Reviving an ABANDONED 1975 Harley-Davidson SX125 | The 2 STROKE Italian Flop!
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- čas přidán 8. 02. 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.
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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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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 .
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.
czcams.com/video/zXR-Hoo2tZU/video.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.
czcams.com/video/zXR-Hoo2tZU/video.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.
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
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.
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.
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. 😐
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
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
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!
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.
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.
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!
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
Interesting on the things you find! I will be glad to watch what you do with this bike.
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.
This channel give and gives and gives, I love the content.
I had the HD AMF 175cc induro as my 1st bike.
My second HD was a 70s twin engine drag bike.
So excited about the warrior!!! Hope yall use it for more than parts!!!
Hell yea brother we back with another jamming episode old school awesomeness
Can't wait for more of this project!
My grandfather had one of these bikes when I was young. Don't remember the details. Great to see u guys restoring one.
Love this episode! I have a 1974 sx250 im restoring. Running into the same issues though
Great to see how proud they truly are...pure gold just awesome 👌 guys!
The noise Ike made when the back tire blew had me cracking up. I watched that part over at least 5 times. Love 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.
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.
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 🙂🏍
The intro says it all!!😂👍👌
What a find! Congrats.
Can’t wait to see what you do with this thing
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.
Awesome! The only Harleys I like! 😁 Also, hopefully you can save that Dell'Orto carb, they are great units and easy to tune.
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
Finally an actual motorcycle....yall should do alot more!!!!!! Great content
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.....!
Isaac is always the voice of reason when it comes to the shop.... Wait, wait wait....... Just wait.. Love it.
Very cool find 🔥
Can’t wait to see the next page for this bike
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.
The tube blowing had me rolling😂 those are the moments your remember most
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”
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
The 250 and 350 Sprints were nice and desirable for vintage racing. The two strokes were well...
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!
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 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!
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.
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 really hope to see more of this!
I love how Ike just wheezes when he laughs!! 😆😆🤣🤣
So glad you caught on camera
Sweet old bike. Keep going youall will get it running.
man y'all had me cracking up with the banter this time
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.
I remember the bowling alley at Langley Air Force base used all AMF equipment including the pin reset
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.
I'm pretty sure you guys can get it running I got faith in you guys
You guys should build dirt drag strip beside your oval track.
The bloopers lately are great haha 😂
The old enthusiasts used to call them AMF Harley's bowling balls when Harley-Davidson sold out to AMF Sporting Goods
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 video ! I want a Harley Davidson XR 750 ! Like One of Evel Knievel"s Jump Bike's!
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.
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.
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!
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
In the past, the Italian market had distinct requirements compared to the American market. Italians were not looking for large touring bikes; instead, they sought affordable, dependable, and low-maintenance motorcycles for their daily lives. AMF Harley-Davidson and Cagiva (after acquisition), produced the 2 strokes SST/SXT 125/250/350cc models, which became immensely popular in the Italian market, particularly the 125cc variant.
This Old Man has faith y'all will get it running. Always enjoying your videos. Keep them coming. 🛵🧔💝💝💝
John I caught that water from Venice joke. Lol
Hell yeah. Love this one. Is it an Aermacchi engine?
i was laughing sooo hard when that tire let go ahahahah (: keep it up... maby a restoration project?
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
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
So in 1975 there was a small Harley Dealer that I used to ride my bicycle to and drool over sx's in the show room. ( I was 11 years old) There were two of them in the show room and the shop owner said he couldn't sell them because Harley had a recall on them because the frame was cracking where the steering shaft went through the frame. Make sure you take a look at the frame where the steering pivot tube connects to the frame!
When the front tube went, I jumped, the dog jumped, AND the cat jumped! Lol
Absolutely love the bike.. very unique 👌
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.
Nice to see a Aermacchi video, not many on CZcams 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.
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
Just pissed myself laughing! The ole tire tube gag.
great stuff thanks
I really enjoy the content you guys put out. Thought I would ask if you'll have ever ever tried kano aerokroil penetrating oil it works way better than p.b. blaster and gets stuff to come lose better than anything else I've ever used.
Awesome guys, Just Awesome.
I have one of these that needs a rebuild, and my brother has a 250. His just needs carb work. Cool bikes
Hope yall keep it
Awesome looking 2 stroke Harley
Love your videos . Was wondering if u had any parts for Honda 1983 Honda XR 200r dirt bike
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.