CDN Military Motorcycles - Post War

[Wayne Hingley]

Looks great Alex. Whats the history that you know of this motorcycle? Have you had it a long time?

[Dan Martel]

Those are some beautiful bikes, Alex and Ed.

Dan.

[Alex Sandor Csank]

Originally Posted by Wayne Hingley

Looks great Alex. Whats the history that you know of this motorcycle? Have you had it a long time?

I bought it from a friend just a few months ago, after drooling over it for quite a long while. He owned it since 2009. Before that, it was owned by the son of the deceased original private owner who bought it from surplus at some point in the late 70s (probably). It sat indoors on display in a small engine repair shop for many years.

It has been on display at the Montreal Motorcycle Show several times, but it hasn't been started in who knows how many years. It remains very clean and completely original, even the tires.

My goal is to get it sorted, running, insured for the road and legally plated (with historic plates), and then use it for occasional rides and to take to shows like the Bivouac in Odessa and to the annual show we run for the veterans each June at the hospital in Ste. Anne de Bellevue, Quebec.

[Alex Sandor Csank]

These photos are of my 1996 Kawasaki KLR 650 U.N. Tribute bike. It is a civilian bike and never saw any duty in military service, but bikes like this one were purchased for use by United Nations Peacekeepers in a few missions during the 90s. The U.N., the USA and some other nations purchased KLR 650s, as they were very simple, rugged and reliable machines.

When in Cambodia with the UN in 1993, the UN had a fleet of hundreds of Honda and Yamaha 125cc and 250cc on/off-road bikes which we used to negotiate the small trails which were often the only way to get to some of the small jungle villages far away from the cities. Bikes like these (and small boats) are of great use in jungles and rural communities in many 'Third World' countries.

Photosare:
1. My KLR and Ural and other bikes at the meeting point for a CVMG Montreal 'History Tour' ride this past summer.
2 and 3. The KLR at the 'Salon de la Moto' in Montreal just before the Covid-19 lockdown in late February 2020.
4. My 3 bikes at the same show. Left to right: my 71 BSA Lightning, my 57 TRW 500 and my 96 KLR 650.