Hitchcocks Forum

Swiss Army Condor A350


A scalyback article



The beauty of a specific bike is usually defined by 'In the eye of the beholder.' But the Swiss Army Condor A350, comes under the heading of 'Near to tears beautiful', for those who like army bikes.








They were manufactured between 1972 and 1978 (when the factory 'closed it's doors') by the condor cycle company, being built in Switzerland, but using de-tuned Ducati 350 single engines.




There were only 3000 Condor A350's made, as Switzerland is a small country, making these army chuggers a very rare sight indeed.









They even had their own complete support trailers which contained just everything.







The swiss army cared for them so well that they lasted in service for many years, the last being pensioned off in 2001.





They were right gear shift with the kickstart on the left hand side!



details might be useful here...



Manufacturer Condor SA, Courfaivre

Military Service Specialised military model supplied to the Swiss armed forces in 1973, for solo despatch and general liaison duties.

Military equipment Rear carry rack, leather panniers, sub-marine support brackets, additional masked lighting, all-over service livery.

Engine type Ducati -Condor, vertical ohc single-cylinder capacity: 340 cc 76 x 75 mm

Comp, ratio 8.2 : 1

Output 16.6 hp at 5000 rpm

Starting left foot kick-start

Carburettor single Dell'Orto type VHB 27 AD

Electrics 6V, 70 Watt

Clutch Multi-plate, wet

Gearbox Foot change, 5-speed

Final Exposed chain

Frame & Wheels

Type duplex cradle, tubular construction

Front forks telescopic, hydraulic damping

Rear forks trailing, helical sprung

Brakes internal expanding drums, 200 mm diameter front and rear

Tyre size 3.25 x 18"front, 3.50 x 18"rear, road pattern



Later Ducati had the engines made by a company in Spain, only difference is they do not have 'Made in Italy' on them!



And of course, Switzerland having many mountains, the bikes were expected to get around them better than a sure footed goat!











Here, a bunch of happy swiss guys wearing 'Picasso' camouflage, pose with their snow covered Condors.






Mind you, wasn't always cold!





There was a bracket and strap each side to hold the rider's (and passenger's) rifle





Apart from despatch riding, they were used to put up for temporary signage for military excercises.





And also for the military police. Taken in 1999, these bikes have sadly neared the end of their service life, but are still in excellent mechanical and visual condition.




They are still around!



Many of these bikes made it into preservation, with the Swiss army taking the unusual step of selling parts to the owners as required. This was found to be more economical than either junking or selling them as a bulk lot!



Even with indicators fitted, a Condor A 350 is still a very stunning ride, that does not fail to turn heads.









If you ever do come across one of these, take a look under the seat...





where the documents live...







You should find a record of every single trip that the bike made during it's army career!




Oh, one last thing... The engines were so incredibly quiet, that the swiss patrols could just drive up to people without them realising it!





So that is scaly's guide to the condor A350. A beautiful motorcycle! And one that is sorely missed as the last army bike made in Switzerland. (They use BMW's now!)

Thanxs, Scaly, for your pixs of those EXQUISITE machines!
Lumbered with such a turgid name 'Condor' Always seem
to associate it with a scavenging hideous vulture bird,
or something vaguely to do with the Luftwaffe interfering
in the Spanish Civil War. Or for that matter, a 650cc boxer
the Swiss also used?

Here are a few vids showing some of the Condor models.





Condor A580, this one is 1953. The swiss copied the BMW and Zundapp type engines, but it is a condor engine. They were forced to make their own after WWII for a while as all the neighbouring country's motorcycle production was low due to many factories being bombed.









This vid shows the Condor A250 (1958-68). It is long in in swiss-german, but halfway through you get some close-ups of the engine and get to see it drive off and come back again.











Here is a Condor A350 startup and walk around vid. The engine is rubber mounted, and bounces on tickover, sometimes making the whole bike walk on it's centre stand!

Great pictures of a great bike. However, a Swiss Army Bike? Where are the bottle opener, the scissors, screwdriver, corkscrew, the spike for getting boy scouts out of horses hooves, nail file, nail clippers, pen knife blade, miniature hacksaw, wire cutters and all the other "Swiss Army" useless.....sorry useful, tools? LOL. Still great pictures.

Mmmm bevel shaft driven overhead cams. They are a jewel of a motor!

Forgot to add here is the toolkit and stuff that comes with it.



Don't ask about the orange handled thing, It might be an exhaust cleaner, but do remember these swiss army guys do spend quite some time up the mountains, sometimes on their own!

Oh yes, silly me... It's probably a duster for the bikes paintwork!