1970's Harley Seized By Police And Sold At Auction. How Bad Is It?

[@Amac1825]

This is the content youtube was made for. No corny intros or sponsorship crap.

[@snowyowl7042]

😂OMG I know, watch me put on my makeup. A box of wires and lights

[@Heathcliff_hensel]

@@Amac1825 lol no "Hey Guys"

[@bryanwhitton1784]

Oh man, this brings back old memories. I used to race the ERS racing version back in the 70's. I rode this exact model on the street at the same time. My uncle owned Sam Arena's Harley Davidson in San Jose California and I was given all the Sprints to work on. I have a 72 to restore when I get healthy again(back surgery). He is starting it perfectly. You stand to the left and kick with your right foot. Oh man this is great!

[@daleguenther5826]

Yeah, I had a '71 Sprint in the mid 70's- 80's. Had moved from Fla to NJ and rode it through the first winter in NJ. Fun to start when it's freezing out. Put me over the handlebars a few times. Brought back a lot of memories... The 1972 Sprint had turn signals right?

[@bryanwhitton1784]

@@daleguenther5826 I don't think I ever had my Sprint kick me. My dad and the senior mechanics at the shop hammered it into me to regularly maintain the advance mechanism and keep it lubed. If you didn't it would kick REALLY bad. Same with the Sportster XLCH or any of the Sportsters with the manual retard system. If you didn't retard the ignition with the left hand it would launch you.

[@tauncfester3022]

@@daleguenther5826 they shouldn't kick back unless you've advanced the ignition too far, these Italian bikes have a very low firing advance angle at idle, there's a reason for this especially if you have a bike with a 10:1 compression ratio.

[@bryanwhitton1784]

@@tauncfester3022 4 degrees of advance at idle. By 3500 RPM ir was 34 degrees as long as the advance mechanism was working.

[@jeffdayman8183]

These Sprints were made in Italy by Aermacchi after they were bought by H-D's parent company. They were H-D bikes in name only. Pretty good bikes mechanically but some of the wire used and some of the ignition parts gave a lot of trouble. They sounded great though, even the 350 sounded like a WW2 airplane engine, and was almost as loud! Cheers.

[@buzzwaldron6195]

A very powerful 350cc in its day!

[@robdot1964]

That would explain the metric tools

[@JustAnAverageBrad]

yeah i thought something was weird to have metric tool kit too...this explains it

[@Poppinwheeeeellllllieeeeez]

Metric tools should be universal in 2024.

[@bryanwhitton1784]

@@buzzwaldron6195 Mine wasn't stock, I had the same model and year, and it would do over 100 MPH. The speedo only went to 90 and Cycle World tested it with a top speed of 92. They handled great but as other have said the wiring and the crap generator were horrible. I can't tell you how many generators I have replaced on Sprints back in the day.

[@ezedjay]

Haha - when you said "this bike was seized" I was thinking "why the f" and then heard "in a drug raid down in Florida" 😂 This is one of the few channels that I never loose interest in. Your videos are really awesome - the 2 stroke dirtbike fixups are so good. I love 80's dirtbikes.

[@billshearer3984]

Wow, you sure got a lot of smug comments. Everybody thinks they know everything about bikes. I like your videos. I think you go about everything properly. Good job.

[@mjfixitman1]

All the know it all’s come out of the woodwork 😂

[@jktho]

So many hate comments 🤦🏼‍♂️

[@travisconover4762]

A lot of good mechanics watch this channel. Cheers!

[@DaveDeline]

My issue with antique road bikes is Parts availability and a shop willing to work on issues I can't do myself. For instance install proper carb jets to perform with 4 in one header and single k/n air filters on an 80 cb750f. Syncing the carbs to run 10,000 rpm.

[@DaveDeline]

And since 2019 I've been maintaining a 85 GL 1200 limited and replaced starters, more than one chinese only last 6 or 7 months , rebuilding master and slave cylinders for hydraulic clutch system and learning how to bleed the brakes when one front caliper is on same line as rear.etc.etc.

[@jeffpoplin558]

Had my 69 Sprint in early 70s. First street bike. Rode it everywhere. Previous owner had changed original mufflers to a chrome "cherry bomb" style. You would not believe all the compliments I got on the sound. So many good memories on that old "bass-akwards" machine. Thanks for reviving this one and letting me ride my dreams again.

[@jeffrygagnon5506]

"Compliments on the sound." ???

[@budledbetter7457]

Cool BUT minor suggestion as an old man who's done this stuff for years ITS MUCH CHEAPER TO USE STARTING FLUID TO WAKE UP BIKES THAN GETTING THAT KNEE REPLACEMENT AT 50 YEARS OLD JUST SAYING .

[@ohwell2790]

WD40 works great to see if it will run and if it does and quits it is the carb and safer than gas. And get a sonic cleaner to get carbs real clean.

[@micahhittinger6083]

@@ohwell2790he’s got a sonic cleaner

[@gusgiesel]

​@@ohwell2790He has an ultrasonic cleaner, I guess he didn't need to use it this time.

[@charlesshort4287]

@@ohwell2790 I believe they took the igniter fluid/flammables out of WD40 a few years back, I still use it daily on lots of things,

[@G58]

Instead of committing the apparently incurable American habit of succumbing to the symptoms of ‘Will it Start?’ Disease, it’s also a very good idea to: Perform a bore check with a bore scope; lubricate the bore (before attempting to turn over); flush out the tank before adding fresh fuel; clean the carb; expect and check for air leaks, and fit a fully charged battery.

[@shadow7796]

I love older, rarer things like this. That's awesome. You get your hands on some truly cool stuff, Joe. There's no way that I'd ever let go of that. It would take a lot of money.

[@gusgiesel]

I ride off-road only, but this is by far the coolest bike I've seen on your channel, so far. So fun to watch you work on it and wake it up after sleeping 18 years. Great video 👍

[@Paulfarmer-en4vh]

I like the way you said it is a beast to start. When you tried to cover up the little fiddle with the key ! 45:15

[@AliKhan-1966]

Yes. Probably the key fiddle made it start

[@davebarrowcliffe1289]

A little dab of grease on the points cam is good practice. Stops the bakelite points "heel" wearing out and throwing your points gap out.

[@Thuddster]

Dielectric grease, ofc!

[@MacAulish-mw6vt]

Finally, one of your projects that does not burn a ton of oil !

[@jasonrutherford4453]

u are living your best life buddy u impress me so much keep on living the way more of us should following our passion your a damn good mechanic brother God bless u

[@roberta.6399]

I had one of them thumpers in the 80's. It was kinda choppered out. It was a bear to start and the shifter on the right side took some getting used to. And one up, 3 down was confusing as well. Yours is sweet. Have fun.

[@peteloomis8456]

I had a 73 Bultaco Alpina 250 years ago and they are left hand kick right hand shift left hand rear brake & it's shift pattern was 1 down 4 up . Very nimble light weight bikes with a fiberglass tank & side covers . It also had an adjustable rear chain oiler with the oil reservoir partially built into the rear swing arm that had a sealed vented oil cap for the chain oiler. Great bikes that won a lot of races and wish I still had it as well as my 74 Yamaha MX 360 moto crosser that hauled the mail very good.

[@JoeyP322]

Love these videos ! Reminds me of the ‘75 Z-90 Kelly rode in “The Bad News Bears”

[@marksica6776]

Probably one of the sweetest bikes you've came across

[@johnb5519]

Good old Italian engineering in those bikes. Quite a collectors item, and nice find.

[@AL197845w34832479823]

yes great engineering everytime your front bulb burns you need an entire headlight...lol....piece of italian shit thats why this brand like almost all italians motorbike brands are dead now...

[@davebarrowcliffe1289]

Best way to check for pinhole in the fuel tank is to go in a dark room and shine a light into the filler hole. You'll soon see if there are pinholes in the tank, and a dry tank is far easier to weld, braze, or JB Weld than one which has had fuel in it. 👍 😊 🔥

[@dennisgreene5055]

made me remember watching these (the 250's) race at the Daytona shorttrack in 73, Markel vs Nixon(on a Triumph cub), You will have no trouble selling this at a tidy profit!!

[@copperaudio9664]

Nice Joe! A blast from the past. I remember seeing those when I was a kid. Pretty rare even back in thr early 70's

[@ayedee6681]

That old Harley sounds amazing. What a beauty.

[@allancunningham6019]

Rachet strap the front forks 😊😊 great video..

[@jb678901]

Keep up the excellent work Joe! Content is always interesting and I enjoy observing your methodical problem-solving and positive attitude...getting it done right. Looks like a nice running bike that's ready to restore.

[@johnb5519]

You've really come a long way in being very methodical in doing all the major things before starting. Good job. Take off the front wheel and try rotating that lower fork tube. But definitely a whole disassembly is the best way to go.

[@billn5059]

Watching you start it and when the kick back got you brought back memories of one of these I had for a short time. It was a chore to start and it would vibrate a pound of weight off you when you rode it.

[@ralphnorris-vk8ff]

I had a 250 and a 350 and the 350ERS factory flat track race bike! That was 50 years ago and would love to have another one or all 3 again! Always said, the best Harleys ever made were built in Italy!

[@theoldman8877]

I find it irritating when people immediately start kicking over an engine that has not been run in more than a decade, take the spark plug out and put a little oil in the cylinder first so the rings are not dry. I started my career working on Italian , British and German motorcycle in 1969. Motorcycle controls were not standardized until 1975, before that any control could be in any location and a shift pattern could go either direction. One company I was very fond of had different models with the shifter and brak on opposite sides of each other on different models. I discovered one bike the shifter and Brake could be changed from the left to the right and vice versa I don't remember the brand of that morphodite, I believe it was European .

[@tuberNunya]

All headlights were made that way before you were born. They were about $5-6. Nice revival BTW. You da man!

[@NunyaBusiness251]

Really strange not seeing a lower subframe going around the motor

[@1damghost]

got the petcock facing wrong way. its meant to be facing inwards towards the carb thats why the old hose was shorter. it shouldnt be coming right out and hitting your knee while riding.

[@RichValentine1972]

Sounds fantastic, great find Joe!

[@mikewild8639]

These were a rebadged Aermacchi they were a very fast bike in their day. They did very well in racing in the UK and Europe, even had some success in GP.

[@bryanwhitton1784]

I am building a 72 into a road racer next spring. That will probably take me a year or two.

[@rdsjr64]

that explains your metric tool kit?

[@wolfgangemmerich7552]

This bikes from Aermacchi got the nick name ,, Kraftei " ( Power egg ) in Germany !

[@tauncfester3022]

As stock they were OK, they weren't in the same performance league as Ducati's singles without a lot of tuning and reworking, they're rather industrial and have this point in the rev range were they just stop going faster. At least they're smoother than the HD v-twins.

[@bryanwhitton1784]

@@tauncfester3022 I was always surprised that Ducati never made any serious inroads into racing with their singles. When I was about 13 years old my family moved into a house that someone had left a 250 cc Ducati engine in the utility room. I took it apart and put it back together many times. It was how I figured out how a constant mesh transmission worked. I never found out which version of the 250 it was. It had a bad piston in it that I found the first time I opened it up. I walked oh it must have been 5 miles each way to Brooks Cycley the local Ducati dealer and bought one just so it would be fixed. When we moved I wasn't allowed to take it with me. BTW, my uncle owned the local Harley shop. So I had tools and my dad bored the cylinder out for me.

[@tgcrissy7327]

I knew it wasn't built by Harley because there was not a puddle of oil under it.Nice find Joe

[@lawrencemacdonald-yz4vn]

Exactly 😅

[@tgcrissy7327]

@@lawrencemacdonald-yz4vn I just had to say it...but I own a Harley😳🤣

[@thebigguy8306]

Great timing, baseball playoffs, and Ol' Joe hitting it out of the park with the Classic Cycles. You are far braver than I, testing the limits of patience and knowledge. Another great addition to your Oshkosh World of Wheels. Beautiful day in the Dairyland

[@lewisclarkson5884]

My favorite resurrection so far. Keep up the good work.

[@JC-zk6gd]

If it was mine, I would restore it and put some high rise handle bars on it to hang from while cruising. Harley enthusiast jaws would drop. The sound brings back memories. Great find and good work. Was looking on JD Power web site and saw that the worth of that bike: (I have no idea if this is accurate in your area, I just googled it for the heck of it) Excellent condition $7,210 Very Good $3,680 Good $2,360 Good for you, love watching your video's God bless JC

[@Ghandisgarage]

Just a little heads up, when youre bringing something back to life, dont tighten any valves until its run for a bit. If they are loose, it could be build up on the valve seat. If you tighten them, then run it, you end up too tight. I suspect thats why it was so hard to start, and it puffed out the intake.

[@ghalston5641]

II would add don’t leave the key in an ancient lock right next to where you are torquing open a hex bolt. He was lucky he didn’t break the key and/or lock when that hex bolt broke loose.

[@andyfaber8044]

i have a 73 SS350 Sprint, with rare 5 speed trans, engine professionally rebuilt. Really nice riding, comfortable bike. Electric staters had 100% failure rate, related to that foot crunching kick back you suffered thru. When it kicked back, it destroyed the planetary gears in the starter. If it's set up properly, 2 kicks usually do it. And even though it is not really a Harley, it DOES leak oil like one.

[@stevehenry2142]

I had a 1966 250 Sprint HD, they were always hard starting, especially so in the winter....until I put a much better after market coil on it.

[@JohnSmith-pl2bk]

If it's a 12VDC bike you could use a ballast resist 8VDC coil... Datsun 120Y(B210) always started instantly... the 12VDC would be dragged down to 10VDC at the lead to the coil by the use of the starter... but 10VDC was still 120% of the 8VDC the coil was designed for... so away it went no matter how cold it was. On "run" the coil would be fed via the ballast resist so the coil would always operate on 8VDC.. even a weak alternator/crummy battery could keep that engine running. I cured the starting problem on an old Ford Anglia by wiring in this same system. The owner went away for 3 months and came back to snow on the parked car which would normally have meant a no start situation. He just flicked the key and that old normally hard-starting Ford..... roared into life.

[@charlesshort4287]

You need a electric or gas powered rear wheel assist starter, Just tearing the engines up kicking them so much plus your kneecaps, Kickstarter assemblies aren't cheap plus the labor to do it, Plus the rear rear start assist spins the engine faster than you can kick it,

[@Happyfacehotwheels]

A treadmill has all the parts needed to make one. The two rollers, electric motor, and motor controller. You can find them on the side of the road for free or on marketplace, also for free.

[@bananabrooks3836]

C'mon, he hasn't had the good sense get a bike lift yet....

[@16driver16]

A steep hill???

[@jiyushugi1085]

No, he needs to learn how to kickstart a single. You must bring the piston a little bit past TDC on compression before kicking, that way you get all the inertia of the crank. If you watch him you'll see that he's bringing up to compression, then kicking. All he's gonna is hurt himself or treat the kickstart mechanism. When Yamaha released the SR series of 400/500 singles they put a small window at the cam camshaft with a mark that showed when the piston was at the proper place for kickstarting (a bit past TDC on compression). All of this was of course standard knowledge back in the day.....

[@charlesshort4287]

@@jiyushugi1085 And it also can result in the cracking the engine cases , Cracking or breaking the cases alone would scare me enough to buy a assist rear wheel starter, And the chances are higher when you're just working on a bike that has not run in a while or that you're working on, If the bikes are running then kick them, but till you get it running right, I would have some type of rear wheel assist to spin the engine and make my life easier,

[@klassyedward9718]

A friend of mine had one of these, we used to ride the dirt everywhere we could. He could muscle the thing and go nearly anyplace he wished, the bike had lots of torque. Very bold and throaty sounding engine. He used to jump it , but the landing was sort of un for giving.

[@JimParvin-o9e]

Damn you really run into the vintage bikes Joe! You've got the right name for your videos.

[@GoofieNewfie69]

Yup, can get good deals at police auctions. They are good to keep an eye on and come with clean titles

[@ballockybill2277]

If bikes could talk lol,

[@Tailgatesntoolboxes]

I got a 1988 racing kx250 at a police auction It has all high end parts on it at the time. It needs to be refone

[@davidheilman1613]

Geez I'm old! In 1972, I was visiting a buddy and his Dad had one of these Bikes. And it wasn't running. Which I thought at the time to be funny, since it was the Rep these smaller Harley's had, at least in my area. You've got a good example of this Bike though, and it even runs!

[@canebuilder3520]

25 bhp at its finest! Many owners complain that starting is a bind, even more so when the bike is hot. There are different recommended starting procedures, but one that works 90% of the time is to turn on the fuel, turn off the ignition, and open the choke on the Dell’Orto, kick it twice, close the choke, turn on the ignition, and it will fire second kick.

[@andyfaber8044]

Yup, that's how i start mine.

[@peteloomis8456]

Basically the same thing for the 82 Honda XR 500R but on those they have a separate decompression lever that allows you to kick the engine over just slightly past tdc then let the lever out & kick it over . The decompression lever can also be used to kill the engine along with the brakes to slow down quicker when needed .

[@joebacarella2829]

That`s the eaisiest carb you ever removed in your life, this thing is very clean, it was stored well by somebody. I think you are the first one to ever take a wrench to it, the crazy square slide on the carb is nuts, you can tell it`s Italian engineered, no leaks and still running. Harley`s rattled and shook so much back in the day, that`s why they all eventually leaked, look how clean that motor is, that left foot kick start is crazy scary, be well my friend.

[@dutchyjhome]

Yes, this Italian developed and made Aermacchi was sold in the USA under the label of Harley-Davidson, which it wasn't. No single part of this bike is made by Harley-Davidson and this bike was not made in the USA, but in Italy (Europe). And in Europe Motorcycle tires must be changed for new ones after 5 years, no matter how much profile there is left; due to safety. Many blow-outs in old tires (over 5 years old) were the reason for this legislation. Look on the internet for Aermacchi SS350. Everything in controls on the opposite side on the motorcycle is typical Italian !

[@jasonjuedes565]

This Harley is one of your cooler projects glad you got it going love the channel !

[@bryanwhitton1784]

Need to check the advance unit behind the points. They are notorious for sticking and causing the kick back. If working perfectly they don't kick back. You shouldn't let it return freely after kicking you will cause problems with the kick mechanism. Also with a Sprint that has been sitting for a long time the crank pin can fill with carbon and clog the drain holes in the pin. Good luck.

[@bananabrooks3836]

Good point about the advance unit, Jo just thinks it's 'a beast' to start.

[@ayedee6681]

I swear. If I rebuilt as many vintage bikes as you, I’d have a rolling rear wheel device for starting these bikes.

[@georgeveneziano2754]

Always liked these rode one in High school buddy owned a 350 it was odd everything backwards took some concentration just to ride it. Great job thank you

[@davebarrowcliffe1289]

Dellorto carbs are fantastic, and rebuilt kits are still easily available and very cheap.

[@AZVIDS]

Yup, Rupp Black Widow had one…

[@larrycone8821]

I worked for a motorcycle dealer back when I was young and there was an old 250 Sprint in the boneyard without a carburetor I put a mikuni carburetor on it studded the tires and ice raced it. Did not do very well The only thing I had for the intake manifold was a piece of radiator hose. Every time I let off the carburetor the radiator hose would collapse a little bit. Nonetheless had a lot of fun.

[@gregmoyers7757]

When I was kid I was gifted and brand new one in 1972. It was the model with upswept pipes and a larger rear sprocket and sorta knobby tires. The dealer sold it to my father as a dirt bike. Back then Harley dealers also sold other brands. This dealer sold Hodaka, BSA, and Yamaha too. I often wondered why my father thought that this bike was a dirt bike. When there were 3 other brands of better dirt bikes right in front of him. I know why, when he was much younger he had a Harley 45ci that he used as a off road bike. Men were tougher back then! What if we had to use a foot clutch and hand shift as we run through the woods? With no rear suspension. Bouncing around off road parts started falling off. The two stroke 250cc dirt bikes ran circles around this bike. Suspension travel on the Sprint is street only. The only difference between the street and scrambler models was the exhaust, rear sprocket, and tires. Suspension was the same. I enjoyed it, all my friends with real dirt bikes laughed at it and me. The bike magazines of the time gave these bikes horrible reviews. Both the street and off road models. Out of all the bikes I have owned since 1972 this is the only bike I would never own again.

[@limyrob1383]

I see its drawn first blood (11:58)😀 Its like any rescue animal, you need be kind but firm.... Its got the classic British controls, Left brake, Right gear, 1 up 3 down. Anyone used to 1950/60s BSA's and Triumphs would get straight on. Sportsters were left brake right gear too.

[@greathornedowl3644]

Great find, but by looking at it (design) you knew it was not a Harley. Nice job in getting it humming along again

[@seansysig]

Joe it’s an Italian Aermacchi Aermacchi-Harley-Davidson a 50-50 partnership until late 70’s when AMF Harley bought the whole motorcycle division.

[@vwandtiny3769]

Aermacchi was an Italian aircraft manufacturer who for many years made wheel rims for H-D.

[@iplaymytele]

😊 I had one of these…. It had noisy valves , but it always ran good….

[@Cobra427Veight]

Good score , for your chrome pipes , buy some cheap felt angle grinder discs , use with autosol or compound . Works really well . Cheers

[@daveco1270]

Awesome little bike. Would be fun to make a scrambler build out of that. After you fix the suspension. If it's kicking back is that a timing issue? I know I'm sounding like a broken record in your comment section, but please open your garage door as soon a bike fires up. Watching you hang out and breath in all that exhaust gives me a headache (and I'm not even there). You obviously know more than I do when it comes to these old machines, but from what I've heard, bad things can happen quickly when you're dealing with old pre-catalytic converter engines. You may feel a little light headed, or you may just pass out with little warning... and if the vehicles keeps running while you're unconscious, that won't be good. What would Vinny do if something happened to you? Stay safe my friend.

[@gregmcclure2640]

I had A 1974 Norton 850 Commando which had the same reversed rear brake and shifter--was always really exciting for a few minutes when first riding it!

[@stephengibbs4372]

It’s not reversed shifting! Nearly all early bikes had RH gearshifts even Harley sportsters until the Japanese invasion then the Americans who were the biggest market demanded LH shifters so triumph, Norton , Harley etc all had to change. Look hard at some early 70’s Kawasaki’s their gearshift shaft goes through both sides so you can choose .

[@gregmcclure2640]

@@stephengibbs4372 Thanks for the clarification! Regardless of the origins, it definitely took a brain-shift to ride both bikes!

[@stephengibbs4372]

@@gregmcclure2640 yeah I know . I learnt on an AJS , I now mostly ride a thruxton or Harley but still have a commando as well so keeps the brain thinking🤪

[@gregmcclure2640]

@@stephengibbs4372 I ride a 1977 Gold Wing and an '04 Honda XR250 dirt bike. Miss my Norton, though.

[@keyper555]

Great Score again, I think it was designed to be riden in England lol, polish that tank and chrome up, replace the tires, fix the shocks and seat, add a light and horn and you got a very valuable bike there!

[@minnesotatomcat]

Geez as clean and nice as that bike was I might have just cleaned the points quick and thrown gas in it! Very cool bike, I bet this one stays in the collection for sure! 👍

[@djordan4966]

Love the videos. Makes it's all seem so simple.. 🙂What do you do with all these bikes? Resell?

[@thegasgeezer]

Lovely old tractor that one 😂, great work as always!! Bet it’s got some great talk!!👍👍

[@Turleyswheels]

that my friend sounded fantastic ❤you did it again love it the first start

[@oshitt1]

The comments are just as fun as watching the videos, Great job joe.

[@TJDomore]

I had this same bike .Bought new in 73 . Rode the crap out of it on our farm in lowa. Never had issues at all .sold it in 78 .Guy put engine on a gocart. Last i seen it .Wish i still owned it. What a relic . 😊

[@TJDomore]

Is it going to be your collectable? Or for sale ?

[@jayjudd6518]

I always thought nobody rode those little Harleys when did the Japanese come and take over? Well done again. It could sell fast.😊

[@shartne]

This is one of the coolest bikes you got. After you rebuild the shocks with new seals and oil it will not shake you so bad. A new seat cover and foam is in order for that harley its worth it. A American bike surely a colector probably worth some money. It seems like it rips pretty good not a high winder but it goes pretty good. Sounds like a Harley.

[@johnobiro5202]

I’m not a fan of Harleys, but that looks and sounds really nice. Good job.🔧🇬🇧

[@pjm204]

What I have done with sealed beam headlights is either replace them with an H4 conversion if a new sealed beam is expensive or I just cut open the original sealed beam. Once cut open I then break the bulb so it can come out. Now I'll fit an h4 bulb to it. Cheap and pretty easy.

[@bananabrooks3836]

What a bodge! So the bulb just hangs in the bowl, perhaps you even go as far as using duct tape to secure it for a while....

[@pjm204]

​@bananabrooks3836 no, I fabricate a spring retainer clip to hold the h4 bulb in if I'm unable to source the correct sealed beam (or its too expensive) or a suitable h4 conversion unit. On the ones I have done, the bulb is soldered into the housing so I was able to desolder it and then just open it up for an h4 bulb. Then I made a spring retainer clip. It isn't perfect but it was better than no headlight.

[@bimsb6]

On a 6v system ?

[@pjm204]

@@bimsb6 yes, they make 6v h4 bulbs. Although a 12v will still light up, just a bit dimmer than a 6v bulb would.

[@bimsb6]

@@pjm204 didn’t know that ! Every days a school day .

[@Tboyhoot777]

wow, talk about memories. I had a CRS sprint, 250, back in the 70's that was raced in the 60's. Not too many 350's could keep up with it when It got on top of the cam. i had all but forgotton until today. WILD!

[@deniscouture791]

This bike is really magnificent as it is now, I dream of finding one like this, well done and the bike is really beautiful with this wear

[@wesleypulkka7447]

2V, if memory serves that's a Benelli engine and was known for decent reliability. Happy motoring!

[@barryervin8536]

Not a Benelli engine. Benelli also made bikes with "lay down" single engines, but it's not the same engine. I had a Benelli Barracuda 250 and a Sprint 350 back in the day. The Benelli was bought new and it broke down on the way home from the dealership.

[@davidnance-d3n]

i had a 1970 350 sprint ,did a full resto rebored it .030 tons of compresson !!!! it had a rare up pipe that was a rare aftermarket H.D. pipe LOUD ! GREAT BIKE !!!!!!

[@robertsemple1092]

Must be one tough backbone of that frame. Looks like it would split in half. Crazy design compared to traditional Harleys.

[@bryanwhitton1784]

Naw, The backbone was a thick walled 3" or so tube. You would have to drop it from an airplane to bend it. Look at the back and see the casting where the swing arm mounts. That frame weight 60-70 pounds. The racing version was 100 pounds lighter.

[@Jvaishnava]

I wonder if it is an Italian design that Harley rebadged?

[@bryanwhitton1784]

@@Jvaishnava Well sort of. Harley purchase 50% of Aermacchi in 1961 as I recall. Then purchased the rest shortly after AMF purchase HD. Then sold it to Cagiva in 1978.

[@ChrisLee-UK]

38:58 that little backfire and Joes response, I'm dying here 🤣😂

[@greathornedowl3644]

😂Think the last time he had an expected spark, he had a fire going in the garage

[@ChrisLee-UK]

@@greathornedowl3644 😳😂😂

[@terrenceolivido741]

I agree that the bike is very very nice. i like the very simple design with the forward facing cyliner. love it

[@tomdombrovski432]

Great video!, very cool find, and awesome job getting it running and driving

[@gillian9178]

Yep that is an Italian built Aermacchi, I remember these in the early 1970's. Very fast bikes back in the day. Fantasic engines.

[@WilliamKiene]

My friend, Michael Bungay, vintage road raced the 350cc Sprint around America. His 350cc Arimachi was the fastest motorcycle in the 350cc vintage road racing class. I was driven by Dave Roper, the only American to win the Isle of Mann TT road race. At Daytona Raceway they dominated the vintage 350 and 500 road course with the 350cc Arimachi.

[@danstraw812]

I've had a couple of them when I first started riding in the 70's, they were good starter street bikes to learn on. Just wanted to let you know the tank emblems are wrong the stripping looks right but the lettering is wrong and the eagle and bar were never on the Sprint's, they said Harley Davidson but they also had AMF in the lettering.

[@-MrRichBiker1967]

Lmao.....you really thought that would fire up, right away?? im on the floor rolling!!!

[@ModernMountainLiving]

It hits real hard and sounds like a Predator motor. Was this made in Italy since it was metric? Maybe Spain like a Montesa or Bultaco?

[@AudieChason]

I have two 350's. The motor is crude but very robust and durable except for the electronics. A company in the Czech Republic makes a CDI ignition for them and converts it from 6 to 12v.

[@GoofieNewfie69]

Dude, you will break the kick starter by letting the kick start lever fly back like that. you have to get on the bike and kick with your left foot, not letting the kicker snap back. Kick all the way down don't let it kick back

[@bananabrooks3836]

He's scared of it isn't he.

[@troyaldridge3853]

He broke his foot before doing that​@@bananabrooks3836

[@montysanders8134]

I had 70 350 sprint, fun bike. Wish I could find one now, this one is in remarkable condition.

[@darkerbinding6933]

Good news, you can get pretty much anything you need for that Delorto carb :)

[@thegusk520]

The shift/brake Is basically set-up like a 1972 Combat Commando I had. although the kicker was on the right. I luved the shift pattern, when street racing (or showing off), I'd just press down on the lever and fan the kill switch... no clutch. You should try it. 😆

[@wals6383]

These videos are so soothing to watch!

[@edwardmulder3777]

Picked up one of these 350 SS bikes in the early 80s, loved the sound, ran good but the springfod the gear change lever was broken, plus i ran it outa fuel a coupla times

[@2smoker64]

Got to play with a few of these over the years, motor always reminded me of a big tomos moped or honda ct motor

[@TheDesmoto]

Got the same bike, had it since’81. Fun to ride.

[@whitejtw]

Have you ever done a video detailing what kinds of questions you ask of people selling their equipment? I'm wondering what your criteria is when looking for bikes to fix.

[@neutonrenda2303]

Have definitely never seen one here in South Africa yet, but I really like the look.👍

[@GH-wt7ww]

Nice work Joe.

[@skreebduchank1501]

Were these bikes built by harley or licensed by Harley and built over and built over seas?You have a new subscriber.

[@bradkeller2899]

Cool little bike, nice job getting it running

[@OogleTheGreat]

I have never liked left-side kickstarts. My Penton Jackpiner had left-side kickstart. I always found it awkward. The right side shifter was originally for dirt, flat-track racing. The shifting pattern, 1-up, 3-down was also for the flat-track racing to reduce false neutrals when shifting in turns with 1 foot on the ground.