Gentex Military Motorcycle Helmet

[Robin Craig]

Does anyone have any knowledge of these being used in Canada by the CF either Militia or Reg force?

They have an earphone and a microphone that would enable a mounted member to use a radio on a motorcycle while riding.

That then begs the question, does anyone have any provenace of the radio mountings.

Just trying to sort lore from supposition and legend from fact.

[rob love]

I don't think the reserves had motorcycles.....maybe I'm wrong but there just were not that many bikes to go around towards the end.

All I saw in the unit I was in were commercial olive drab motorcycle helmets issued to whomever got to play on the bikes. If you find a copy of Roger Lucy's book "Tin Lids", I believe that helmet is covered in there.

The last of the motorcycles were heading out the door around the same time I was....about 2003.

[maple_leaf_eh]

I would echo Rob on the issue of motorcycles to the Reserves. The vehicle is a tool, and the tool is dependant on the mission. In my limited experience with 1 CSR (1 Canadian Signals Regiment), the dispatch riders used what was required and what was available. What I saw were Iltis' and guys bundled up against the cold, moving paper files forward from Div Rear and between units in the Division.

The Reserves have always had a much less complicated mission simply due to their level of organization and practical capacity. A militia armoured unit, nominally called a regiment, is really only a half-squadron in size. For a while the prize for winning a particular national trophy as the best reserve armoured regiment was to mount a 21-man recce troop for REFORGER callout in Germany. I have photos of one troop from the late 70s with men from three different units. Not their fault, that is all the equipment issued and the men available between school and work.

The same for the reserve communications squadrons. They are coy about their wartime tasks, but I can't imagine them capable of fielding more than a couple dozen rather randomly skilled individual replacements to a regular force organization chart. Trying to get and keep skilled and qualified motorcycle dispatch riders might be a bit too much to ask.