It seems odd that there are no 1/35 kits of the civilian Honda motorcycles common to Afghanistan, like the CG-125 and copies. Diopark, Meng, and Takom have some modern civilian cars and trucks, but these motorbikes seem as ubiquitous as the Toyota Hilux. These bikes would make a nice addition to a diorama.

BK

They would indeed, but no motorcycles were ever legally sold in Kabul, and probably not in the whole country. They were all brought(and usually stolen) from Pakistan.
You could use any of the 1/35 bikes available. They had everything from dirt bikes to 250 Ninjas. I may even recall an FJ1300.
I myself rode a dirt bike down in Orgun. Loads of fun in the middles of nowhere. It'd be suicide in Kabul though.

When I get back home I'll see if I can't post photos of a "motorcycle shop" in Kabul. I did manage to pick up an unusual souvenir there.

Dragon and Tamiya made Kawi 650 and Honda 250s. (military scout bikes.) Tamiya and Miniart (?) make old BSAs. Sure there are a few of those (and some Indian outfit made / makes clones) running around. Did the Sovs leave any Urals behind? (TAMIYA'S Honda)

For false BSAs I think you're confusing them with Indian Royal Enfields, Bullets 500 or 350, they're not clones at all, it's one of the oldest motorcycle brand in the world never ceased production since 1905 and Bullet is the oldest model of motorcycle in continuous production in the world, with small changes the Bullet has been in production since 1931, and is the most common bike in India since the' 50s.

the limited edition Pegasus has just come out to commemorate the Royal Enfield built for the British paratroopers during WWII

https://royalenfield.com.au/models/pegasus/

Especially for the Western market they make the Bullet Classic 500 or 350 model even in Army colors ... it's basically like buying a 50s motorcycle but new

Because the Royal Enfield from the mid 1800 produced weapons and cannons the bullet motto was "Made like a Gun fast like a Bullet"

As Orville said to Wilbur, "You're right!" I remembered it was a Brit bike. Someone here in the states was selling them 25 some odd years ago. Was looking at getting one. Still, I don't think an old Beesa would look out of place. (I forget which model it was, but they made a police version. It was called The Saint Stop Anything In No Time!)

You can still find some old BSA in India but they are in really ruff condition,i am going to try the Classic 500 next week i maybe buy one,the new Indian owner expand the market a lot in the western coutry in the last few years improve the bikes and build a brand new state of the art factory,now the export bike are better quality then the Indian market ones (they also more 8000$AU) and the new model of the 500 have electronic injection and Euro 4 standards,2 disc brakes,ABS and few other things but the rest is still the Bullet of the 50's ,they move part of the production in the early 50's to builds the bikes for the Indian army because build them in England and ship them in India was to expensive.

The Bullet is a fun bike, but if your wife likes to go fast, she'll tell you to get something with a little more HP.

Aah! But that classic Brit Bike styling!!!! Just as long as ther are no Lucas electronics involved!

Nice one!...No my wife and speed live on a different planet,i always own and restore classic Vespa's in Europe,i am a adrenaline junky and with a fast bike a can do something bad i know my head works like we say in Italian "In caso incerto tieni aperto" "in case you are uncertain, keep it open"... ,now i decide to sell my Vespa 125 VNA 1T 1958 because cost to much send here in OZ,i would restore something else but i need something now no time and cash for a restoration at the moment and the Bullet Classic in the closest thing to a classic bike i can use everyday,i dont like Japanese plastic scooter's and i like to make my hands dirty...and i know the down side of the RE,vibration,slow and the Indians still have to discover the Loctite...but for me is part of the game...sorry to hijack the topic!!!....

If someone wants a Vespa 125 VNA 1T 1958 completely restored in her originality like mamma Piggio done it 60 years a go give me a buzz....

Here's the Vespa I want!!!!

Hahaha...yep i know the 150 TAP...I sit on one years a go,make feel a real men with that gun between you legs!...

. . . moving right along . . . .

H.P.

Frenchy that's perfect!...the first one it's a Royal Enfield,the third it looks like a Puch Maxi I had one when i was 14 purple aubergine with long chopper style chrome forks, the fifth should be a Honda I had the 50cc and 125cc, the seventh a Zündapp? ... and the last one a Moto Guzzi ... the others do not know maybe the fourth a Husqvarna and the other a Jawa 350 ...

Diopark also sell a twin pack of the Honda Cub (scooter?). Early model for Vietnam era, but by the time you remove the leg guards and strap on some plastic crates no-one will know.

They do a Vespa too, but probably not appropriate for Afghan.

I think there is a good chance that some of them both Honda and Vespa are possible to be find in Afghanistan,both are models very popular all over Asia, Piaggio had a factory in India that produced Vespa untill late '90 early 2000 then bought with the rights to continue to produce them from LML.

I keep looking for the Diopark kits with no luck. I agree, we can use some bikes, scooters and those home made three wheelers.

I'll be looking for the Dragon and Tamiya kits now that I know they can be used. Thanks for that information!

I've mentioned my time in Orgun, Afghanistan. The photo below is not me - it's a friend whose team we RIPe'd. We used the bike to visit seven OP's we had around our firebase. Each was manned by varying numbers of AMF, (Afghan Militia Forces) 55 of whom we were personally responsible for training. The OP's were spaced pretty far out - about a klick each as I remember. The AMF themselves were made famous the Master Box Somewhere in the Middle East set, which represents each one so well you can tell which one is which.

While not absolutely correct, I plan to use the bike from the DML U.S. Light Infantry Set when I eventually do a diorama of Firebase Harriman. The bike is strikingly similar, the include the square headlight, fly screen, and even the two ribs on the front fender.

Interesting one for the Kawis, back in the early 80s (?) I saw a photo of a UH-1H with section of aluminum channel, the length of the rear door, welded to each skid. The idea was the motorcycles wheels would rest in the channel, not sure how the upper end was secured ... bungee cord around the handle bars and the post in the door way? ,,,, 1 motor on each side, 2 scouts inside. Fly to an LZ, quick un hitch the bikes and off the scouts go. Not sure if it was a one off trial, field mod. or what, but was interesting.

I'm pretty sure it's a French-made Peugeot 103 moped (the Eiffel tower in the background is a giveaway ). Most of them have been long gone by now, wiped out by scooters...

H.P.

Ops...i see now the stuff on the backgruod!...yep have to be a peugeot but if you check is nearly the same of the Puch Maxi Sport of maybe the frame was the same

You can try to spot the differences between the two AFAIK they're not related...

http://103-world.social3w.fr/upload/photos/203-peugeot-103-vs-original-1971-large.jpg

https://vintagemopeds.files.wordpress.com/2017/06/1976-yellow-puch-maxi-1.jpg

https://puchinfo.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/1979-maxi-sport.jpg

Sorry for the digression Brian

H.P.

Someone mentioned Urals. Yes, they were there in abundance...in the famed Kabul Boneyard. While a friend of mine was busy locating lost FT-17s, I spent my time finding things I could actually take home, like two 19th century cannons from the Kabul Iron Works, hundreds of pounds of tank parts, or Ural parts. None of these bikes were intact, nor was there any way to cobble a whole one together. THis frame found its way into one of our team rooms. We'd have "dignitaries" sign it. That's me, pre-beard.

Tamiya did (do?) a JGSDF set with a Jap off-roader of some sort and a couple of figures.

There are a few 3-wheelers in 1/32. Arii do some old Daihatsu, for example.

Joefix do a Vietnam-era Lambretta scooter-taxi (Lambro 550?) in 1/35 resin that could probably be adapted. Expensive, though: $50 or so.