harley davidson MT500 miltary motorcycle: a pristine example in las vegas

many factors determine a motorcycle’s place on the ladder of collectability. rarity certainly counts, as does having an interesting backstory. if the machine in question is unstarted and unridden, with 0 miles just as it came from the factory shipping crate, it naturally moves a few rungs farther up the scale. this harley-davidson ‘MT500’ military motorcycle checks all those boxes, and is set to feature at the las vegas motorcycle auction.

harley davidson MT500 miltary motorcycle: one of under 500 examples, with 0 miles on the clock
all images © bonhams

harley davidson is not adverse to gathering smaller brands under the corporate umbrella. witness aermacchi in the 1960s and ’70s, or more recently MV agusta, and on the home front there was buell. the ‘MT500’s’ path to milwaukee was more than a little convoluted, starting in the early 1980s when italian outfit SWM produced an army bike using the austrian-built rotax single for power. simple and sturdy, the air-cooled rotax, made in displacements ranging from 350 to 600 cc, was well known to dirt bike riders, used in KTMs, ATKs, and CCMs, among others. 

harley davidson MT500 miltary motorcycle 

when SWM faltered financially, EK firm armstrong-CCM stepped in, already familiar with the engine and desirous of the british army contact for military bikes. harley enters the picture in the late ’80s, not only to explore the military market but also wanting ‘home ownership’ of the rotax engine, at that time used in the factory race team’s short-trackers and TT bikes. 

detail harley davidson MT500 miltary motorcycle 

while harley isn’t very forthcoming with details about the military bike project, it’s believed that fewer than 500 examples left the company’s york, pennsylvania factory from 1993-2000, making it one of the rarest harley davidsons in model history. the US military’s requirement that diesel be the common battlefield fuel brought production to an end. this stunning 1999 example, equipped with plastic gun case and front-mounted ammo panniers, was uncrated by a previous owner and has remained unridden in the carter collection’s care, showing 0 miles on its odometer.