Japanese Army Bicycle

[arisakadogs]

I've been collecting since about 1967 and I have to say that this is probably the coolest item I ever added to my collection. It was made by Yamaguchi Bicycle Industries and the rear fender markings read "32nd Independent Army Infantry Battalion #4". This unit was part of the 8th Regiment in North China and was later transferred to the 24th Division and sent to Okinawa in 1944 where this bike was probably captured. It's all original except for the seat which was redone but I still have the original. The front tire is solid rubber and is still fairly supple. The rear tire is pneumatic, flat and hard as a rock. There is some shrapnel damage to the rear fender and the axel stand. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I'd own one of these!

[ghp95134]

Nice bike!

In case you don't know what the kanji say ...

山口自動車工場
Yamaguchi Bicycle Factory

✩ [陸] 軍
陸軍
Rikugun / Army

✩ (独歩三二) ４号
(Independent Infantry 32) No. 4

[ghp95134]

Oops .... I have a habit of not reading an entire comment before I launch off into "research mode."

Anyway, I see that you already know what the kanji say.


--Guy

[bsiwula1]

That's one awesome piece of history. Great it survived, and fits it perfectly amongst the rest of your collection. Thanks for sharing. Best regards. Welcome to the forum.

Brian

[AZPhil]

A very nice bike and what looks like an AWESOME Japanese collection

And yes indeed Welcome to the forum. Its look like you could keep us drooling with your inventory!!! I look forward to seeing more.

Semper Fi
Phil

[sitges1990]

Now that is a crazy cool bike. The lettering is so crisp and clear. Amazing find. It would sure be a wild experience to ride a bike into battle.

[Rescue190]

Wow! Very nice piece to add to a collection. Thanks for sharing.
John

[Rod]

Great to see you on here A-dawgs! Methinks one of the best Japanese militaria forums around, thanks to the top notch contributors, just got better.

That bicycle is outstanding, thanks for sharing!

Rod

[MAP]

Wow!!! Cool bike and fantastic collection. I spy quite a few items that really catch my eye. Can't wait to see more.

[arisakadogs]

Thanks for the nice welcome! Here are some more photos of my "gun Room". Much more is tucked away in boxes or under the pistol table.