Author Topic: The one HD I would like to own (Read 5422 times)

canuck750 · « **on:** May 30, 2018, 06:19:30 PM »

I find these to be attractive in a strange but good way

https://boise.craigslist.org/mcy/d/harley-davidson-sprint-sx350/6601187169.html

This one is a bit pricey IMHO but I love the scrambler style

Perazzimx14 · « **Reply #1 on:** May 30, 2018, 06:35:55 PM »

Italian Harley

oldbike54 · « **Reply #2 on:** May 30, 2018, 06:38:16 PM »

Spaghetti Harlette .

Run away , by then the venerable old engine was past its best-if-used-by date .

Dusty

tazio · « **Reply #3 on:** May 30, 2018, 06:46:30 PM »

And they still can be had for so much less. Light as a feather. Great conversation starter.
I have had mine since I was 18. Turning 56 this year. She's family!
In the early '80s the wife of Walter A Kohl (he was a Guzzi Dealer in Lockport,NY), told me how slow a seller they were.
~If you bought a new FLH they would GIVE you a Sprint!

Wildguzzi.com · « **Reply #3 on:** May 30, 2018, 06:46:30 PM »

Guzzidad · « **Reply #4 on:** May 30, 2018, 07:16:59 PM »

I had a 350SS back in the 80's. It was SO cool! Had a header pipe that split into dual exhaust and had upswept mufflers on each side. Unfortunately the charging system didn't work and I didn't know enough at the time how to fix it. It was incredibly fun to ride. Wish I had it now.

Antietam Classic Cycle · « **Reply #5 on:** May 30, 2018, 08:38:51 PM »

I've worked on two:

Those kind of killed my desire for one of my own.

Chuck in Indiana · « **Reply #6 on:** May 30, 2018, 08:40:51 PM »

A Sprint was the first "real" motorcycle I ever rode. It probably kindled my life long love affair with Italian bikes..

Guzzistajohn · « **Reply #7 on:** May 30, 2018, 08:49:15 PM »

You should hear those run @ the vintage flat track races in Davenport Ia. It's amazing what those one lungers can do!

Sheepdog · « **Reply #8 on:** May 30, 2018, 08:53:35 PM »

I like those bikes best as conceived by Aermacchi...

DanD · « **Reply #9 on:** May 30, 2018, 09:04:05 PM »

Quote from: canuck750 on May 30, 2018, 06:19:30 PM

I find these to be attractive in a strange but good way

https://boise.craigslist.org/mcy/d/harley-davidson-sprint-sx350/6601187169.html

This one is a bit pricey IMHO but I love the scrambler style

Really not a bad price considering the mileage and everything is there.

Seems like the dual sports are the hardest clean examples to find.

I've always wanted an Ala Verde or Turismo Veloce.

But I definitely wouldn't say no to that SX as it looks to be about as clean as it gets.

oldbike54 · « **Reply #10 on:** May 30, 2018, 09:25:55 PM »

Quote from: Guzzistajohn on May 30, 2018, 08:49:15 PM

You should hear those run @ the vintage flat track races in Davenport Ia. It's amazing what those one lungers can do!

Probably the CR version , and yes , they sound great

Dusty

Moto · « **Reply #11 on:** May 30, 2018, 10:37:03 PM »

Quote from: Antietam Classic Cycle on May 30, 2018, 08:38:51 PM

I've worked on two:
...
Those kind of killed my desire for one of my own.

Interesting. I've been thinking about looking at one.

Let's see: 6 volt system, hard starting, bad suspension, no power, poor reliability?

All of the above?

Moto

huub · « **Reply #12 on:** May 31, 2018, 04:29:28 AM »

Quote from: Moto on May 30, 2018, 10:37:03 PM

Interesting. I've been thinking about looking at one.

Let's see: 6 volt system, hard starting, bad suspension, no power, poor reliability?

All of the above?

Moto

not sure about the hard starting ,
the rest sounds sounds like a good description of a small early seventies bike , not just these , but virtually all early seventies bikes....

chuck peterson · « **Reply #13 on:** May 31, 2018, 04:40:08 AM »

................... .....

F-22 · « **Reply #14 on:** May 31, 2018, 04:49:33 AM »

Italian suspension in the early 70's was usually among the best. As was the frame design (not only the Tonti frame...), although the one on these Aermacchis does look really outdated for the 70's standard. They're about as reliable as a race tuned Nuovo Falcone, and make a decent amount of power for what they are. But you do not buy such a bike for power, handling or reliability (not even back then in the 70's)...

My friend used to race with an Ala d'Oro, and was quite successful against other bikes of that age.

mtiberio · « **Reply #15 on:** May 31, 2018, 06:38:31 AM »

A buddy of mine just took the 350 pushrod record at the SCTA's land speed event at El Mirage Dry Lake. He went 124 MPH on an UNFAIRED Aermacchi 350.

brider · « **Reply #16 on:** May 31, 2018, 07:05:53 AM »

Quote from: Moto on May 30, 2018, 10:37:03 PM

Interesting. I've been thinking about looking at one.

Let's see: 6 volt system, hard starting, bad suspension, no power, poor reliability?

All of the above?

Moto

Plus the kickstand on the right. That might be a deal-killer for me; that's just weird, like getting on a horse on the right side.

BrotherJim · « **Reply #17 on:** May 31, 2018, 07:09:26 AM »

My dad raced flat-track on one of those. It was a love-hate relationship for him.

Sheepdog · « **Reply #18 on:** May 31, 2018, 08:10:45 AM »

Quote from: brider on May 31, 2018, 07:05:53 AM

Plus the kickstand on the right. That might be a deal-killer for me; that's just weird, like getting on a horse on the right side.

The left side kicker probably explains the hard starting. In all fairness to Aermacchi, it’s worth noting that these bikes (at least the ala’Verde) were introduced in 1960. Harley joined up with Aermacchi in 1961 and kept one version or another of the bike in their brochure until 1974. Though these bikes were marketed in the seventies, their tech came from the fifties (the engine/frame was developed from the 1957 Chimera...which notably had a right side kicker-see photo below).

Moto · « **Reply #19 on:** May 31, 2018, 10:47:39 AM »

There was a short-stroke option available: shorter cylinder and connecting rod, probably other parts [EDIT -- for example, a crankshaft], that put the redline up above 10,000 rpm, I read. That's the high-power racer. The green one above is the long-stroker, with more torque down low.

I was particularly interested in direct, personal experiences with these things, not trying to diss them.

Moto

Testarossa · « **Reply #20 on:** May 31, 2018, 11:12:20 AM »

I bought one well-used in the late fall of 1970 and rode it daily for 18 months -- my first real motorcycle. I loved the fact that it had a GP heritage and it taught me a lot of repair skills (my first top-end rebuild for instance). It was always hard to kick into life (I only weighed about 135 at the time) especially in cold weather. But it handled beautifully (I didn't realize this until after I'd ridden a few more bikes) and I had a ton of fun with it. Because it was my first bike the right-side shift didn't bother me at all and almost 50 years later I still feel comfortable swapping back and forth between the Guzzis and the right-shift Triumph.

Sheepdog · « **Reply #21 on:** May 31, 2018, 01:29:14 PM »

Back when I was a lad, I wanted a HD Baja 100 badly. It was also an Aermacchi, but it gave us a glimpse of what was to be Cagiva.

canuck750 · « **Reply #22 on:** May 31, 2018, 06:05:46 PM »

Quote from: Moto on May 30, 2018, 10:37:03 PM

Interesting. I've been thinking about looking at one.

Let's see: 6 volt system, hard starting, bad suspension, no power, poor reliability?

All of the above?

Moto

So your saying its just like every other Harley other than the 6V system?

73eldorado · « **Reply #23 on:** May 31, 2018, 06:46:52 PM »

My timing is impeccable, look what got dropped off today!!

canuck750 · « **Reply #24 on:** May 31, 2018, 06:49:53 PM »

Quote from: 73eldorado on May 31, 2018, 06:46:52 PM

My timing is impeccable, look what got dropped off today!!

perter · « **Reply #25 on:** June 01, 2018, 04:07:34 AM »

Honestly, their 1200 sportsters are not so bad, nice design and a good power plant.... that's perhaps why some don't consider sportsters real Harleys

Moto · « **Reply #26 on:** June 01, 2018, 07:25:09 AM »

If any of you are interested in acquiring one for less money, there's a pretty good looking example for $2500 in Oshkosh, WI:

https://madison.craigslist.org/mcy/d/1970-harley-davidson-harley/6592761554.html

Moto

kirb · « **Reply #27 on:** June 01, 2018, 07:44:25 AM »

Our HD dealer changed hands from a poorly run old shop to a large box store owned by money men. One of them collected the AeroHDs and has a collection of a lot of them around the parameter of the ceiling.

Cool to look at, but they are hard to spot details that far up off the floor.

LowRyter · « **Reply #28 on:** July 18, 2018, 12:36:51 PM »

I thought I'd dust this thread off.

One of the Tulsa riders in my group, Phil, a FSSNOCer and collector with a bike at Barber, built this one. It was originally a ragged Harley Sprint that was at Seeba Station Museum.

It's been Phil-ized.

The photo doesn't quite catch Phil's matching TShirt.

Phil was able to get it started with a few kicks- unlike my Greenie that needed a push start (new starter on order).

canuck750 · « **Reply #29 on:** July 18, 2018, 02:44:41 PM »

Dang that is nice

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Author Topic: The one HD I would like to own (Read 5422 times)

canuck750

oldbike54

Wildguzzi.com

oldbike54

Moto

Moto

canuck750

canuck750

Moto

canuck750