I really liked your last statement. "Doesn't matter what brand it is, I just like motorcycles." And i think that is what a lot of people are forgetting these days. If someone likes a specific kind of bike - let 'em. It brings joy to their heart and that really is all it needs to do. Love from Germany
My Dad will be 94 in 9 weeks. He had 10 Harleys when he proposed to my Mom in 1959. He was a happy man when AMF brought HD back to the USA. Mom died in 2001 - a few months later, off to the Indian dealership. Dad's first bike was a 38 Indian. When he cracked the throttle, Dad said it scared him to death - so he limped the bike back to the dealership and said, "A guy could get hurt on that thing; but it's a nice bike" Love the work you do.
Craig, I cannot thank you enough for this video! The first motorcycle I ever rode, at about 8 years old or so, was one of those HD/AMF 125's. My father, another Craig btw, bought it as a basket case and reassembled it in our basement. His was missing all the lights, and the like, as it was used as a dirt bike before he got it. After Dad got it running we, my Father, brothers and I, went to a farm one of his friends owned to ride. After riding on the back a few times Dad asked if I wanted to drive, so he put me in front and got the bike into 2nd gear, and jumped off the back. After many laps in 2nd gear, I slowed so that dad could run along side and engage the clutch, I was too weak, and to keep the bike upright. At one point, I rode over a decent size "leaf covered mud area", I only knew because I was slowing down, I gave it the onions and looked behind me to realize I had left a long "burnout" of sorts - I was hooked. The unique sound of that bike has never left me, and it put a huge smile on my face hearing it again. Thanks for the memory Craig.
Thank you for sharing that wonderful memory. These stories mean a lot to those of us whose fathers hated us, knowing that isn't how it's supposed to be.
that story sounds so close to my own my dad fixed up an older one of these it didn't have the oil injection but it had two different diameter rear sprockets for on and off road use it was one of the earliest bikes I rode. It was a blast. the bike is still sitting at my mom's I would love to fix it it up and get it going again.
My dad bought us two 250cc bikes in 1976. We rode those bikes for years on many road trips even to the Harley plant in York one year. We lived outside of Pittsburgh and spent many days at Pittsburgh Harley-Davidson over the years. These bikes were made in Italy and were not the best quality but were decent for the 70's. Thank you for sharing brings a tear to my eye remembering my dad and my childhood. My first motorcycle was the Harley 90cc in 1975. Take care and please keep the videos coming.
I had a 1972 Harley 125. That year model was called a Rapido, yes Italian. Had to mix oil with gas using a cup attached under the gas cap. Dual rear sprockets that could be switched over in about 15 minutes, came with extra length of chain to be added in. I was about 14. Lots of great memories. Enjoyed watching you work on this bike. Thanks for trip down memory lane. Love your vids!
I had a 125 Harley Rapido. I guess I should have bought a Japanese bike. I love the Rapido. Remember the Baja 100 being sold at the same time.We're probably the same age.
My brother bought a 250 sprint, basket case (all torn down in pieces) for $10 in 1972. He put it all together with no manual (he was 14 at the time) in about 2 weeks. That thing turned over on the first kick on the starter. He then found a 1929 125cc hardtail and did the same thing. Next was a basket case Electra-Glide for $50 that had a suicide clutch and a shifter on the tank. You would have thought he’d have found a job at Harley (which he eventually did) but he didn’t like what AMF did to the bikes so he waited until AMF sold out. He worked at Harley for many years afterwards until they wanted to move the company to Brazil. He was always a hell raiser and accused management of selling out and causing the loss of American jobs. He quit on the spot at the management update meeting. He hasn’t owned a Harley since…….
Aeromacchi Harleys were fantastic all they did was run. I had a 69 M125. Great bike, converted to a dirt bike with a factory "kit". I rode that bike for many years. Last I heard it was in Texas, still running.
@@plotholedetective4166 Wrong, the 1969 M90 (which was a 125cc was definitely Aeromacchi. Starting in 1960. Check out this list of Models: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Harley-Davidson_motorcycles
Anyone who has enjoyed riding a two stroke bike got a big smile 😊 on their face at the sound if that bike starting up and yeah I'm one of thise guys. So meny cool memories, thanks Graig and Dan!...
Craig, love seeing you bring these back to life. I got motivated by watching to restore a 1 owner 1981 Honda CM400C for my son this spring. Now I am getting ready to tackle either a Goldwing or Kawi Concourse cafe build. Thank you for showing the easy things being easy and the way to logically tackle the hard things! You sharing is encourage me to learn something new!
ya I almost commented on this before - even if you're working a riding mower, a bike, a car or weedwhacker - stuff he shows you helps with ALL engines and troubleshooting.
My grandad had a two stroke AMF Harley dirtbike with a metal tank like the one in this video. The whole bike was blue and had the same heat shield on the exhaust pipe. So badass Craig is doing a burnout in the garage.
I don't have a motorcycle license in missouri. (Had a permit once but it expired) . I know a few other people who have never had a motorcycle license and have ridden longer than I've been alive. (I'm 32). Here, it seems, cops don't bug motorcyclists as long as you are riding safe.
Hello 👋 Beared mechanic, this video caught my eye 👁🗨. I still own my orange 75 and black 76 AMF SXT 125s. The difference between the 75 and 76 is the pinstripes on the gas tanks. Very cool to see one in that beautiful condition. I've had my black 76 since I was 15yrs old, I'm 48 now. I road the wheels off it growing up. My best memories were riding with friends and being the only guy with a 2stroke Harley-Davidson dirt bike with a left 👈 side tail pipe. The bike was so different from a traditional Harley-Davidson. They did make a SS 125 street version with the difference being the right 👉 side tail pipe,and lower front fender. The ( T ) stood for trail on the SXT. Anyways thanks for reading this and I Enjoyed watching.
This Sxt is staying in the family with my grandma's great grand daughter and her husband owning it now. Keeping it in the family. Grandma would be happy.
AMF aquired Harley-Davidson in 1969. The first AMF Harley-Davidson 2 Stroke rolled off the assembly line February of 1973 in Springettsbury Township, York, Pennsylvania.
Craig has my exact type of ADHD and I love every minute of it. Watching him bounce from task to task and forget what he was doing just makes me feel so seen.
He's a lot more functional than I used to be, for sure. If it was me I'd just have fifty boxes of parts lying around...all cleaned, at least until they start to rust. :)
I remember when you could barely give one of those old Italian Harley's away, now they are so rarely seen that they might be gaining popularity. That one looks to be a nice survivor, get some PDR done on that tank, clean and polish everything up and just enjoy it.
My first motorcycle was a Yamaha 125 twin scrambler. That sound and smoke brought back so many memories. So much fun to watch a great mechanic bring these old machines to life. Thank you.
The best thing i added to my ultrasonic cleaner was a metal tea ball to hold all the little bits like jets, pins ect......... no more fishing through dirty hot solutions to find parts
My favourite channel by far, brings back memories of early motorcycle life where most of our time was spent getting the things to run. Keep up the good work.
It is a rebadged Aermacchi. A local dealer sold both Harley and Yamaha in the 1970s. He would run ads for the little Harleys and customers would see them next to the Yamahas and buy a Yamaha.
You achieved the impossible, Craig. You found a Harley I would actually own! I've had Harley Fatigue since about 1990. Nice to see a Harley that isn't just a big loud stump-puller.
The 2 stroke AMF Harleys were built in the Aermacchi factory in Varese in Italy. They were good bikes if a bit more expensive than the similar Japanese bikes.
They were rebranded as cagiva . I owned the ST 250, SX 250 and an SST125 all bought from Pratts Harley Davidson dealers in Greenwich , London back in my youth.
Thanks for the trop down memory lane, if I'm honest the ST model sounded better and went better than the more off road version SX but that's just my opinion.
My cousin bought one of those in1975 and I took her to collect it from a dealer in Worthing, West Sussex. The day she learned to ride a geared bike was the day she collected the bike. She rode it the 35 miles home with me following in my Corrina. Girls in the 70's were so much braver than they are today. The 2nd bike she rode (2 days later) was her boyfriends BMW 75.
Back in the 70s I managed a HD dealership in SE WI. The tank graphic of the bike you have indicates that it is a 75. HD had 3 displacements of these 2 strokes 125, 175, and 250. Also an off road SX version and SS street versions. Our dealership was the largest in WI and we had these stacked 3 high in our warehouse area. Great bikes but couldn't compete with the Japanese. I think it was a 3 year run before HD decided to end them. We also had a MX 250 that was excellent you should try to find one of those very impressive machine. After the dealership I went to work for HDMC for 30 years..... loved the Journey!
I had theSX 175cc AMF Harley when I was just 15, the stste put a throttle restrictor screw in till I turnes 16. Those were the good old days, big bore 2 strokes, I next got a 1976 RD400, great fun... !
I have not been hands on mechanically minded BUT have learned so much form your work and the humour is hilarious with such rapport and banter between you and Dan - thank you
Ate my breakfast too early, but ima still enjoy this video. You inspired me to get a project bike and made working on em less intimidating. 1999 katana 600 too apart the carbs cleaned em, cleaned the tank, diagnosed electrical issues like you did. Now im just waiting on the tank to arrive (old one was too rusted and full of fuel to clean.) Thanks for keeping the restorations alive.
I owned a 1961 Harley Super 10, 2 stroke while at Fort Gordon, GA. That was way before AMF. Gas tank cap had a measuring cup that you filled with oil when you filled it with gas. Fun little bike!
Nice looking and running bike! My first bike was a NEW 1974 Harley z90, very similar to this one. bought it when I was 13 after saving my money from mowing lawns, working the orchards and doing odd jobs. Loved the bike because of the looks. I kept it in perfect condition for many years. Only issues were the constant carb problems, clutch cables breaking and bolts coming loose. Great to see this one back on the road.
I wore my FIX IT 'TIL IT'S WORSE shirt to my foot surgery yesterday. Got some laughs from the staff. Love that shirt. Great video, as usual. I would've loved to see the reaction from the family, though.
Im so utterly jealous of your talent and your knowledge, of motorcycles Craig. The way you remain calm and think about what needs to be done from a-z. Dan you make videos with your witty banter.
0:45 - I love these old Harleys and I wish I could get one and make it into a Harley dirt bike.... Crazy part is that it's been off the road as long as I've been alive. 😁👍🖤
Craig, you've given me so much knowledge about tinkering and messing with motorcycles to make them run. When I get my first bike I'll use this knowledge well to keep it maintained and for it to last! CHEERS!
When cleaning out a gas tank or anything that is hard to get into, try putting a bunch pf BB's in there, with your cleaning solution, and shake it around. It works great!
I owned a 1974 AMF Sportster. What a beast! Starting it was an adventure- never knowing if it would start with or without choking it. Once it started, the handlebars vibrated badly at speed. At stoplights the front wheel moved forward and back. Its acceleration was crazy quick.
awesome vid Craig I have a 1974 Harley Davidson SX 350 sprint I bought it 28 years ago and got it running drove it down the driveway brakes did not work freaked me out so i hung it in the ceiling in my shop. i have the original paperwork brand new cost was 1087.88 in 1974.
Great job getting it running. I was very surprise you didn't do a 4 psi pressure test on the float needle. It's the first thing u check after cleaning and starting to reassemble the carb. You got lucky on this one. I enjoy your videos. Keep them coming.
@@ShaunHensleyThey’re an Italian company. I’ve only ever seen them on Italian motorcycles and scooters and mopeds but they’ve been around forever and they make good stuff. I was surprised he’d never heard of them too.
@@craigcampbell1843 Yes all true, but they were also the goto dual carb setup for bugs back in the 80s. Them and Webers. So if he was ever into bugs, he would have run across them too.
When I was a kid, I was lucky enough to watch Rex Staten testing different suspension setups on the factory Harley MX bikes at Saddleback in So Cal. I remember he punished those bikes, He rode back to the pits most of the rear spokes broke. We were just little kids but he took time to talk with us making us life long Fans.
really, so you are not old enough to remember that without AMF there would be no Harley Davidson... I am and you have no idea WTF you are talking about.
@@JamesAllmond I don't understand the hostility. And just an FYI, I am old enough to remember. While AMF did provide temporary survival to the HD name, it's pretty much common knowledge their bikes were crap.
I had one of these! Traded a Honda xr75 for it. It ran great after a tune up. Enjoyed it after the tune up on trails, etc. Thanks for reminding me of my youth.
Great video sir. Back in 1976 I had a Kawasaki KE 125 and my friend had the same Harley Davidson you have worked on and this Harley Davidson 125 2 stroke was very sharp and my friend lended to me to ride and he wrote my Kawasaki. Riding from Miami Beach where we both lived and riding to Homestead Florida to do some trails was fun from mid morning until around 1:00 pm. 2 years later I signed up to serve in the U S Army and sold my Kawasaki and my friend still had his Harley. Thank you for taking me back on a memorable time when I was only 16 years young with no cares in the world..!!
Morning from the UK. I had to stop before i finished your video to leave a comment, I love watching your videos, the vast range of bikes that you come across and acutely get running - like this 48year old Harley. I cant wait to see the next video with another totally different bike. Keep up the amazing work
Good job! Only need to check the crankshaft seals (that's why there was some oil missing from the gear box) and the oil pump dosage calibration. Front fork oil may need a change...
I had that model bike in the 70's when I was a teen. It was a very reliable ride. I mostly rode it on trails. Love watching you revive the old-school bikes.
Hey Dan, I’m from Holland and I love your channel. Back in 1978 I had a orange SX185. In fact it was a Cagiva. Cagiva was part of The Aermacchi group, that again was owned by HD. It was the first bike that i had for off-road purposes. It was a fun bike, but my friends had KTM’s and XR 500. So I could not keep up with them. So i bought a XL 250. Nevertheless is was a fun bike and it gaves me sweet memories.
“Nobody ever drives bikes out of inspection”. Omg how did you say that with a straight face?!! I once rode a 97 Monster for six years without tags lol.
In the mid 80's, I had a 1973 or 1974 AMF HD 125 that I putted around the neighborhood on. My neighbors thought it was so funny because I typically rode my 1979 HD Lowrider or 1976 FLH with a sidecar. I had alot of fun on that little 125.
When I was a kid I had a two-stroke AMF Harley that I used to ride around the woods. It was 65cc, kick start, magneto ignition, no battery. I think it was a 1965, but I could be wrong about that. Fun, quirky little bike. 3 speed transmission, you shifted by rotating the left handgrip. EDIT - some cursory research tells me that this was probably a 1967 model - same as me!
Your videos have been such a great distraction since having neck surgery. Sleeping in a hard collar isnt super easy so I have been binge watching your videos most nights. Thanks for even keeping it clean for the kiddos to watch too. Thats mucho appreciated man. P.S. lots of old bikes still hanging around here in upstate PA.
Hi Craig and Dan, Man I knew you would get it running, but first Kick????? That’s just incredible. I like the old designs of the Dirtbikes back then. I remember when I was little I just about drooled over the Honda SL70. I thought it was the best looking Bike in the World. I never got one but as soon as I got out of the Military I bought a Z1 900 and have owned a Bike ever since then. I’m 64 now and still Riding. Thanks for the Video. You are one incredible Mechanic Craig.😁👍👍
They had two strokes earlier than the one you’ve got when I was a kid. We had a 1964 165 two-stroke, three speed hard tail. It had been painted a dark navy blue.. over what was originally a pink metallic it also originally had a white vinyl seat.
Long ago, my first bike was a 1965 Harley M-50. While my buddies were riding Montgomery Ward and Sears mo-peds, I was riding a "HARLEY DAVIDSON". It didn't have pedals and was quite a bit faster than the other bikes. It had a twist-grip shifter on the handlebars. Lots of good 60 year old memories. That little bike led me to 50 years as a biker. My second bike was a Honda CB-160 twin. A bike like that when I was 14 years old was epic !! Good times. Thanks.
The tank decal says it 1975. 1976 tanks had similar striping but in a horizontal U shape. Like 76 EG had😊 Parts for those HD 2 cycles were hard to get/eclectic at best in the late 90s. Meaning likely obsolete today.
Dellorto carburetors are really good, but not so easy to adjust, especially their vhsh 30cs. but when it is tuned correctly, it gives really good power
And it came with two master links and extra length of special chain so you could change the rear sprockets on the fly, small sprocket for highway big one for off road.
here in the UK a friend had the SX 175 which i rode a few times , there was the ST 125, 175, 250, and 350 as well remember the SX as a 250 too , not a great seller in the UK as most kids wanted the Yamaha and Suzuki 250s as learner bikes
At my shop, we use a californua company that will reline the inside of metal fuel talks with a new liner and make it look new again. Costs about a grand, but it's worth it for old fuel tanks or paint you can't get anymore.
I had a 1977 AMF Sportster 1000. Right foot shifting, which was weird at first, and leaked oil like a Harley, but it sounded KILLER. Everyone needs a Craig. EDIT : I love everything about this bike. The 2 stroke gives it so much mojo, and I love how the oil filler is on the gas tank. The gas tank paint scheme is SO 70's, I love it. I can't wait to hear it run. Also, Dan is ALWAYS hilarious. I KNEW it would start with one kick ! That spark was healthy.
My mother had one of these bikes and she loved to ride it through the trails near our cabin in northern Michigan. For some reason I remember it having 2 sprockets on the rear tire and my dad said that one was for trail riding and the other was for the road. My dad had roughly restored it by repainting the tins. Sadly it was stolen from our shed long long time ago and still brings tears to her eyes when her old bike comes up in convo 😢. Also have a parts bike still my dad picked up if any one is in need of parts besides the tins lmk.
I had a blue one growing up it was my second real bike. I can’t tell you how many hours i spent in that seat riding around this big field with my friends. Great memories.
I had a 1975 125SX when I was 13 yo. The original one I had was recalled due to the frames breaking right behind the neck. Instead of them fixing it by putting everything on a new frame they replaced it with a new bike. When I went to pickup the new bike I had my choice of the color you have there and a black one. I took the black one. I always called that color pink. Wish I still had it. That bike made me a lifetime Harley rider.
I got one just like it after being discharged from the Army in ‘75. I rode it around a lot. It was fun! The folks I got it from may have won it as well…they had two of the 125’s…
I saw a couple, when I was a kid... BUT, that town (Muskegon, MI) was the headquarters and the pin, ball & alley machines, for Brunswick. Lol! In 1971, out on the far edge of town, next to a drive in theater, AMF built a state of the art bowling alley. Didn't do real well... Thanx !, for bringing those memories back (& the smell of 2 stroke fumes, are a "Par-fume"!).
I remember a new one of these imported Harley dirt bikes on the dealership floor when I was visiting there often trying to keep my 1973 FLH Police Special running. I don't think I ever saw one on the street or trails. You would see the old Sprints often but never these.
Im in Australia and it was my FIRST bike purchase but mine was the sx175 model. It had marzocci shocks , fox forks , chrome bore , all steel mudguards front and back! etc.
Ok i got interested to see a Harley Davidson scrambler. Then when you said it is a 75 and not 76, it peaked my interest more. Then you hit the jackpot. Manufactured March 1975. Same as me born 10th of March 1975. Love your videos.
I grew up with a trauma nurse for a mom and an MD for a dad. I literally grew up listening to horror stories of motorcycle accidents over dinner. But somehow the way Craig’s energy and the way he talks about these bike make me long for me of these classic machines.
Rebuilt top end for a friend, burned a hole in piston coming home in a rain wide open.Had a lot of trouble getting parts from Harley Davidson.They didn't want to mess with little two stroke's from Italy
Had an SS250 as my first bike in '76. Sometimes used to kick on the wrong stroke and set off in reverse. Rode it the length of the UK, it got "looks" everywhere I parked it. The summer of '76, a great year to have a bike.
Back in 1981 I mentioned to my dad and step-mom that it might be fun to buy myself a motorcycle. My dad was told by his lawyer dad to never ride motorcycles, and he called them "murdercycles" but my dad had always been intrigued. My step-mom loved motorcycles and got into them in the Sixties in L.A. during the "You meet the nicest people on a Honda" era. She insisted that I should take an AMA motorcycle safety class. Good advice. There was one at the local Harley dealer, and they used a dozen of these mid-Seventies Aermacchi 250's because they were forgiving to restart if a student killed the motor. (They were right.) That was the only time in my life I've seen or ridden these Aermacchi Harleys. They did exactly what they were supposed to do, but I didn't fell in love with them.
nice i remember them did'nt see a lot of them on the off road side . i rode suzuki and kawsaki . i love the smell and the sound of a 2 storke . brings back a lot of the good times i had back in the 70s-80s
I'm traditionally more of a classic car guy, but stumbled on this channel via the Geico bike and now I'm hooked. Both educational and therapeutic somehow.
It's really something how the bike looks great in general, but there are all those weird things like the crooked pilot jet, the DIY wire repair, and the backwards fender...this was 'maintained' harder than it was ridden. Glad you're setting it all right, even if it is metric.
Graduated HS in 1968 in Concord California (Concord High School). At that time there were about 4 bikes in the parking lot besides my Yamaha YM-1 305. One of them was a Harley 250 Sprint which I believe was kick start only . Used to enjoy watching the guy trying to start it. The fun ended while I was riding to school the last day before graduation when a car cut me off going into the parking lot. I stuck the bike in the fender well, flew over the car while executing a perfect flip landing on my feet facing the bike about 15 feet away holding the cars antenna in my left hand. The funny part was I was told I had a book fine and had to pay it before I could get my diploma. In protest of that I had emptied my penny collection (about 10 dollars worth) in order to do so. Those pennies went everywhere! Had half the school picking up pennies for me. Fond memories...
Not a big Harley fan but that is one cool 125cc. I'd own it. Always loved 125cc dirt bike because you could throw them around. Just enough power to mess around in the dirt. Power to weight ratio. "I love the smell of a two stroke in the morning" or "On Any Sunday"!!!!!! I did my share of riding them back in the day.
I really liked your last statement. "Doesn't matter what brand it is, I just like motorcycles." And i think that is what a lot of people are forgetting these days. If someone likes a specific kind of bike - let 'em. It brings joy to their heart and that really is all it needs to do. Love from Germany
My Dad will be 94 in 9 weeks. He had 10 Harleys when he proposed to my Mom in 1959. He was a happy man when AMF brought HD back to the USA. Mom died in 2001 - a few months later, off to the Indian dealership. Dad's first bike was a 38 Indian. When he cracked the throttle, Dad said it scared him to death - so he limped the bike back to the dealership and said, "A guy could get hurt on that thing; but it's a nice bike" Love the work you do.
Craig, I cannot thank you enough for this video!
The first motorcycle I ever rode, at about 8 years old or so, was one of those HD/AMF 125's. My father, another Craig btw, bought it as a basket case and reassembled it in our basement. His was missing all the lights, and the like, as it was used as a dirt bike before he got it. After Dad got it running we, my Father, brothers and I, went to a farm one of his friends owned to ride. After riding on the back a few times Dad asked if I wanted to drive, so he put me in front and got the bike into 2nd gear, and jumped off the back. After many laps in 2nd gear, I slowed so that dad could run along side and engage the clutch, I was too weak, and to keep the bike upright. At one point, I rode over a decent size "leaf covered mud area", I only knew because I was slowing down, I gave it the onions and looked behind me to realize I had left a long "burnout" of sorts - I was hooked. The unique sound of that bike has never left me, and it put a huge smile on my face hearing it again.
Thanks for the memory Craig.
Beautiful story
Got too love the 2 stroke sound
Thank you for sharing that wonderful memory. These stories mean a lot to those of us whose fathers hated us, knowing that isn't how it's supposed to be.
AMF stands for "Adios Muther Father"😂
that story sounds so close to my own my dad fixed up an older one of these it didn't have the oil injection but it had two different diameter rear sprockets for on and off road use it was one of the earliest bikes I rode. It was a blast. the bike is still sitting at my mom's I would love to fix it it up and get it going again.
My dad bought us two 250cc bikes in 1976. We rode those bikes for years on many road trips even to the Harley plant in York one year. We lived outside of Pittsburgh and spent many days at Pittsburgh Harley-Davidson over the years. These bikes were made in Italy and were not the best quality but were decent for the 70's. Thank you for sharing brings a tear to my eye remembering my dad and my childhood. My first motorcycle was the Harley 90cc in 1975. Take care and please keep the videos coming.
Awesome story sir 🙏
Owners of Benelli, MV Agusta, Ducati, Aprilia, Moto Guzzi may beg to differ on Italian lacking 'quality' 😊
"Complaint, I mean comment section" 😄 Truth
I audibly chuckled in agreement.
if you repeat compliment fast enough it sounds like complaint too. so not all comments are complaints, right? :D
Now take it to Sturgis in biker gear.
This is why I went straight to comments and there you are, first one! lmao!
No TEMU comments yet 😂😂
I had a 1972 Harley 125. That year model was called a Rapido, yes Italian. Had to mix oil with gas using a cup attached under the gas cap. Dual rear sprockets that could be switched over in about 15 minutes, came with extra length of chain to be added in. I was about 14. Lots of great memories. Enjoyed watching you work on this bike. Thanks for trip down memory lane. Love your vids!
I had a 125 Harley Rapido. I guess I should have bought a Japanese bike. I love the Rapido. Remember the Baja 100 being sold at the same time.We're probably the same age.
The pure joy of Craig when a bike starts makes me convinced that this is the perfect job for him.
The look on your face when it fired on the first kick. I cheered too!!
Former Harley Sprint 250 owner here.....Bearded Mechanic + Italian Harley Video = 10/10.....Thanks!
My Dad rebuilt, literally a1969 or 70 250 HD Sprint.
@@wyateerp1 Literally ? so not figuratively then ?
Areamachi
Aeronautica Macchi - Aermacchi
My brother bought a 250 sprint, basket case (all torn down in pieces) for $10 in 1972. He put it all together with no manual (he was 14 at the time) in about 2 weeks. That thing turned over on the first kick on the starter. He then found a 1929 125cc hardtail and did the same thing. Next was a basket case Electra-Glide for $50 that had a suicide clutch and a shifter on the tank. You would have thought he’d have found a job at Harley (which he eventually did) but he didn’t like what AMF did to the bikes so he waited until AMF sold out. He worked at Harley for many years afterwards until they wanted to move the company to Brazil. He was always a hell raiser and accused management of selling out and causing the loss of American jobs. He quit on the spot at the management update meeting. He hasn’t owned a Harley since…….
The hand written receipts and notes are amazing!
Aeromacchi Harleys were fantastic all they did was run. I had a 69 M125. Great bike, converted to a dirt bike with a factory "kit". I rode that bike for many years. Last I heard it was in Texas, still running.
I had an SS 350 & SX 350. Fun little bikes
Did Cagiva not make it too ?
@@associatedblacksheepandmisfitsAMF sold aermacchi to Cagiva in 1978. Where they had great success with the model. (Cagiva HD SXT 125)
And didn't have its first product run until 1970. All 1969 bikes are still manufactured by original Harley not aerobitchy!
@@plotholedetective4166 Wrong, the 1969 M90 (which was a 125cc was definitely Aeromacchi. Starting in 1960. Check out this list of Models: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Harley-Davidson_motorcycles
Anyone who has enjoyed riding a two stroke bike got a big smile 😊 on their face at the sound if that bike starting up and yeah I'm one of thise guys. So meny cool memories, thanks Graig and Dan!...
Craig, love seeing you bring these back to life. I got motivated by watching to restore a 1 owner 1981 Honda CM400C for my son this spring. Now I am getting ready to tackle either a Goldwing or Kawi Concourse cafe build. Thank you for showing the easy things being easy and the way to logically tackle the hard things! You sharing is encourage me to learn something new!
Bearded mechanic pops up ..i click immediately 😂😂..can always learn something watching
Wish yt would with the ads first. Poxy temu and follows me.
Exactly what I did.
ya I almost commented on this before - even if you're working a riding mower, a bike, a car or weedwhacker - stuff he shows you helps with ALL engines and troubleshooting.
I skipped the last one because the occ puke was here.
Timing is everything, just as soon as I commented on Sean's video, this one is posted, nice.
My grandad had a two stroke AMF Harley dirtbike with a metal tank like the one in this video. The whole bike was blue and had the same heat shield on the exhaust pipe. So badass Craig is doing a burnout in the garage.
I don't have a license to drive a bike nor own a bike. But the good vibes on the channel always makes it worth watching.
I don’t think you need a license under 250cc… at least in Illinois
@@o9brian Yeah I'm located in Sweden so I'm unfamiliar with Illinois law.
I don't have a motorcycle license in missouri. (Had a permit once but it expired) . I know a few other people who have never had a motorcycle license and have ridden longer than I've been alive. (I'm 32). Here, it seems, cops don't bug motorcyclists as long as you are riding safe.
Hello 👋 Beared mechanic, this video caught my eye 👁🗨. I still own my orange 75 and black 76 AMF SXT 125s. The difference between the 75 and 76 is the pinstripes on the gas tanks. Very cool to see one in that beautiful condition. I've had my black 76 since I was 15yrs old, I'm 48 now. I road the wheels off it growing up. My best memories were riding with friends and being the only guy with a 2stroke Harley-Davidson dirt bike with a left 👈 side tail pipe. The bike was so different from a traditional Harley-Davidson. They did make a SS 125 street version with the difference being the right 👉 side tail pipe,and lower front fender. The ( T ) stood for trail on the SXT. Anyways thanks for reading this and I Enjoyed watching.
This Sxt is staying in the family with my grandma's great grand daughter and her husband owning it now. Keeping it in the family. Grandma would be happy.
@@Gt4157 very cool 👍
Dan, you're rocking this. For a guy that 'wasn't ' into bikes, you got our feels already. I enjoy you two, your banter and you learning stuff. Thanks!
AMF aquired Harley-Davidson in 1969. The first AMF Harley-Davidson 2 Stroke rolled off the assembly line February of 1973 in Springettsbury Township, York, Pennsylvania.
The sound of a 2-stroke at medium-high revs will forever make me think of John Connor trying to escape from The T1000 in the storm drain
Ring-ding-ding-a-ling as John chucks it up into 10th gear! :D
Not far behind comes the Craig-800 on his 91' fat boy tool pouches slung across both sides
For me it’s a mix of my own 2str that I used to have in the mid 80s and riding up and down Mount Chiliad.
I love that movie as kid , only thing is if you watch it’s a 4 stroke exhaust but two stroke sound
@@chrisatc627 Dangit, you are sharp
Craig has my exact type of ADHD and I love every minute of it. Watching him bounce from task to task and forget what he was doing just makes me feel so seen.
He's a lot more functional than I used to be, for sure. If it was me I'd just have fifty boxes of parts lying around...all cleaned, at least until they start to rust. :)
Same here I see myself and we have the same name.😂
I remember when you could barely give one of those old Italian Harley's away, now they are so rarely seen that they might be gaining popularity. That one looks to be a nice survivor, get some PDR done on that tank, clean and polish everything up and just enjoy it.
I saw an Indian 125cc on ebay, they wanted like 5k for it... 😮
My first motorcycle was a Yamaha 125 twin scrambler. That sound and smoke brought back so many memories. So much fun to watch a great mechanic bring these old machines to life. Thank you.
The best thing i added to my ultrasonic cleaner was a metal tea ball to hold all the little bits like jets, pins ect......... no more fishing through dirty hot solutions to find parts
Added to the shopping list. ✅️
Damnit that's so smart..
My favourite channel by far, brings back memories of early motorcycle life where most of our time was spent getting the things to run. Keep up the good work.
It is a rebadged Aermacchi. A local dealer sold both Harley and Yamaha in the 1970s. He would run ads for the little Harleys and customers would see them next to the Yamahas and buy a Yamaha.
The original "Bad News Bears" featured a 1975 Harley 90 ridden by Jackie Earle Haley. Cooool.
That gal at the dance studio was definitely turned on!!!
I had to go look and see what it was. Good ol Kelly 😂Leak!
You achieved the impossible, Craig. You found a Harley I would actually own! I've had Harley Fatigue since about 1990. Nice to see a Harley that isn't just a big loud stump-puller.
The 2 stroke AMF Harleys were built in the Aermacchi factory in Varese in Italy. They were good bikes if a bit more expensive than the similar Japanese bikes.
Wait… thought he was to build an American bike… if this is made in Italy, does this disqualify him?!?!?!😂
@@esan9683 isnt he getting this running for the grandma that won it in the raffle ? not for the buildoff
That explains the DellOrto carb.
They were rebranded as cagiva . I owned the ST 250, SX 250 and an SST125 all bought from Pratts Harley Davidson dealers in Greenwich , London back in my youth.
Thanks for the trop down memory lane, if I'm honest the ST model sounded better and went better than the more off road version SX but that's just my opinion.
My cousin bought one of those in1975 and I took her to collect it from a dealer in Worthing, West Sussex. The day she learned to ride a geared bike was the day she collected the bike. She rode it the 35 miles home with me following in my Corrina. Girls in the 70's were so much braver than they are today. The 2nd bike she rode (2 days later) was her boyfriends BMW 75.
Back in the 70s I managed a HD dealership in SE WI. The tank graphic of the bike you have indicates that it is a 75. HD had 3 displacements of these 2 strokes 125, 175, and 250. Also an off road SX version and SS street versions. Our dealership was the largest in WI and we had these stacked 3 high in our warehouse area. Great bikes but couldn't compete with the Japanese. I think it was a 3 year run before HD decided to end them. We also had a MX 250 that was excellent you should try to find one of those very impressive machine. After the dealership I went to work for HDMC for 30 years..... loved the Journey!
Where in se wisco? I’m from fort Atkinson
Lacrosse?
I had theSX 175cc AMF Harley when I was just 15, the stste put a throttle restrictor screw in till I turnes 16.
Those were the good old days, big bore 2 strokes, I next got a 1976 RD400, great fun... !
That thing is a beautiful fog machine.
I'd rather have the Yamaha wr in the background back breaker them twin shocks mono way better
I watched the exhaust smoke and was thinking "Oh Oh, right engine seal is bad and sucking tranny oil"
I have not been hands on mechanically minded BUT have learned so much form your work and the humour is hilarious with such rapport and banter between you and Dan - thank you
Ate my breakfast too early, but ima still enjoy this video. You inspired me to get a project bike and made working on em less intimidating. 1999 katana 600 too apart the carbs cleaned em, cleaned the tank, diagnosed electrical issues like you did. Now im just waiting on the tank to arrive (old one was too rusted and full of fuel to clean.) Thanks for keeping the restorations alive.
Same here, just picked up a 1982 Suzuki GN125!
I owned a 1961 Harley Super 10, 2 stroke while at Fort Gordon, GA. That was way before AMF. Gas tank cap had a measuring cup that you filled with oil when you filled it with gas. Fun little bike!
Two stroke smoke. The best mosquito repellant.
LoL U Should SMELL 100 VESPAS LAMBRETTAS ON WAY TOO SCOOTER RALLY BLUE FOG OFF S TOO I LOVE IT 2STROKES SMELL MMMM LOL
Nice looking and running bike! My first bike was a NEW 1974 Harley z90, very similar to this one. bought it when I was 13 after saving my money from mowing lawns, working the orchards and doing odd jobs. Loved the bike because of the looks. I kept it in perfect condition for many years. Only issues were the constant carb problems, clutch cables breaking and bolts coming loose.
Great to see this one back on the road.
For years I had a Yamaha 175. This bike reminds me of it. Lots of great memories!
I wore my FIX IT 'TIL IT'S WORSE shirt to my foot surgery yesterday. Got some laughs from the staff. Love that shirt. Great video, as usual. I would've loved to see the reaction from the family, though.
Always loved the sound of a classic two stroke.
Im so utterly jealous of your talent and your knowledge, of motorcycles Craig. The way you remain calm and think about what needs to be done from a-z. Dan you make videos with your witty banter.
Mate I really don't like you.
0:45 - I love these old Harleys and I wish I could get one and make it into a Harley dirt bike.... Crazy part is that it's been off the road as long as I've been alive. 😁👍🖤
Craig, you've given me so much knowledge about tinkering and messing with motorcycles to make them run. When I get my first bike I'll use this knowledge well to keep it maintained and for it to last! CHEERS!
I have a 72 HD sprint 350 with 27 miles on it. True survivor
My first motorcycle that my brother and I shared was a 90cc Aermacchi Harley. Best Harley I’ve ever ridden!
first kick man what a bike dude
When cleaning out a gas tank or anything that is hard to get into, try putting a bunch pf BB's in there, with your cleaning solution,
and shake it around. It works great!
I had a 125 rapido back in the day, I think it was a 1969- brings back ,
Memories!
69 was nice. I had a 71 for 30 years.
I owned a 1974 AMF Sportster. What a beast! Starting it was an adventure- never knowing if it would start with or without choking it. Once it started, the handlebars vibrated badly at speed. At stoplights the front wheel moved forward and back. Its acceleration was crazy quick.
I am very pleased that you got USA for the bike build off.
Me too
@@The_Bearded_Mechanic In the past, I had a 1974 H.D. Z90, it had to be in neutral to kick start. Was this bike the same way?
awesome vid Craig I have a 1974 Harley Davidson SX 350 sprint I bought it 28 years ago and got it running drove it down the driveway brakes did not work freaked me out so i hung it in the ceiling in my shop. i have the original paperwork brand new cost was 1087.88 in 1974.
The sound and smell of FREEDOM !!!
Il suono e l'odore della LIBERTÁ !!!
Great job getting it running. I was very surprise you didn't do a 4 psi pressure test on the float needle. It's the first thing u check after cleaning and starting to reassemble the carb. You got lucky on this one. I enjoy your videos. Keep them coming.
How does Craig not know what Dellorto is. I would have imagined that he has ran into quite a few of them
Dells are VW carbs mostly
@@ShaunHensleyThey’re an Italian company. I’ve only ever seen them on Italian motorcycles and scooters and mopeds but they’ve been around forever and they make good stuff. I was surprised he’d never heard of them too.
@@craigcampbell1843theyre also used fairly regularly as an upgraded carb for those motorized bicycle kits
@@craigcampbell1843 Yes all true, but they were also the goto dual carb setup for bugs back in the 80s. Them and Webers.
So if he was ever into bugs, he would have run across them too.
as shown in the video, dellortos are extremely easy carbs on 2strokes too
When I was a kid, I was lucky enough to watch Rex Staten testing different suspension setups on the factory Harley MX bikes at Saddleback in So Cal. I remember he punished those bikes, He rode back to the pits most of the rear spokes broke. We were just little kids but he took time to talk with us making us life long Fans.
Bearded mechanic when seeing an AMF: "Can I get this thing running?" Me when I see an AMF: "Do I have enough TNT to blow this thing up?"
🤣 exactly how I feel with so many of the chinese motorcycles here in the UK!
really, so you are not old enough to remember that without AMF there would be no Harley Davidson... I am and you have no idea WTF you are talking about.
@@JamesAllmond I don't understand the hostility. And just an FYI, I am old enough to remember. While AMF did provide temporary survival to the HD name, it's pretty much common knowledge their bikes were crap.
@@OldProphet61the Fiat of Harley-Davidsons
I had one of these! Traded a Honda xr75 for it. It ran great after a tune up. Enjoyed it after the tune up on trails, etc. Thanks for reminding me of my youth.
Great video sir. Back in 1976 I had a Kawasaki KE 125 and my friend had the same Harley Davidson you have worked on and this Harley Davidson 125 2 stroke was very sharp and my friend lended to me to ride and he wrote my Kawasaki. Riding from Miami Beach where we both lived and riding to Homestead Florida to do some trails was fun from mid morning until around 1:00 pm. 2 years later I signed up to serve in the U S Army and sold my Kawasaki and my friend still had his Harley. Thank you for taking me back on a memorable time when I was only 16 years young with no cares in the world..!!
Morning from the UK. I had to stop before i finished your video to leave a comment, I love watching your videos, the vast range of bikes that you come across and acutely get running - like this 48year old Harley. I cant wait to see the next video with another totally different bike. Keep up the amazing work
Good job! Only need to check the crankshaft seals (that's why there was some oil missing from the gear box) and the oil pump dosage calibration. Front fork oil may need a change...
I had that model bike in the 70's when I was a teen. It was a very reliable ride. I mostly rode it on trails. Love watching you revive the old-school bikes.
Hey Dan,
I’m from Holland and I love your channel. Back in 1978 I had a orange SX185. In fact it was a Cagiva. Cagiva was part of The Aermacchi group, that again was owned by HD.
It was the first bike that i had for off-road purposes. It was a fun bike, but my friends had KTM’s and XR 500. So I could not keep up with them. So i bought a XL 250. Nevertheless is was a fun bike and it gaves me sweet memories.
“Nobody ever drives bikes out of inspection”. Omg how did you say that with a straight face?!! I once rode a 97 Monster for six years without tags lol.
In the mid 80's, I had a 1973 or 1974 AMF HD 125 that I putted around the neighborhood on. My neighbors thought it was so funny because I typically rode my 1979 HD Lowrider or 1976 FLH with a sidecar. I had alot of fun on that little 125.
When I was a kid I had a two-stroke AMF Harley that I used to ride around the woods. It was 65cc, kick start, magneto ignition, no battery. I think it was a 1965, but I could be wrong about that. Fun, quirky little bike. 3 speed transmission, you shifted by rotating the left handgrip. EDIT - some cursory research tells me that this was probably a 1967 model - same as me!
Your videos have been such a great distraction since having neck surgery. Sleeping in a hard collar isnt super easy so I have been binge watching your videos most nights.
Thanks for even keeping it clean for the kiddos to watch too. Thats mucho appreciated man.
P.S. lots of old bikes still hanging around here in upstate PA.
Hi Craig and Dan, Man I knew you would get it running, but first Kick????? That’s just incredible. I like the old designs of the Dirtbikes back then. I remember when I was little I just about drooled over the Honda SL70. I thought it was the best looking Bike in the World. I never got one but as soon as I got out of the Military I bought a Z1 900 and have owned a Bike ever since then. I’m 64 now and still Riding. Thanks for the Video. You are one incredible Mechanic Craig.😁👍👍
They had two strokes earlier than the one you’ve got when I was a kid. We had a 1964 165 two-stroke, three speed hard tail. It had been painted a dark navy blue.. over what was originally a pink metallic it also originally had a white vinyl seat.
Long ago, my first bike was a 1965 Harley M-50. While my buddies were riding Montgomery Ward and Sears mo-peds, I was riding a "HARLEY DAVIDSON". It didn't have pedals and was quite a bit faster than the other bikes. It had a twist-grip shifter on the handlebars. Lots of good 60 year old memories. That little bike led me to 50 years as a biker. My second bike was a Honda CB-160 twin. A bike like that when I was 14 years old was epic !! Good times. Thanks.
The tank decal says it 1975. 1976 tanks had similar striping but in a horizontal U shape. Like 76 EG had😊
Parts for those HD 2 cycles were hard to get/eclectic at best in the late 90s. Meaning likely obsolete today.
Im with you Craig i Love All Motorcycles and have had this love afair for over 53 years!
Who ever does the music selection for the videos does a very good job. Very fitting...
Dellorto carburetors are really good, but not so easy to adjust, especially their vhsh 30cs. but when it is tuned correctly, it gives really good power
Had a 1972 bought new, but it had dual rear sprocket thanks for the memory,s I’m 74 years young Just enjoying my superglide now !
And it came with two master links and extra length of special chain so you could change the rear sprockets on the fly, small sprocket for highway big one for off road.
here in the UK a friend had the SX 175 which i rode a few times , there was the ST 125, 175, 250, and 350 as well remember the SX as a 250 too , not a great seller in the UK as most kids wanted the Yamaha and Suzuki 250s as learner bikes
At my shop, we use a californua company that will reline the inside of metal fuel talks with a new liner and make it look new again. Costs about a grand, but it's worth it for old fuel tanks or paint you can't get anymore.
I had a 1977 AMF Sportster 1000. Right foot shifting, which was weird at first, and leaked oil like a Harley, but it sounded KILLER.
Everyone needs a Craig. EDIT : I love everything about this bike. The 2 stroke gives it so much mojo, and I love how the oil filler is on the gas tank. The gas tank paint scheme is SO 70's, I love it. I can't wait to hear it run. Also, Dan is ALWAYS hilarious. I KNEW it would start with one kick ! That spark was healthy.
My mother had one of these bikes and she loved to ride it through the trails near our cabin in northern Michigan. For some reason I remember it having 2 sprockets on the rear tire and my dad said that one was for trail riding and the other was for the road. My dad had roughly restored it by repainting the tins. Sadly it was stolen from our shed long long time ago and still brings tears to her eyes when her old bike comes up in convo 😢. Also have a parts bike still my dad picked up if any one is in need of parts besides the tins lmk.
I had a blue one growing up it was my second real bike. I can’t tell you how many hours i spent in that seat riding around this big field with my friends. Great memories.
I had a 1975 125SX when I was 13 yo. The original one I had was recalled due to the frames breaking right behind the neck. Instead of them fixing it by putting everything on a new frame they replaced it with a new bike. When I went to pickup the new bike I had my choice of the color you have there and a black one. I took the black one. I always called that color pink. Wish I still had it. That bike made me a lifetime Harley rider.
I got one just like it after being discharged from the Army in ‘75. I rode it around a lot. It was fun! The folks I got it from may have won it as well…they had two of the 125’s…
Hi I'm a amf time line guy, not sure who came first but I remember seeing Harley and Indian two stroke dirt bikes. Good job on this one 🎉 cheers
I saw a couple, when I was a kid... BUT, that town (Muskegon, MI) was the headquarters and the pin, ball & alley machines, for Brunswick. Lol! In 1971, out on the far edge of town, next to a drive in theater, AMF built a state of the art bowling alley. Didn't do real well...
Thanx !, for bringing those memories back (& the smell of 2 stroke fumes, are a "Par-fume"!).
And the smoke screen function is working as well. 😆 luv the 2 strokers.
I remember a new one of these imported Harley dirt bikes on the dealership floor when I was visiting there often trying to keep my 1973 FLH Police Special running. I don't think I ever saw one on the street or trails. You would see the old Sprints often but never these.
Im in Australia and it was my FIRST bike purchase but mine was the sx175 model. It had marzocci shocks , fox forks , chrome bore , all steel mudguards front and back! etc.
I had a 250 the same color as that one, my step dad bought it for me at 12 years old and it changed my life forever. Good memories!!
Ok i got interested to see a Harley Davidson scrambler. Then when you said it is a 75 and not 76, it peaked my interest more. Then you hit the jackpot. Manufactured March 1975. Same as me born 10th of March 1975. Love your videos.
I grew up with a trauma nurse for a mom and an MD for a dad. I literally grew up listening to horror stories of motorcycle accidents over dinner. But somehow the way Craig’s energy and the way he talks about these bike make me long for me of these classic machines.
Rebuilt top end for a friend, burned a hole in piston coming
home in a rain wide open.Had a lot of trouble getting parts from Harley Davidson.They didn't want to mess with little two stroke's from Italy
Had an SS250 as my first bike in '76. Sometimes used to kick on the wrong stroke and set off in reverse. Rode it the length of the UK, it got "looks" everywhere I parked it. The summer of '76, a great year to have a bike.
Back in 1981 I mentioned to my dad and step-mom that it might be fun to buy myself a motorcycle. My dad was told by his lawyer dad to never ride motorcycles, and he called them "murdercycles" but my dad had always been intrigued. My step-mom loved motorcycles and got into them in the Sixties in L.A. during the "You meet the nicest people on a Honda" era. She insisted that I should take an AMA motorcycle safety class. Good advice. There was one at the local Harley dealer, and they used a dozen of these mid-Seventies Aermacchi 250's because they were forgiving to restart if a student killed the motor. (They were right.) That was the only time in my life I've seen or ridden these Aermacchi Harleys. They did exactly what they were supposed to do, but I didn't fell in love with them.
nice i remember them did'nt see a lot of them on the off road side . i rode suzuki and kawsaki . i love the smell and the sound of a 2 storke . brings back a lot of the good times i had back in the 70s-80s
Wish the world would bring back the little road going two strokes.... Simple, easy, fun to ride. Great to go to work on.
I'm traditionally more of a classic car guy, but stumbled on this channel via the Geico bike and now I'm hooked. Both educational and therapeutic somehow.
It's really something how the bike looks great in general, but there are all those weird things like the crooked pilot jet, the DIY wire repair, and the backwards fender...this was 'maintained' harder than it was ridden. Glad you're setting it all right, even if it is metric.
Graduated HS in 1968 in Concord California (Concord High School). At that time there were about 4 bikes in the parking lot besides my Yamaha YM-1 305. One of them was a Harley 250 Sprint which I believe was kick start only . Used to enjoy watching the guy trying to start it. The fun ended while I was riding to school the last day before graduation when a car cut me off going into the parking lot. I stuck the bike in the fender well, flew over the car while executing a perfect flip landing on my feet facing the bike about 15 feet away holding the cars antenna in my left hand. The funny part was I was told I had a book fine and had to pay it before I could get my diploma. In protest of that I had emptied my penny collection (about 10 dollars worth) in order to do so. Those pennies went everywhere! Had half the school picking up pennies for me. Fond memories...
Not a big Harley fan but that is one cool 125cc. I'd own it. Always loved 125cc dirt bike because you could throw them around. Just enough power to mess around in the dirt. Power to weight ratio. "I love the smell of a two stroke in the morning" or "On Any Sunday"!!!!!! I did my share of riding them back in the day.
I love that AMF HD is finally getting a little respect. I think they are an iconic moment in history.