Bought a Harley! .... You might be surprised...

Signed a lease for a house with a garage last weekend and when this popped up with a title I just couldn't resist.

Meet Maggie, the latest addition to the seemingly ever-growing stable.

It's a 1976 Aermacchi built Harley Davidson SX 125

Going to need some love but it has spark and blew 150 in two kicks.

1275 miles

Planning on just getting it running, throw on some cheap new rubber, a new chain, sprockets if i can find them, and just bomb around town on it.

Does anyone know how reliable the oil pumps are on these? I'm thinking about just saying screw it and running pre-mix as ittl be a town cruiser anyway.

Last titled in 82, that's older than my maxim!



Also now, with 3 bikes titled under my name, it's time for collector plates, I'm sick of paying registration! Plus after the first one they're only 23$ each forever, so it's a no brainer.

I'll get a resto thread up here once I start tearing into it as well, still have to move and my maxim needs some work and my car's without axles and control arms presently, but once things are settled in at our new place this will get some attention

 

Re: Bought a Harley!

Sweet! I love the Italian Harleys, although mine is the four stroke variety. Check out http://www.hdsprint.com

Keep the oil pump, it feeds oil to the crank bearings, premix won't do that.

 

Re: Bought a Harley!

Thanks man!! Have a picture of yours?

Are the oil pumps pretty reliable?

could I cap the line and carb and then it would still feed oil to the crank bearings? Then again if it did fail that could destruct the engine too?

 

The oil pumps are pretty simple mechanisms, and let's face it they are bathed in oil (internally at least) constantly during operation so yes I would say they are generally reliable. That being said, if a previous owner had ever decided to let the oil tank run dry and just run premix in the gas tank, there is the possibility of the pump having seized from a lack of oil. Easy way to check is to get the bike running, put a couple tablespoons of oil in the tank and make sure it is running down the oil line to the pump, then open the bleed screw on the pump itself. If oil comes out, it is pumping oil. Another problem if it has been run on premix for a long time, there may be dried out hardened crud in the pressurized oil lines from the pump to the engine, which could block the flow of oil where it needs to go. Replacement oil lines aren't necessarily cheap, but they are a good investment to ensure the engine will live a long happy life. They can, with a little ingenuity, be flushed and cleaned and maybe save you replacing them. I had to restore the oil injection system on my Suzuki two stroke, and was able to clean out the lines, it was a PITA but cheaper than buying NOS. However don't just run premix, they engine will suffer. The fuel/oil mix only gets into the combustion chamber, and won't trickle down to the bearings were the oil needs to be. Maybe the bearings will last a long time despite the lack of oil, or maybe they were already screeching because the PO had been running premix for a long time before he put it in the shed, but get the injection system working properly.
Contact Leslie at Moto Italia for parts for this thing.
Moto Italia
Oh yeah, here's a picture of mine from a few years ago. It is currently in crates awaiting an engine rebuild. I am selling off a couple other projects, and I have to finish this XJ700 so I have a "big" bike to commute on, then my wife's Honda CL175 goes on the lift, then the Aermacchi gets the love it needs.

 

ye-oww, what is a transfer port ?

 

That's in better condition than mine!

Hey, if you happen to find a parts bike for it, I'm looking for a engine for a 250 or 350 sprint.... I can't remember which one it is at the moment.

 

The two stroke or four stroke variants? The 250 Sprint was a four stroke and lasted from some time in the 1950's up until 1967-68, then it became a 350 four stroke until 1974 (w/ electric starters in '73-74 models), then they switched to 250 and 350 two strokes Sprints, along with other bikes in the 90-400cc two stroke range (but those weren't Sprints). Lots of choices.

Again, check out the hdsprint page I linked, or join the Yahoo Aermacchi group, probably the most active Yahoo group I have ever seen. There are shops out there that specialize in these oddball bikes, more so than XJ's :roll:

 

I THINK it's a 1970 350 but am not home to check.....