Speeder Bike
Speeder bikes are small repulsorlift vehicles that are popular throughout
the galaxy as personal transports and recreational vehicles. They are so
effective that the Empire's scout troops often use them for military
purposes.
Speeder bikes make excellent ground reconnaissance craft. They can reach
speeds up to five hundred kilometers per hour and are more maneuverable
than both landspeeders and airspeeders, allowing them to travel through
terrain that would stop those vehicles. Most speeder bikes have a low
flight ceiling of about twenty-five meters above ground level.
While they have access to several speeder bike models, the Empire's scout
troopers prefer the Aratech 74-Z bikes for both speed and reliability. The
Aratech 74-Z can run for thousands of kilometers without any significant
maintenance, allowing biker scouts to operate unsupported for weeks at a
time. These speeder bikes have armor plating and a single blaster cannon.
Aratech 74-Zs have two outriggers with four forward steering vanes.
Maneuver controls are located in the hand grips, while altitude controls
are built into the foot pedals. Speed normally is controlled through the
foot pedals. Communications, sensors, and weaponry controls are set in a
panel in front of the saddle, while a small cargo compartment is found
underneath the seat. A biker scout may reset the control configuration
through this panel: some biker scounts prefer to run the accelerator
controls through the hand grips.
The forward undercarriage of the speeder bike houses the maneuvering
control units (linked to the directional vanes) and the blaster cannon.
The rear of of the speeder bike is taken up entirely by the power cell
and repulsorlift engines.
While the Aratech 74-Z is the most popular Imperial speeder bike, the
Empire uses several other versions for patrol duty, including the
Aratech 64-Y Swift 3 Repulsorlift Sled, the Ikas-Adno Starhawk, and the
Mobquet TrailMaker III.
Craft: Aratech 74-Z Military Speeder Bike
Class: Speeder [Ground]
Size: Large (3.9 m long)
Passangers: 0
Cargo Capacity: 4 kg
Speed: 100 m
Max Velocity: 300 km/h
Cost: Not available for sale
Crew: 1 (Skilled +4)
Initiative: +3 (-1 size, +4 crew)
Maneuver: +3 (-1 size, +4 crew)
Defense: 12* (-1 size, +3 armor)
Shield Points: 0
Hull Points: 20 (DR 5)
*Provides one-quarter cover to crew.
Weapons:
Light Blaster Cannon
Fire Arc: Front
Attack Bonus: +3 (-1 size, +2 crew, +2 fire control)
Damage: 3d8
Range Increments: 50 m
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