Reviving an ABANDONED 1975 Harley-Davidson SX125 | The 2 STROKE Italian Flop!
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 8 ก.พ. 2022
- I bought a 1975 Harley Davidson SX125. Why should you care? It goes against EVERYTHING you know about Harley Davidson today- this is an Italian built 2 stroke small bore trail bike built by Aermacchi in the 60s and 70s. AMF, Harley Davidson's parent company at the time decided to bring the Aermacchi motorcycles to the United States and sell them under the Harley Davidson brand. They were a sales flop, but I love my SX125! So in today's episode, we try to get the old 125 trail bike running again.
Thanks for Watching!
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if you need to rebuild the engine and can't find parts, you can just get the measurements of bearings and crank seals and replace them with generic ones. the same can be done in a pinch with pistons and rings, although harder. I know of a guy who rebuilt a vintage 2-stroke snowmobile engine with a Ford pickup piston. good luck to ya!
Was thinking the exact same thing. Can’t believe Ike didn’t bring this up.
@@TheKurtTribute I'm sure they'll figure it out... but if they stick a predator 4-stroke on THIS bike, I'll unsubscribe so fast they'll think they're being shadow-banned by the youtube algorithm.
@@nybergsgarage i doubt they would throw a predator on it. it seems like they want to keep this thing as close to original as possible
@@anesthetized7053 that's my hope, and it seems to be what they're going to do.
Exactly Stephen! If that doesn't work out they could try to find a two stroke dirt bike engine thay they could "splice" into the frame. The drive is on the left, etc. How about a 1970's era RM 125 or even 250. Those were pretty bad ass. Like 1978.
I bought a 1975 FLH Harley Davidson ElectaGlide when i was 25. I've ridden every year since I've owned it. I've done 4 top end rebuilds and 1 lower, runs like a beast and one of the easiest engines ive ever worked on. I'll be 66 yrs old in July.
My favorite Era of Big Twins.
In 1965 I got my first motorized bike a Sears Allstate moped. Whenever I would put it in neutral it would go wide open. I found this out when I got it running for the first time. When it started it went wide open and I let the clutch out hoping to kill it. I wound up doing my first wheelie across my mother's front yard and into the side of my friend's garage. The bike fell against my left leg and took out a big chunk of meat. I quickly reinstalled the flywheel cover. Watching your channel, I got the urge to build a mini bike last year. I used a Mongoose BMX frame and a 3hp Briggs engine. I found out it's possible to build one without any welding. I recently turned 73.
Sears Allstates were Either made by Puch (the moped company from Germany) or Gilera (an Italian Motorcycle Co,) - depending on the Model and size of Allstate, hard to say what you had- Montgomery Wards had their own line as well called Riverside Motorcycles, which were all made by Benelli in Italy-
@@Mad-Duk_Machine_Werkes Mine was a 50 cc model that was made in Austria. I have owned two of them and that was over 50 years ago. One was destroyed after I sold it and the other one still lives in my friends landfill still to this day.
@@Mad-Duk_Machine_Werkes Mine was made by Puch. Mine was a 50cc model. I had to go to our local Sears catalog store to order a cylinder, piston, rings and a gasket set for less than $7.00 including tax. I owned two of the same model Allstates over the years. One was sold to a guy who installed a Honda 50 Cub engine on it and later crashed it. The second lives in my friend's landfill except the gas tank which hangs in his garage. My moped had a two speed hand shift. I don't know the model years because they didn't have titles for them at that time.
I had this exact bike. We (dad and I) could never get it to run right. He found an article (before internet) about them being over oiled and clogging the exhaust. (not on yours!) The fix was to fire it up and put a torch on the pipe just outside the head and heat it up to cherry red. Then the magic happened. It started puking out tons of smoke and the glowing cherry ring started walking down the pipe. We kept it running and it walked itself to the end of the pipe burning all the crap out. Low and behold it ran like a champ after that! Simply put the exhaust was clogged.
th-cam.com/video/zXR-Hoo2tZU/w-d-xo.html
so pretty much a chimney fire lol
That's one way to de coke the engine, a less smokey way would be to have removed the exhaust, filled it up with a solution of caustic soda . Anyway your way worked for you .
Charles is so fricking funny! He is an awesome addition to the team.
th-cam.com/video/zXR-Hoo2tZU/w-d-xo.html
I love C too, but why are we still talking about Charles like he's the new guy? 😆
He’s an awesome addiction to the team
@@jjhack3r uhoh! You're addicted to Daddy C? 🤣 j/k
@@DetroitMicroSound amphetamines 😐 not good.
Guys, in 1962 or 63 (it has been a long time so I can't be more specific) my brother and I found an old Ducati 200 cc in a barn. We hauled it home and pounded the piston out of the barrel with a hammer and brass rod. Got the dang thing running, and I still don't really know how. I rode it back and forth for my senior year of HS and first semester of college (local CC) then my brother rode it for another year on a paper route. Even in those days (before the internet) parts were a PITA but somehow we kept it running. Never under estimate an Italian motorcycle.
Italian vehicles have always had very nice designs to them. But they've always had bad parts availability when it comes time to fix something. So any hopes of resale go out the window because who wants a pretty vehicle you can't keep operational? Not everyone has room to keep a big pretty ornament. :)
Harley had been selling re-branded Aermacchi bikes in the USA since the early 1960s which predates the AMF ownership era.
In the mid-seventies, Harley won a 250cc GP world championship using the Aermacchi bikes.
The 250/350 4-stroke street bikes are collectable.
Had a run on one in the 70's . Very nice machine.
I love the look Isaac gives Charles when he dumps the rust back into the exhaust, lol. I look forward to seeing this one run, keep up the great work fellas.
Theres a set of points on eBay right now. The part number is 29530-70m. Dellorto VHB carb kits are also still available since many Italian bikes from that era had dellorto VHBs. The SX125 had a high mounted exhaust. yours is a SS125 which had the low mount exhaust. The SXs were scrambler version and the SS bikes were the street bikes. The main difference between the two were the different exhaust styles. They used the same engines so parts crossover .
Just little advice from Eugene's back yard repair. You guys need visegrip chain wrench so next time you have stuck motor can wrap around flywheel instead of depending on the bolt. Could break them real easy in the crank . Great job getting her unstuck
My first job was as a mechanic at a Harley dealer when I was 16 (in 1973). All I worked on was the small bikes. Those bikes were so easy to work on! That was the days of AMF (American Machine and Foundry) or if you worked at a dealer Another Mal Function.
AMF made Harley’s for a bit. I remember these bikes well, running in Enduros back in the day. You need an old man like me helping??? Oil injection was big back then on a lot of 2 strokes. Even before 1975. My first real race bike, was a Yamaha Mini Enduro I did a lot of custom work to. Yes Charles, I did eliminate the oil pump and ran Castro Racing Bean oil at 20:1!!! Miss that smell.
We used to use 100 octane aviation fuel and bean oil , I can still remember the addictive smell and that was 35 years ago lol
You boys need to build a one wheel monster unicycle.
Aermacchi means air machine in Italian. They made one man helicopters in WWII. The four stroke 250 and 350 bikes performed well. A land speed record was set with a 250 of 176mph. It had some wild sprockets a a big clear bubble fairing on it. 😐
I’ve got a 74 tm 125 and the oil injection still works like a champ. Biggest problem I’ve heard is that when people ran dry they didn’t bleed the air out of the injection system
I was looking for a part 2... and then I looked at the date and realized it was only released 3 days ago... I hate waiting, but can't wait to see you guys get this thing up and running again. What's crazy is I found this channel cause me and a buddy were messing around with a go-kart, and found your vids. That was in 2019 and we were like 12. Been a subscriber ever since.
Check ebay for your parts. I just rebuilt a AMF Z90. You might need to switch to Canadian eBay, I found lots of NOS parts. Hope that helps!
it's so fun to see you guys working on 2-stroke stuff... keep it coming!
Yes they are and very rare. I have the good Italian, I have a fully restored Vespa p200e 1980. Get a lot of looks when I ride it in the summertime. And yes it is a 200cc 2 stroke and they are solid as a rock.
@@davolbc sounds like fun! I've got an old motobecane moped, a french bike. unlike those italian ones, it has a reputation, that it's living up to, of being dead unreliable and having more problems than the US economy. But I still love to ride it. 50cc 2-stroke, of course.
If I remember right, that 350 Warrior engine has a reverse, but it's kind of an odd mechanic to get it to shift in. It could be really great in a small cross or shifter kart.
I like the reverse on them
The bike is a Cagiva built SSX125, from back when Cagiva owned Harley Davidson (now HD owns Cagiva).
It is powered by an Aermacci 125cc 2 stoke motor, giving the bike a UK MIRA tested top speed of 85 MPH, on a level road surface, with the rider prone.
The road bike range consisted of the SSX125, SSX175, SSX250 & SSX350. (Low level pipe).
The trail bike range consisted of the SST125, SST175, SST250 & SST350. (High level pipe).
All bikes shard the same frame with the 350's being capable of the "Ton" in stock trim.
The safe petrol / oil mix is 33:1.
These were the only Harley Davidson badged bikes that actually handled corners.
H-D didn't deserve those 4 GP titles. But Aermacchi sure did.
I have a 1987 warrior 350, the first of the warriors! And yes it is still a ripper! Yep 35 yrs old and still awesome! Charles, Ike, & John I totally enjoy everything you guys put out!
This bike is a chaos machine. Y’all are like little kids with it. I love the energy it brought to all of y’all. Great work as always boys!
The noise Ike made when the back tire blew had me cracking up. I watched that part over at least 5 times. Love it!
I've had a couple sprints. My favorite one has been the sx350 it's a 4-stroke. I've kept it running the last 30 years. There's a guy in California Moto Italia his name was Lindsay if he's still there that's your best bet for parts
My grandfather had one of these bikes when I was young. Don't remember the details. Great to see u guys restoring one.
Thanks John. I love these old, but extremely interesting bikes. Have come across many at swap meets and love seeing new life given to 'em.
I own a bike just like that one its a 1972 AMF Harley Davidson Sprint ss and it's a rare bike because the made them for a hand full of years and the people who made it is Aermacchi witch bought Harley Davidson back in 1971 and started production on these sweet gem in 1972 and ill be making mine into a scrambler/café racer because all I have of it is the wheels and tires, frame, forks, gas tank, and fenders and I love that you guys got one now 🙂🏍
When Charles had the carb in his hand and said “oh I know what we can do”. I thought after that he was gonna say “we can throw a Makuni on it”
My first motorcycle was an Aermacchi Harley Davidson Baja 100. It had 2 rear wheel sprockets, a huge ring sprocket (72 tooth?) for trail plunking bolted on to a smaller sprocket for road use. Huge fun for a 12 year old kid and real motorcycle sized.
Keep plugging away! This build will be awesome! 👍🏻
Great vid! I'd love to see you guys work on some more classic mopeds and 2 strokes. Mb5, rx50, anything like that.
So excited about the warrior!!! Hope yall use it for more than parts!!!
I had the HD AMF 175cc induro as my 1st bike.
My second HD was a 70s twin engine drag bike.
I had an old briggs & Stratton rototiller last summer, that looked exactly the same inside the head and intake. It had water inside for more than 3 yrs. I cleaned the carb, wire brushed the intake, left the air filter off and I'll be damed if it didn't start up and idle ok !!!! I ended up tilling a 100 foot by 100 foot patch. And it runs right now !!!! You never know what will happen. You guys should try and make the warrior run before you cannibalis it, carbs are cheap and so are rebuild kits
$50 bucks
My brother in law had a 1974 (I think) Harley Davidson snowmobile. Previously, AMF had a Ski-Daddler brand, but when they bought out Harley, they rebranded them. The early Ski-Daddlers were ugly, but the Harley actually looked cool. His sled ran great for a couple of years until it met an untimely end with a stuck throttle, nearly no breaks, a broken kill switch, and a tree. The motor was still fine, but everything else was toast.
That's actually the SS model . I had the SX 125 and got my cycle license with it when I was 16. Really fun to ride. I think the SS is more rare. Good show guys.
The vast majority of the parts (carb) can be found online. We do a ton of 2 stroke mopeds and scooters and I would bet a billion dollars you can find what you need. We use a lot of Lambretta, Piaggio, Vespa, Motobecane and Menarelli. Finding a Delorto carb or parts should be easy.
Back in the ''60s, a friend had an AMF H-D 175. It just barely made enough power to be allowed in the slow lane on the highway. It had the most awkward pair of handlebars, I was told, and he reckoned that it was much like trying to steer a cow. Well, he kept it and I managed to pick up a CB 160 Honda and it would do an honest 80mph. As a trail bike it might do you well, but that one is the street version.
Interesting on the things you find! I will be glad to watch what you do with this bike.
The old enthusiasts used to call them AMF Harley's bowling balls when Harley-Davidson sold out to AMF Sporting Goods
There is a 250 of this for sale in Columbia TN for $500. I think it was complete if you are looking... Love the video!
They are sweet bikes! I have a 1965 M50 my grandfather bought new for my mom and her siblings to ride around the yard. 400 original miles
I Live in Trussville Alabama....🎵❤️🙏
In the mornings when I wake up I can hear the bikes and cars racing at the track....! From TrussVegas it’s about a 15 or 20 minute ride from my house to ( Barbers ) that place is a regular hang out for me and my buddies.....!
Love this episode! I have a 1974 sx250 im restoring. Running into the same issues though
i had an identical one but it was orange instead of red. Got it when i was 12 it came in boxes and i had it together and running the next day. I loved that bike!
Nice to see a Aermacchi video, not many on TH-cam that goes into getting one running. I have a SX-125 myself but it was, although rough, was a lot better than yours. In case you're needing them, a CD with digital copies of Aermacchi parts and service manuals are available from Sunnymead Cycles. On that CD is a SXT-125/SS-125 1975-1976 Parts Catalog and SS/SXT-125 1975-1976 Service Manual. You'll need them, I did.
YES more content of the AMF Harley would love to see the 250 swap that Kevin has available for it if you can't get the 125 running
Love the old bikes. First one was a 1980 Honda xl80s then I moved up in the world and back in time to a 1978 xl350. I threw a rear sprocket on the back to get it up to 65mph in 5th gear. Love the old bikes!
Great videos keep on it guys. I also saw one of these AMF's in the same condition for sale here in Vegas last year, but I don't know if it is still available. I bought a complete 1958 Indian Trailblazer instead for $1500. Next couple of weeks my uncle will be giving me a 1975 Maico 125.
What a cool endeavor, nice to see you guys dipping your toes back into the motorcycle world. Not my first choice in bike but a 2 stroke will run. I would have recommended something like an old honda xr or a yamaha sr 250. Small and extremely reliable.
John, what were you thinking.
Ike, I think you found the inner tube.
Charles, good show on the puller.
Those Harley dirt bikes were the brunt of many jokes of the early 70s.
Yes AMF the bowling ball company.
I wish I could say you have a classic or an antique but at best it's an oddity.
I'm still looking forward to the build.
Cheers
Terry
Isaac is always the voice of reason when it comes to the shop.... Wait, wait wait....... Just wait.. Love it.
oh man, when that tube popped in the front tire......I haven't laughed that hard in a long time. Ike's reaction and how hard he was laughing then made me laugh even harder. That was hilarious.
I love how Ike just wheezes when he laughs!! 😆😆🤣🤣
I remember the bowling alley at Langley Air Force base used all AMF equipment including the pin reset
I was wondering about that AMF logo. It looked WAY too familiar. Not sure how the bowling company was involved with HD. 😂 Can’t wait to see what Ike and Charles have for the next episode.
Finally an actual motorcycle....yall should do alot more!!!!!! Great content
The tube blowing had me rolling😂 those are the moments your remember most
The Harley is very cool you guys are+going to need the largest JBWeld Kit to get that exhaust all patched up ! I personally loved the Italain Harley twoStroker sound back in the day i had a 175 AMF 2 Stroker i’ve also always had my doughts about the Oilinjection systems but a Bombardier dealershipOwner i knew quite well convinced me he never saw one fail and that it was better Performance than premix because it self adjusted to the engines needs that dealership sold all types of Watercraft ,SnowMobiles , 4 Wheelers ,and UTVs plus other brands with Certified Mechanics for Kawasaki and Yamaha also working out of that facility
Be careful with disabling the CCI system. If the oil injection system injects oil into the crankcase, premix might not reach some bearings and you'll grenade your engine for not running the pump.
The Suzuki CCI system was necessary for running, but also extremely reliable.
man y'all had me cracking up with the banter this time
I had a brand new version of this bike. Had an orange tank and a compression release. That might have been added by the dealer in Raleigh, NC. Really enjoyed it. Was not a regular Harley type, but was dirt bike type. Really interested to see this. Most people don't seem to believe me when I mention I had an Italian made 2 Stroke Harley. Thanks
Hell yea brother we back with another jamming episode old school awesomeness
I'm pretty sure you guys can get it running I got faith in you guys
My God. I'd forgotten about these bikes. I don't think I've thought about them since they came out. I'd really dig getting one of these.
Hi. I had one of these in the 70's and I have to say, it was great... when it worked. It has a damn "diode bridge", it's under the seat. It always burned and was expensive. If when starting it, instead of working, it made a strange noise, like "pfiu", a blow coming out of the exhaust... it was the diode bridge. What I can suggest is to change the transmission a little bit, with a smaller sprocket, or a bigger ring gear. It will gain some torque. On the carburetor, increase the high rpm jet a little. And never keep the gear in gear on a long descent... I punctured a piston doing this. Finally, the compression ratio, I think it's 11.5:1. Requires premium gasoline. Great luck!
Awesome! The only Harleys I like! 😁 Also, hopefully you can save that Dell'Orto carb, they are great units and easy to tune.
I love it!
My first 'real' motorcycle was a 1969 Harley Baja 125. It was the previous model to the one you have. Premix 2-stroke. Same low front fender, which I changed to a high version. Also better tires, seat and handlebars. Had a dual rear sprocket and short chain section to add for the lower range. The gear shift was on the right, and it was 1 up and 3 down as I recall. (This was the 70's, and I've killed a lot of brain cells) I was competitive with all the current bikes, like the Suzuki 185, etc. I found a 2nd one for parts, and left them in the barn when I got married... Today, I ride a Yamaha TW200 :)
125cc was the Rapido....the 100 was called the SR100 Baja and the SR100 had more power. Motocross bike
That was my dad's first bike, that exact model Harley :D those things are very collectible, and rare.
Sweet old bike. Keep going youall will get it running.
A neighbor had a 1970’s Harley 175 Rapido and it did sound different. We kids called it the popcorn machine because it sounded like popcorn popping.
Can't wait for more of this project!
Try Armchair cycles out of California. I found parts for a 71 leggero. They had some NOS, and re-pop! Good luck, hope you get her rolling.
I have one of these that needs a rebuild, and my brother has a 250. His just needs carb work. Cool bikes
That Harley looks similar to my 1975 Honda MT125 2-stroke. It is missing everything that made it street legal, but still runs.
So glad you caught on camera
i was laughing sooo hard when that tire let go ahahahah (: keep it up... maby a restoration project?
The intro says it all!!😂👍👌
I need to find my next project bike. Time to do another SOHC Honda 750. My last one was built like it would have been find in the 70s. Instead of buying an 836cc kit from wiseco, I bought 4 cb350 twin pistons 1mm oversize. You mill the crowns (they're more than thick enough for this) so that they're 10 thousandths below deck surface then do the overbore on the block. It turns that motor into an 811cc beast with compression just low enough for pump gas. Stock carbs were sent to Campbell/Dr Gas to be bored out ($150 instead of $600 for a set of mikinis or kehin cr) and a home built capacitive discharge ignition. Stock hp was 57 at the crankshaft, it put 110 at the wheel after the addition of an NOS RC engineering big valve head and custom grind Webcam.
This channel give and gives and gives, I love the content.
The 250 and 350 Sprints were nice and desirable for vintage racing. The two strokes were well...
It's a challenge with the small cc bikes and you can keep them under control and just have a lot of fun
Can’t wait to see what you do with this thing
Great to see how proud they truly are...pure gold just awesome 👌 guys!
Go to a boat shop and get Quiksilver power tune. Its an internal engine cleaner/decarb aerosol. Great for cleaning carbs as well as freeing up stuck rings
this is where Isaac shine. this is his lick, bringing old stuff back from the dead.
Yes that is the bowing company , in the 70s we did call the Harley The Bowling Ball . I know it was AMF in 76 , they made a sportster that was red white and blue and was called the spirt of 76 for the Bicentennial .
I have the 1976 SS 250 restored. Had one as a kid.
Found mine in Ohio, the guy kept in in his game room over 25 years for a show and tell pice.
Putting about 300 miles on it a year, great bike. Wish I could upload pic of it.
Can’t wait to see the next page for this bike
AMF Era big twins are my favorite models, but they need help to be decent and reliable (for a Harley) riders. Nothing like the sound of a high compression big cam shovelhead through a set of high/low drag pipes.
I think you hit a engine that you can get a lot of content from which is the two stroke. Keep your eyes peeled for any older dirt bikes that are 2-stroke I think you will love the performance you get out of them compared to the smaller four strokes. A Yamaha YZ250 CC 2-stroke engine would be amazing on one of your builds. Maybe look for an Enduro that way you have a charging system on it.
I'm glad to see you doing motorcycle stuff. I want to see more on the chopper! The AMF Harley Davidson motorcycles are a perfect project bike because they aren't really worth anything, so they are fun to build any way you wish.
In good shape that bikes worth about 4-5,000$
Fully restored, those sx125' "sell" for $3500. A 350 MIGHT bring $4500, if it was fully restored.
The downside to people buying rare things is when they see the word rare they instantly attach the word valuable to it. But they don't stop to realize that there are two types of rare. You have rare which could be worth a lot of money. Or in the instance of this motorcycle where it's rare but isn't worth anything because parts are non-existent. Being so rare to the point in which you can't fix it and make it useable hurts any possible value.
This Old Man has faith y'all will get it running. Always enjoying your videos. Keep them coming. 🛵🧔💝💝💝
Awesome video ! I want a Harley Davidson XR 750 ! Like One of Evel Knievel"s Jump Bike's!
AMF bought Harley in `69 if I reckon. AMF= American Machine and Foundry. Harley had a surplus of parts so AMF "assembled" the bikes for a number of years. Some of the old Harley execs got together and bought the company back. The Aermacchi (which you have there) was part of the Italian connection with AMF who ultimately sold it to another Italian company called Cagiva. I'm working from memory here (60 and a lifelong Harley guy - I bleed Shovelhead) but I think that's kind of how it went. We had a lot of these AMF Harley dirt bikes around when I raced in the way back. Neat little scooter there....good snag Jon!
And hey isn't about time you guys patch Charles in??? just sayin'.....
On some Honda’s you can use the rear axle as a puller. The threads are the same as the threads on the flywheel/rotor. I just used that hack on a Honda cb 360 and it worked great.
That warrior running would be an awesome grandprix lap time
I had a 90cc amf with small tires.you could push strat it to run backwards, fun bike!!!!!!!
Usually you want to disassemble top end then hone it.
Then re-ring it. Aermacchi is a copy of Ducati some parts are same. They were a WW2 airplane manufacturer. Really cool bikes
Keep working on it!! Love the bike!!
If you put the blaster engine on it…holy crap you better suit up in all your protective gear!!!