1986 Canadian Armstrong MT500 Motorcycle

[Military Biker]

Looking for some assistance on my recent purchase of a 1986 Can Army Armstrong MT 500 MC .# 80
1. How many of these bikes did the CDN Army purchase ?
2. Any leads towards finding out it's service history ?
3 . Is there an official Service manual ?
4. If so anyone have one for sale ?
5. Anyone have any pictures of them in service or have a veh kit list ?
Appreciate any help in this matter. Thanks in advance .

Military Biker

[maple_leaf_eh]

One of the regular members on this forum invested a whole fin (Canadian too) for serial number records of Canadian vehicles. When he gets a moment, he will probably publish that information in booklet form, or on disc. In the meantime, there are other members with access to the military vehicle records system.

Post all the numbers you can find on your bike - make, model and serial number in particular. Part numbers are no use. With that, the member might be able to call up the registration numbers and some service history.

[dougiebarder]

For general info on the bikes, you could do worse than looking here:-
http://www.mtridersclub.co.uk/

[Military Biker]

Thanks for any info provided . MC is 1986 Armstrong Model MT500EC ser # MTEC0080 . No CFR # to be seen . Look forward to info from the data base .

Military Biker

[Geoff Winnington-Ball (RIP)]

"Military Biker", do you have a name? Most of us here have been posting here since 1998, and we prefer to know people for who they are, rather than for who they "opt" to be...

Geoff

[Craig S.]

Military Biker -

Just returned to work this a.m. from leave and looked up your bike. There are a total of 85 Armstrong MT500's listed, but there may have been more than that. Here's the other info I could get:
-1986 MT500 Armstrong Motorcycle Medium 485cc
-Serial No. MTEC0080
-CFR#78573
-ECC 120104
-Acquired 08 August 1986
-Original UIC 2478, 5 CFSD
-VMO No. DP350343, 24 May 1995
-Disposed of 29 May 1995 as Serviceable
-Last holding notice 27 Sept 1995

Not much detail as I've seen on other bikes - maybe yours was sitting at 5CFSD it's entire military caereer. I'm not sure about the answers to your other questions regarding manuals, pictures, etc.
As it so happens while surfing for M-37 pic's recently, I came across another MT500 at a museum in the states (Indiana?) that was in the background of a photo on the site. On the fuel tank's left side was '78559' in chalk. Turns out that it could be the CFR for MTEC0066. I haven't contacted the museum yet to ask if that is in fact what they have (or if it is still there) as the photo was in 2005. I'll inquire about manuals, etc., when I talk to them. Perhaps they may be of some help. How many km's on your bike by the way? The one they have, if it is ex-Canadian CFR#78559, is listed as having only 668km at time of disposal from 3 CDO. Cheers,

Craig

[DanJahn]

Hi

I'm looking to add a Canadian army MT500 to my collection of dispatch bikes. If anyone knows of one for sale please contact me.

Thank you

Dan my email: dt969b@gmail.com

[Military Biker]

Thanks Craig for the excellent info . Present kms are 3298 w/ this machine having new tires fitted front / back & new gators on the forks . Except for
some surface rust on the exhaust it's in excellent shape for a machine of its age . As the CF system seems to have a manual /pub for anything wheeled or with a serial # it'd be strange if there wasn't one for this machine besides the small Armstrong supplied manual that I have . Look forward to any further pics or info you or anyone else can find .

OC MLU :
Sir , Have been lurking here for many years enjoying the info / information,
talents of the many individuals around the world thru your site . Bravo & thanks to you for it .

Terence McGaughey Aka Military Biker
Loc: Prince Edward Island , Canada

[maple_leaf_eh]

Originally Posted by Military Biker

... As the CF system seems to have a manual /pub for anything wheeled or with a serial # it'd be strange if there wasn't one for this machine besides the small Armstrong supplied manual that I have. ...

In the late 80's and early 90's, there was a Technical Library at FMC HQ in St Hubert. It was the repository for exactly what you said. That was 20 yrs, 3 Army transformations and a couple of base moves ago. I would suggest you need to politely address questions to the Assistant Deputy Minister (Materiel) (ADM (Mat)) at NDHQ, Major General George R Pearkes Building, 101 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, ON K1? ???. You don't want a "communications" answer. You don't want a historic answer. You are a serious researcher. You might ask that your letter be forwarded to the Director of Land Equipment, and to someone with corporate memory of the move from St-Hubert and who knows where those manuals wound up. Once you've found the right question to ask, explain that you will go through Access to Information.

[rob love]

I ran across one of my ring binders of military motorcycle manuals yesterday. It is mostly parts manuals and modifications for the older Can Am 250s, but there is the military parts manual for the Armstrong MT-500.

Off of that we can get the EAC of 30905. Using that, the CFTO numbers can be deduced. The parts manual is C30-905-000/MX-000. All manuals for the Armstrong will start with the C30-905-000/ and just the rear portion of letters will change with the various manuals. For instance, MA will be a data summary, MB the users manual, MN the maintenance manuals, and CF will be any modification bulletins. Some of these could even be online in the CF system.

So basically, if guys are looking through their tech libraries, keep an eye out for anything in the C30-905 series.

I have another binder somewhere with more military motorcycle manuals, but it has thus far eluded me.

If anyone is interested in parts manuals for the can am along with some of the mod instructions, I have a number of those as well. I don't foresee me getting another mil motorcycle anytime soon. I also have 2 or 3 manuals for the old triumphs as well if someone is interested.

[mike mckinley]

hi rob
i'm interested in both the can-am and triumph manuals. please pm me with price, your address, ect. thanks and cheers!! mike

[MacRae]

Just acquired one of these MT500's, pick it up tonight. Test drove it a few weeks ago around the snow and she runs great, new tires and bearings.

I will post photos

[servicepub (RIP)]

Does anyone here know that I actually wrote a book on Canadian Military Motorcycles?
Clive

[MacRae]

Where do I find the book?

So i'll post the pictures later, but the serial number is EC0069. has just over 2000 km

[rob love]

Davin
Give either Wayne or Jaimie a call at Marway militaria over on Sgt (near the airport). They stock most of the servicepub series.

[BCA]

I had 5 of about a dozen MT500's that were sold surplus from a government auction in eastern Ontario a few years ago. Fortuneatley they were all sold with Ontario registrations for getting licenced. I recall that about 85 were purchased by the army. They have all gone to new owners but I still have about 10 NOS rubber bellows for the from suspension. PM me if interested in a package deal. Many of the surplus parts I once had were packaged by Harley Davidson after they acquired the rights to this model.
... Brian

[rob love]

There is (or was) a large hoard of Armstrong parts up near Saskatoon SK at a surplus dealer. I believe he got all the surplus parts out of Edmonton. However, when I talked to him, he would not split up the parts, but rather wanted to sell all of them in one batch, and pretty much at the price listed on the supply vouchers. It's been a few years, but I think the total value of the lot was somewhere in the $200K range. Needless to say, there were not a lot of buyer lined up, especially considering the small number of these bikes that were in Canada.

[servicepub (RIP)]

Originally Posted by MacRae

Where do I find the book?

If Marway doesn't have any in stock you can order directly from me at www.servicepub.com.
Clive

[MacRae]

If you remember who that was Rob let me know.... things change the longer things sit sometimes.

Here is my story on this bike so far

Here it is, Acquired March 15 2013. Photo's taken March 17 2013. Temperature -18C

Started with full choke, ran 5 mins and moved to half choke. Another 5 mins moved choke to off and she purred like a kitten. The throttle cable I suspect is too long or perhaps routed through the wrong way. Or maybe it was just too cold for the jetting to keep up but the adjustment on both the carb and the throttle housing are all the way out and its still barely idling. If I turn the handlebars all the way right turn it stretches the cable enough to hold idle. I will explore further when I get my new carb boot (old one torn).

Rode around the neighborhood (yes in the snow ), going to explore the timing because Im getting some backfiring on heavy throttle blips through the pipe and airbox. I suspect it might be one tooth off. There also seems to be some oil leaking from the head bolts or somewhere around that area. Will pin-point when it gets warmer. Maybe the seals are just needing to be wet as this bike sat for 10 or more years. I also just had the head and cylinder split as we suspected something dropped down the spark plug hole< found part of a bbq lighter inside. >

Thats it so far. Going to take it in for its safety certification and get a professional mechanic give it a once over. Can't wait for spring....

[rob love]

It was Gilles Prince in Maymont, Saskatchewan . He is a displaced Quebecker who moved to Saskatchewan and opened a Surplus store in the middle of absolute nowhere. You can spot his operation on the N side of the highway as you travel the yellowhead highway from Saskatoon to N. Battleford. If you google earth, it will let you have a street view of the property on the NE corner of hgwy2 and hgwy 376. The phone number used to be on a sign on the side but it does not appear on google earth. I also note on a 411 search that he may be living in Saskatoon now.

Now put your motorcycle away and get back to shovelling snow. You'll get frostbite driving that around this time of year. Besides, it makes me miss my military Can-am.

[MacRae]

I find it crazy how the crazy usually end up with the stuff we need and have ridiculous demands on how we obtain them from them. I mean is there some code between weird crazy people with too much money to buy MILSURP?

that is all. rant over.
Davin.