8 Weeks to ARMISTICE 100: Motorcycles in World War I

I am sucker for action films and, luckily, my husband is also. The motorcycle "cat and mouse" in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade between Indie and the Nazi cyclist was a favorite scene. World War II was not the first time motorcycles were used in war efforts.

The United States first employed motorcycles in hunting down Panco Villa and his troops in the Mexican Revolution. Then in the Great War motorcycles went to Europe with the doughboys.  

Here are the "War Warriors" of the American and British motorcycle corps.  

The U.S. introduced the Harley-Davidson Model 17F/J in 1917. It was quick and responsive, agile and versatile, for the times. It could be outfitted with stretchers, sidecars, shields and machine guns.

Leading the U.S. into the war in 1916 was the Indian Powerplus Big Twin, which, imho, was one attractive machine. Indian supplied 50,000 which were faster and more maneuverable than the Harleys. Sadly the company never fully restored its civilian sales after the war. But is it not gorgeous?

The U. K. started using the Triumph Model H in 1915 specifically for scurrying messages between their forces on the front line due to other means being less dependable. It only drove 4 MPH so it became dubbed "Trusty" as it dependability trumped its speed. Over 30,000 came to battle and were equipped with the same gear as the American motorcycles.

Source:  A Brief History of Motorcycles in the Military by Maxwell Barna @ ​Thrill List online.

Just a side note not related to motorcycles:  We watched The Lost Battalion, 2001, again tonight which stars Rickie Schroeder.  I highly recommend it. The costuming, reality, diversity of the ranks, and the courageous story are all riveting.