Military themed retro motorcycles have an
appeal to a certain segment of the riding public and French importer Mash
caters to the dream with the 2020 Mash Desert Force 400, priced at 4,995 euros. Styled after an army despatch rider’s metal steed from around the
time Montgomery and Rommel were duking it out in North Africa, the Desert Force
400, as its name implies, is reminiscent of motorcycles from that era.
Dressed in desert beige, styling is
definitely on the vintage side of things, with the large passenger grab ring a
design cue taken off the BMW Motorrad R75 used by the Afrika Korps. Other
styling cues to give the Desert Force 400 its retro nature include sprung
seats, spoked wheels, jerry can and pannier on the left and right, respectively
and a small document pouch with ammo bandolier mounted on the 13-litre fuel
tank.
Looking a little out place is a the
single, round LCD instrument panel, offset in the style of the Ducati Scrambler
with blue backlight. A grilled horn is located on the other side of the display
and a headlight grille completes the retro military look.
While Mash is not a mainstream motorcycle
company, selling a range of budget motorcycles in the 50 cc to 400 cc range,
what is known about the Desert Force 400 is it carries a 397 cc air-cooled,
single-cylinder mill that produces a claimed 27 PS and 30 Nm of torque. Power
gets to the ground via a a five-speed gearbox and chain final drive, with
reports saying this retro bike is made by Qingqi of China.
Weight for the Desert Force 400 is said to
be 163 kg, which is somewhat normal for a retro motorcycle of this sort and it
certainly does look like a fun bike for slow trips around the countryside.
Suspension is done with telescopic forks in front and twin shock absorbers in
the back while a single hydraulic front disc with ABS and drum brake at the
back perform stopping duties.
