i wonder what the recoil on that thing is…..

Melissa, it does say, “recoilless.” But yeah … I’m picturing newsreel-type footage of someone firing this thing, the front end shimmying like crazy, then a comical crash in a ditch.

Yeah, but is it street legal?

You’d have to take it off to fire it, unless you were willing to make the ultimate sacrifice ( suicide mission ).
“Recoilless” means that it lessens the recoil by spitting all the hot gases out the back of the gun to counter the shell shooting out the front.
Consequently, if you were sitting on the seat when you fired it, I doubt front end shimmy would be the worst of your problems.

http://en.wikipedia.org…

I believe the danger area behind a gun like this extends 300 feet or so…

I think I just got an idea for a kickass remake of “Roman Holiday.”

Airmon, then I guess if you fire while sitting we’re talking baked ham(s)?

Talk about turning the other cheek!

Kenneth – Along with “Roasted Chestnuts”. While the gun itself might not recoil, I would guess that if you caught the full blast of the recoil gasses you would likely be blown off the back of the scooter.

According to article at the link provided by Airmon, this weapon saw service in Algeria and Indochina. Here’s more info on this specific device.

http://en.wikipedia.org…

I can’t take credit for this (I saw it on another blog), but I’m gonna use it anyway: That’s the first time you could call a Vespa a crotch rocket.

wel it,s cheap, fast (compared to walking) and pack a punch. I say: let’s reintroduce these things!

In the bicycle museum in Orchard Park, NY, there’s a regular bike with a 30 cal. machine gun mounted on the handlebars. (http://www.pedalinghist…)

The Vespa looks a lot more practical.

BTW, I just saw that Pedaling History will close in January 2009. Too bad, it’s a fairly unique museum.

This would actually be a fairly effective way to use the weapon. The only difficulty would be in aiming and adjusting elevation. A recoilless rifle has no kickback, and while no one would want to be behind it when it fires, you’d be perfectly safe sitting astride the thing. We used to use the M67 90mm recoilless rifle when I was in the army, and it was a shoulder-carried weapon, much like the “bazooka” rocket launcher. No risk at all for the operator. See, http://www.inetres.com/… for info.

instead of mounting it to the bike so that you cant move it, a flexible mount would be much better. in essence, a recoilless rifle has all of the general advantages and disadvantages of a bazooka.
also, Airmon: look at it again. the back of the gun goes past the end of the bike. you can sit in the seat and fire it without killing yourself

That can’t be a french gun. French guns are straight up so a white flag (the french national flag) can be easily seen.