1979 Harley Davidson trials bike
Discussion
I have been doing the forbidden thing and looking for more projects when I already have enough lined up for the next few years. I really should be saving funds for the 106 Rallye rebuild, but I also really want another bike to work on. Finishing the BMW and being able to take it to shows and hearing all the positive feedback on the street and and bike gatherings has been really encouraging and got me wanting a similar sized project with some quick return.
It turns out I did have a little money left over after selling the Audi S3 and buying a cheap reliable 5 door 1 series BMW. And surely buying a sensible car for a daily means I deserve to treat myself in some other way right?
I really fancied something off road/enduro-y because if there's anything we have lots of here in Finland, its forest and gravel tracks. I wanted also something that I could take on longer journeys than were comfortable on the Cafe Racer.
Obvious candidates were Honda XT/Africa twin/Tenere kind of thing, preferably in late 80's vintage, even more preferably in a Paris-Dakar kind of vibe.
With the knowledge and tools i have built up on the Cafe, the ultimate enduro bike would be a R100/80 GS. It would make sense as i know the drivetrain quite well. Unfortunately these seem to be by quite some margin the most expensive bikes in this category. I did find an R80 GS in red for around 4k, which is actually quite a fair price. But in my heart i would always wish it was a Paris Dakar version which are never likely to be available for sale here, much less in my budget. And 4k would wipe me out and mean no summer holiday or savings for the unseen when I've just bought a new daily. So much could go wrong. Save your money for the 106 project lad.
Well of course inevitably the itch returns, and I'm trawling the classifieds again. When something catches my eye. Rather than the big heavy off road bikes I was looking at previously, I also have a lot of love for the old trials bikes of the 60s/70s. Lightweight, throwable, they don't have any touring ability, but sure would be a lot of fun ripping through the woods.
But the same old problem of budget comes up- old BSAs and the like aren't cheap.
Then an advertisement caught my eye.
1979 Harley SST.
It looked like an old trials bike and certainly didn't look like any Harley I'd ever seen, no vee twin, beautiful lines. The bike had obviously been through the wars and tastelessly modified, but it was clear to me a really cool bike was in there. And cheap. And just up the road.
So what exactly is a Harley SST?
Well some late night research showed the truth. And really it was a badge engineering exercise from HD.
In an effort to compete with the flood of cheaper smaller Japanese bikes, Harley simply bought a design from Italian manufacturer Aermacchi.
This is interest piquing fact number one, as I'm an aerospace engineer by trade, of course i've heard of Aermacchi, famous in my mind at least for producing jet training aircraft and light attack planes. The Argentinians flew AM during the Falklands, the Frecce Tricolori Italian display team flies AM. I had no idea they made trails bikes. Cool. So Harley bought the design and basically just rebadged them. Did it work? of course not as we never really hear about them and even hardcore Harley guys have never heard of them.
But fundamentally the design was sound, as it was bought up by Cagiva and became the basis for a whole generation of successful trials/MX bikes. Interest Pique number 2: I just love some genuine motorsport history.
I went to see the bike and had a quick go. So the original 2-stroke engine has been replaced by a modern Suzuki DR 125 four stroke, fine by me. The frame and swing arm have been lightened and drilled out. This bike has obviously had a frame up rebuild at some point, fine by me. I don't have a lot of biking experience but i was surprised at how much power this little 125 has. It cruise fine at 80kph, can do 120 at a push and lifts the front wheel if you're so inclined.
Negatives:
I do not dig the faux military theme. All the useless little kahki bags need to go. The paint job needs to go. The modern twin LED headlamp set up needs to go. But fundamentally i can see it being a really fun little sled for not much time and money.
It obviously is going to be even worse on long distances than the BMW. But...
It came home with me.
I immediately ordered a period correct single round headlight and mounts. And set about it with a grinder to remove the rack mounts.
Until the new headlamp setup arrives, I fished out an old number plate and cut a recess for the twin LEDs, not perfect, but makes the front look a lot more integrated and a bit more correct.
Then I pulled the tank and mudguards off and took them back to bare metal. I dropped them off to my paint guy and gave him an impossible deadline, because there is a cruise meet this weekend and i want to go with the wife both of us on bikes. I chose a really bright summery yellow to make the bike pop and look suitably 70's. I thought it would go well with the BMW too.
So it's Thursday today when I'm typing this, I bought the bike on Sunday so it's been a fun few days. I managed to get a couple of blasts through the woods before i started stripping it so i'm confident this is going to provide a lot of smiles! Let's see if they can get the painting done and I can get it back together in time for the weekend.
I'm really looking forward to confusing everyone on my little Harley trials bike.
It turns out I did have a little money left over after selling the Audi S3 and buying a cheap reliable 5 door 1 series BMW. And surely buying a sensible car for a daily means I deserve to treat myself in some other way right?
I really fancied something off road/enduro-y because if there's anything we have lots of here in Finland, its forest and gravel tracks. I wanted also something that I could take on longer journeys than were comfortable on the Cafe Racer.
Obvious candidates were Honda XT/Africa twin/Tenere kind of thing, preferably in late 80's vintage, even more preferably in a Paris-Dakar kind of vibe.
With the knowledge and tools i have built up on the Cafe, the ultimate enduro bike would be a R100/80 GS. It would make sense as i know the drivetrain quite well. Unfortunately these seem to be by quite some margin the most expensive bikes in this category. I did find an R80 GS in red for around 4k, which is actually quite a fair price. But in my heart i would always wish it was a Paris Dakar version which are never likely to be available for sale here, much less in my budget. And 4k would wipe me out and mean no summer holiday or savings for the unseen when I've just bought a new daily. So much could go wrong. Save your money for the 106 project lad.
Well of course inevitably the itch returns, and I'm trawling the classifieds again. When something catches my eye. Rather than the big heavy off road bikes I was looking at previously, I also have a lot of love for the old trials bikes of the 60s/70s. Lightweight, throwable, they don't have any touring ability, but sure would be a lot of fun ripping through the woods.
But the same old problem of budget comes up- old BSAs and the like aren't cheap.
Then an advertisement caught my eye.
1979 Harley SST.
It looked like an old trials bike and certainly didn't look like any Harley I'd ever seen, no vee twin, beautiful lines. The bike had obviously been through the wars and tastelessly modified, but it was clear to me a really cool bike was in there. And cheap. And just up the road.
So what exactly is a Harley SST?
Well some late night research showed the truth. And really it was a badge engineering exercise from HD.
In an effort to compete with the flood of cheaper smaller Japanese bikes, Harley simply bought a design from Italian manufacturer Aermacchi.
This is interest piquing fact number one, as I'm an aerospace engineer by trade, of course i've heard of Aermacchi, famous in my mind at least for producing jet training aircraft and light attack planes. The Argentinians flew AM during the Falklands, the Frecce Tricolori Italian display team flies AM. I had no idea they made trails bikes. Cool. So Harley bought the design and basically just rebadged them. Did it work? of course not as we never really hear about them and even hardcore Harley guys have never heard of them.
But fundamentally the design was sound, as it was bought up by Cagiva and became the basis for a whole generation of successful trials/MX bikes. Interest Pique number 2: I just love some genuine motorsport history.
I went to see the bike and had a quick go. So the original 2-stroke engine has been replaced by a modern Suzuki DR 125 four stroke, fine by me. The frame and swing arm have been lightened and drilled out. This bike has obviously had a frame up rebuild at some point, fine by me. I don't have a lot of biking experience but i was surprised at how much power this little 125 has. It cruise fine at 80kph, can do 120 at a push and lifts the front wheel if you're so inclined.
Negatives:
I do not dig the faux military theme. All the useless little kahki bags need to go. The paint job needs to go. The modern twin LED headlamp set up needs to go. But fundamentally i can see it being a really fun little sled for not much time and money.
It obviously is going to be even worse on long distances than the BMW. But...
It came home with me.
I immediately ordered a period correct single round headlight and mounts. And set about it with a grinder to remove the rack mounts.
Until the new headlamp setup arrives, I fished out an old number plate and cut a recess for the twin LEDs, not perfect, but makes the front look a lot more integrated and a bit more correct.
Then I pulled the tank and mudguards off and took them back to bare metal. I dropped them off to my paint guy and gave him an impossible deadline, because there is a cruise meet this weekend and i want to go with the wife both of us on bikes. I chose a really bright summery yellow to make the bike pop and look suitably 70's. I thought it would go well with the BMW too.
So it's Thursday today when I'm typing this, I bought the bike on Sunday so it's been a fun few days. I managed to get a couple of blasts through the woods before i started stripping it so i'm confident this is going to provide a lot of smiles! Let's see if they can get the painting done and I can get it back together in time for the weekend.
I'm really looking forward to confusing everyone on my little Harley trials bike.
I desperately wanted either a Harley or a Cagiva 250 when I was seventeen, 1981 - blew up a BSA and ended up with a GS250T. They were hugely expensive compared to their (superior) rivals tho, and I think there was only one dealer in the U.K. that would touch them. They even had trouble sending me a brochure and instead sent one for a 125 and basically advised me to imagine it was a bit bigger (I still have it somewhere). Having had problems with spares for my Austrian moped, whilst my mates could always get bits for their Japs, I gave it a miss. Would still quite like one, but I'm too tight to pay what any seller wants! Best of luck with it.
Harley owned Aermacchi for years. The classic horizontal 4-stroke singles were sold as the H-D Sprint in the US, and Harley even won 250 (1974/75/76) and 350 (1976) GP world championships with 2-stroke twins.
My brother owned, briefly, the SS 250 road version about 40 years ago. Two things I remember; it was (along with an oil-in-frame BSA A65) the most vibratory bike I've ever ridden, and a pair of sprockets cost £90
.
My brother owned, briefly, the SS 250 road version about 40 years ago. Two things I remember; it was (along with an oil-in-frame BSA A65) the most vibratory bike I've ever ridden, and a pair of sprockets cost £90
.Edited by gareth_r on Thursday 11th August 23:37
Well the painted parts were picked up on Friday and i quickly built the bike up and took it for a test run. Cleaned out the oil filter, swapped a fuel filter, tensioned the chain and wrapped the exhaust with some wrap i had left over from the BMW build. I will probably reroute the exhaust over winter but it will do for now. Gave the whole thing a proper scrub and a lube. And just like that, she's ready for the meet.
It was especially important to us because our dear friends, another married couple in our town are moving on to pastures new. Their wife just got a BMW K75 project bike to go along with their GSXR bobber project, so this might be the only time all four of us get to ride or meet together. Everything is so much more fun when you get a little gang of like minded people together.
It was really funny to see how much attention the Harley got. It was most likely the cheapest vehicle there but the cute looks and bright colours meant it also probably got the most love. It just exudes fun and games, and it really delivers on that. We've been out and about on the bikes a little since, to the local swimming hole and the like.
So the little HD is already paying it's way in smiles and fun, and I'm looking forward to getting the headlamp and other parts on it as soon as they arrive.
Thanks for the nice comments and replies, stay tuned for more!
Jake899 said:
So what exactly is a Harley SST?
Some good progress on the Cheeseburger this week, really for all intents and purposes she's finished for the summer. Headlamp mounts arrived and were way too long and held the lamp out in mid air in front of the bike so I cut those down and made some adjustments so that the light could be brought to a suitable distance from the forks. I wired the light up and wrapped it, only to find in the wrapping process a wire had come out, this happened twice. Why is it so hard to find a positive connector that is simply connected or not? We seem to only have these individual spade kinda things that you need to squeeze over the wire and they suck. Then one of the screws on the main switch fell out so the headlight stopped working which meant seat off tank off etc. What a palaver for three wires. Anyways, works now. Aermacchi Harley tank decals also arrived and match the bike beautifully.
Hopefully you'll agree, that looks a lot better and is a big improvement over the LED twin setup it had when it arrived.
Took Olli for a spot of cafe racing and to meet his Harley project that he's been working on. It's so funny to see my little toy next to his 1200. It's not saying much but on the ride home I absolutely left him for dead in the lanes. I know a wheelbarrow would leave a chopper for dead in the lanes, but considering its a 45 year old 125cc on knobblies with period brakes, I was kinda chuffed though I suspect my part in that performance wasn't that critical.
and yesterday I just had to take advantage of the beautiful morning and ride to work, even though I only live 100 meters from work!
Once the winter sets in, I will rebuild the wheels to get rid of the surface rust on the rims, and also powder coat the handlebar furniture which is looking a bit rough.
In other news, I dropped off my spare BMW R100 wheel to get straightened for the sidecar project, and at the same time took the five Lotus Europa wheels that I bought for the Toledo in for stripping. So then they can all go through the powder coating line too, BMW wheel black and Lotus wheels white.
Progress, progress.
Hopefully you'll agree, that looks a lot better and is a big improvement over the LED twin setup it had when it arrived.
Took Olli for a spot of cafe racing and to meet his Harley project that he's been working on. It's so funny to see my little toy next to his 1200. It's not saying much but on the ride home I absolutely left him for dead in the lanes. I know a wheelbarrow would leave a chopper for dead in the lanes, but considering its a 45 year old 125cc on knobblies with period brakes, I was kinda chuffed though I suspect my part in that performance wasn't that critical.
and yesterday I just had to take advantage of the beautiful morning and ride to work, even though I only live 100 meters from work!
Once the winter sets in, I will rebuild the wheels to get rid of the surface rust on the rims, and also powder coat the handlebar furniture which is looking a bit rough.
In other news, I dropped off my spare BMW R100 wheel to get straightened for the sidecar project, and at the same time took the five Lotus Europa wheels that I bought for the Toledo in for stripping. So then they can all go through the powder coating line too, BMW wheel black and Lotus wheels white.
Progress, progress.
spoodler said:
Excellent, simple fun... on the cheap.
Thought I'd found a cheap DT400 for similar fun, sadly, the owner has decided he'd rather abandon it in an outbuilding for another twenty five years...
I've watched in frustration many a salvageable car or bike rot away while owners refuse to sell, saying "i'll restore it someday"Thought I'd found a cheap DT400 for similar fun, sadly, the owner has decided he'd rather abandon it in an outbuilding for another twenty five years...
On the positive, I have saved a few by being kind, patient but persistent. One 70's Mazda B1800 pickup I bought after having a door slammed in my face the first time. The reaction got progressively less extreme over the 5 or 6 times I returned over the space of a year. It eventually came home with me. So don't give up on the DT, they are a bike worth the effort!
I have about 1300euro in the Harley which I think is not too bad and I would expect to make money on it if I ever sold it. Which I'm not likely to do!
Jake899 said:
spoodler said:
Excellent, simple fun... on the cheap.
Thought I'd found a cheap DT400 for similar fun, sadly, the owner has decided he'd rather abandon it in an outbuilding for another twenty five years...
I've watched in frustration many a salvageable car or bike rot away while owners refuse to sell, saying "i'll restore it someday"Thought I'd found a cheap DT400 for similar fun, sadly, the owner has decided he'd rather abandon it in an outbuilding for another twenty five years...
On the positive, I have saved a few by being kind, patient but persistent. One 70's Mazda B1800 pickup I bought after having a door slammed in my face the first time. The reaction got progressively less extreme over the 5 or 6 times I returned over the space of a year. It eventually came home with me. So don't give up on the DT, they are a bike worth the effort!
I have about 1300euro in the Harley which I think is not too bad and I would expect to make money on it if I ever sold it. Which I'm not likely to do!
Sadly, I sold him my 1400 Intruder which just sits rusting, I have fond memories of that bike as it was the bike I had when I met my other half.
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