>28735062
even if it was 100k... apaches are 70,000k

>>28735835
Also, it looks like the bikes you guys use are pretty different from their Mexican cousins here >>28735822 I imagine the Mexican bike would be slightly more robust, but your bikes are obviously more maneuverable/rider friendly.

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>you will never make hicock45 proud by doing one handed uzi drive bys on Russians during a Red Dawn scenario
:(

>>28735822
>>28735835
oh i didnt think it was fucking articulated

>>28735866
>apaches are 70,000k
Dude what. Apaches start at 20 million.

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>>28735889
I WANT A FUCKING AFRICA TWIN

>>28735884
true, but prone to fall on it's side if you try to make a turn in a high speed, that's because the pivot is way under the passenger's ass

>>28735904
it's articulated but leaning it like >>28735835
is very possible

>>28735916
THIS

not the new one tho, although it's pretty cool i guess

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This is why

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>>28735959
not that one. this one

>>28735935
well, I think i will just build one that is nearly as good from the best platform i can, as custom as i can. Not like the plastics with a badass colorscheme is required for fuctioning

>>28732828
I would be really pissed off if somebody hit a pothole if I had to ride in the sidecar. If that ever happened your nuts would be toast rendering you combat ineffective.

0/10 would not operate in for sake of my testicles.

>>28735923
From what you're showing, it seems like y'all capitalize on that feature a lot. The biggest problem with the Mexican bikes is that they like to jackknife, especially at high speeds. You haven't laughed until you watch a guy throw himself over the handlebars a la jackass because he tried to stop too fast.

>>28735975
I don't think that those buggies are filling quite the same role as what OP was implying.

>>28735993
is the sidecar not sprung?

>>28735975
is that radar on the top

>>28735995
i can imagine it, the center of gravity is high and weight distribution is not helping either

as for the buggies i just want to show it becos it's bawse as f

The Russians still have some Ural sidecars in their inventory right?

https://youtu.be/dN5PAwc1ns8

>>28736050
Knowing Russia, they probably have just as many being used in some capacity or another as there are lying in disuse. I'd love to make a touring bike out of a Ural; a small trailer and one of those old hardtop car carriers makes an amazing tow behind for a bike.

>>28732828
Because one dindu with a potato cannon, let alone a RPG, will take you out.

>>28736084
And? Won't an RR take out a much bigger and more expensive humvee?

>>28736037
It's a barbeque grill.

>>28736173
even better

>>28736164
A basic Humvee can:
-carry 4 passengers away from wind, dust, rain, and snow
-can be driven every day of the year
-be repurposed as either general transport, an ambulance, a pseudo camper, a pickup truck, and many other roles
-can mount a gun with a 360 degree traverse
-has outstanding off-road performance

There's probably more to say but compare that to a sidecar equipped motorcycle, as stated in the OP:
-carries a max of 3 passengers, exposed to the elements
-is much less capable in the winter (yes, you can drive a motorcycle on snow. No, it doesn't present any tactical advantage to do so over a Humvee)
-has historically been used to A) scout and B) patrol, and nothing else
-can mount a gun that has roughly the same traverse as a tank destroyer
-given it's unusual stance (three wheels that sit askew from one another) rough offroading can and has in the past rendered one immobile for dangerously long periods of time.

Given the benefits of one over the other, I'd say that a Humvee's cost and size is far outweighed by its utility in comparison to a motorcycle.

>>28735884

I'm not sure that's a difference between the two regions so much as it is a picture of a newer bike and a picture of an older bike.

>>28736254
Sure, I wasnt trying to say we should replace all our humvees with motorcycles (even though it would be badass) but it is stupid to dismiss it with >it can be taken out by an rpg lol

>>28736265
Having been to Mexico and traveled a good way through it, I can say with some certainty I never saw one of those trikes built the same way as the Javanese equivalent pictured here (principle difference being the angle, length, and location of the neck).

>>28736273
I think he was trying to highlight that a motorcycle is a horribly exposed target. Putting a SAW on one and using it to actively seek out and engage an enemy is a really bad idea. But you're right... bikes are cool, and it's unfortunate someone more enterprising hasn't figured out a better way to use them in the military.

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>when you have to operate but Mod Culture is life

>>28736942

I like the idea behind that, you could cause a lot of trouble with something like that because you could change positions so easily.

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Have a read about the Ural motorbike

http://indefinitelywild.gizmodo.com/2015-ural-sidecar-review-wwii-soviet-tech-on-and-off-1713453683

It's pretty difficult to drive compared to an ordinary motobike or a quad, but thanks to the fact that this bike actually drives both rear wheels, has pretty fat tires, and was designed for the job, it's a damn fine offroad vehicle.