The U.S. MT500 is one of the rarest and lowest production motorcycles ever made by Harley-Davidson in their York, PA. Manufacturing plant.
Harley-Davidson produced;
About 3500 MT350s and MT500s from 1995 to 1998,
20 U.S. MT500s in 1995
278 U.S. MT500s in 1999
About 200 U.S. MT500s in 2000. (Although only a very few of the 2000 models have been accounted for)
Most of the MTs were used by the Military and then auctioned off. A few were offered to military personnel. The 1999s and 2000s left were sold to a few select Harley-Davidson dealers. Those dealers were offered two bikes, but only a few bought the bikes. Most did not take advantage because of the economy at that time. They had a retail price of $10,000 or $11,500 with the only option, Panniers and a Gun case. The dealers had the option of selling the bikes, but most of them went to Museums or collectors.
Thus, making this bike one of the rarest and lowest production motorcycles ever made by Harley-Davidson.
It is still possible to find a Harley-Davidson MT350 or MT500. Most of the MT350s and MT500s are in England, some are in Canada and a few in the USA. These bikes are not made for the U.S. There are some in pristine condition but most of them have been well used and unfortunately, customized with paint, chrome and cosmetic changes. There are also some mid to late 1980s tagged with the Armstrong name that are less valuable because they are pre Harley-Davidson. The price of a nice USED U.S. MT500 have been seen selling for around $10,000.00
HISTORY
The development of this Harley-Davidson MT500 ( M-50 military term) was started by an Italian company called SWM Motor Works. They used an Austrian engine called the Rotax which came in 350cc and 505cc sizes. After winning several trials championships and two world championships, the company liquidated. In 1984 Armstrong of Bolton, England bought the rights to SWM Motor Works.
A military version of the motorcycle was developed for use in the Falklands for the British Army, for desert use by the Jordanian Army, and for the Canadian Army to use in mountainous areas.
Armstrong made this motorcycle from 1985 to 1989.
In 1989 Harley-Davidson bought Armstrong primarily to have the rights to the Rotax engine which was used for their dirt-track racing teams.
These motorcycles are very rugged and can stand extreme desert temperatures, rocky terrain and harsh environments. They can even stand torrents of fording water as the operation manual states. However, they proved not good for military use because of two problems. One, the heat from the engine was easily detected by enemy forces using infrared scopes. They tried blocking the radiation by adding front Panniers, (Storage case) but to no avail. The other problem was the use of gasoline for the bikes instead of diesel which was used primarily by the military.
In 1998 Harley-Davidson lost the military contract because they went to what was called a ONE fuel Army. Diesel.
This bike has the orginial title and has only 41 miles on it. This bike would make a good investment or would add to someone's collection. Serious offers only I would consider partial trade on a 07 or newer 110 ultra.
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