By guest writer Scott of Pipeburn. Many times I’ve wished I had a Bazooka attached to my bike, usually after almost being killed by someone who didn’t check their side mirrors. Luckily for them, all I had to unload was my middle finger. So when I first saw this Vespa, I knew most motorcyclists would love the concept—even if it was made for a different purpose. It is named the Vespa 150 TAP (Troupes Aéro Portées) and it’s an Italian Vespa scooter modified by creating a hole in the legshield to carry a M20 75 mm recoilless rifle. The recoil or ‘kick’ from the rifle was counter balanced by venting propellant gases out the rear of the weapon; this eliminated the need for heavy mounts, and enabled the weapon to be fired from the Vespa frame. Due to the lack of any kind of aiming devices, the recoilless rifle was supposed to be mounted on a tripod, which was also carried by the scooter. Primarily built for the Algerian War in the 1950s, five parachutes could carry a two-man gun crew, weapon, ammunition, and two scooters. Then the men would load the weapon on one scooter and the ammo on the other, before riding away to find their enemy. Although rumour has it that the drivers were seen more often pushing it rather than riding on it …
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14 Comments
Hey Scott, Talk to this guy if you still want the rocket launcher on your bike.
http://www.break.com/index/guy-makes-motorcycle-rocket-launchers.html
My dream weapon of choice for all types of personal transportation has always been the MaDuce, or in situation of extremity, the quad mount of same . . .
A quad .50 setup on any vehicle weighing less than 10,000 pounds would shake it to bits after firing 100 rounds! I say flame-thrower: best psychological effect.
The French being French, this was far from the silliest concept they tried; single track motorcycle like the Lehaitre and the even weirder Mercier with a front-track drive only. I know the Germans built 8,000+ Kettenkrads, but that monstrosity actually worked, so it dosn’t count as silliness.
Now the Mods can give those Rockers what they have coming to them….
haha yeah, another reason to laugh at their silly scooters!
“As you can see, I have a cannon between my legs. Ciao, Baby.”
…Vrrrrrrrrmm putputput…
I’ve heard this setup was only for carrying, not for firing.
Woody you are right, due to no aiming device it was supposed to be mounted on a tripod before firing. Although I am sure it would have been fired a few times on the scooter.
with those tiny wheels through the algerian deserts? them mods (and frenchies) have really lost it. Also you’d have to be an ace to smoothly land five parachutes and leave the bike and explosives undamaged.
Tinker, don’t be a scooter-hater. Just because you don’t like it or don’t “get scooters” is no reason to put them down. What do you care what other people ride?
-Mingh
Dudes jump with explosives and motorcycles all the time, it’s all in how you package them, usually with a ton of really thick cardboard.
- Gee, nice bike there fella, how do you start the engine? Is this the ignition button?
“Click”
- Nooooooo!!!!
- KABOOOOM!
I will be working on my scooter, now that I have a clearer concept of what it needs to be. Thank you!