Editor’s Note: Earlier this week, I introduced you to Vipin Shri. Here’s his first feature for you to enjoy. I want to take a moment to thank him and the other contributors because their posts allow me some free time to create side projects like the Zero video for you, too!
As you know, we’re pretty big fans of the Harley Davidson MT500 here at Bike-urious–especially since they barely ever pop up for sale. And with only 355 made in 1999 and less than a third produced for the following year, their absence from the market makes sense.
This example (VIN: 4T1BE32K03U179580) has only 860 miles, states a clear title & NY registration, like-new condition, and comes fully equipped with luggage and the very Rambo-esque M16 gun case. The bike looks in great condition aside from the pretty obvious scuff on the gun case. The ad also states that the current owner is going through a divorce or wouldn’t be selling at all. To us, it means that one person’s divorce can lead to a dream military motorcycle addition to another person’s garage. At the end of the day, it’s a collector’s item first and a rugged dual-sport second–but with less than a thousand miles and an engine that’s nearly bullet-proof, the next owner can take this bike just about anywhere.
The MT500 Backstory
The development of this motorcycle dates back to 1977 when SWM Motor Works started using Rotax engines on their championship trials bikes. In 1984, Armstrong-CCM bought the rights to SWM, thereby, getting access to their Rotax engines. At that time, the primary focus was to create a military motorcycle for the British to use during the Falklands War. They then went on to build orders for both the Canadian and Jordanian militaries. While they looked the part, these bikes proved to be unfit for military use due to their lack of heat shielding, which was easily seen by enemies using infrared technology. The storage panniers were introduced as a solution to shield the heat but they didn’t quite get the job done, either.
In 1989 Harley-Davidson bought Armstrong primarily for the rights to the Rotax engine to use for their dirt-track racing teams. They started manufacturing the still-popular-in-UK MT350s and in 1999 introduced the MT500 in the US as a remake of the original Armstrong MT500. These bikes might go down as one of Harley’s oddest releases, but it’s why we can’t get enough of them.
This Harley Davidson MT500 was on eBay but did not meet reserve with bidding up to $7,000. Seems like the exact same bike is also for sale here on Craigslist with an asking price of $7,950 in Astoria, New York.