1971 Aermacchi Harley Davidson 350 Sprint

 Purchased in a lot of motorcycles at an auction. The bikes does not run however it is a great project. The kick starter works but the engine does not run. Please message us for more details if you have specific questions about the bike. Aermacchi Harley-Davidson 350 SprintYears produced: 1969-74Claimed powe25hp @ 7. 00rpm (1969)Top speed: 92. 49mph (period test)Engine type: 344cc air-cooled OHV singleWeight: 323lb (w/half-tank fuel)MPG: 47-58mpgPrice then: $795 (1969)Price now: $1. 00-$4. 00It made perfect sense in 1960. With the Japanese invasion taking hold. Harley-Davidson needed something competitive in the small bike segment. The options: further development of their 165cc two-stroke single or a completely new design ?ˆ” or buy a turnkey business. Aermacchi. of Varese. Italy. fit the bill to a tee: they built a sturdy and competent 250cc bike (derived from Alfredo Bianchi?ˆ™s futuristic 175cc Chimera of 1955) with good performance and lots of development potential. Better yet. Aermacchi?ˆ™s parent company. Aeronautica Macchi. wanted to focus on its airplane business. and was keen to divest its bike operations. Harley bought a 50 percent share. The sporty Aermacchi Ala d?ˆ™Oro (Gold Wing) featured a four-stroke overhead-valve single with horizontal cylinder and four-speed transmission. with the engine suspended from a spine frame. It looked like a good fit: overhead valve four-strokes were something H-D dealers were familiar with ?ˆ” no fancy overhead cams or ring-ding oil smoke haze. The first Aermacchi Harley-Davidson Sprint went on sale in the U. S. in 1961. The speedy 250 quickly became popular in production racing. and was gradually improved over the years. A 350cc version proved potent in GP racing. too. culminating in the 1968-1970 race seasons. when Aermacchis made up four of the top 10 places in the Isle of Man Junior TT each year and grabbed a pair of second place finishes in 1969 and 1970. Unfortunately. little of the race technology (such as the five-speed transmission and short-stroke cylinder dimensions) made it to the street bikes. although H-D did boost the Sprint to 350cc for 1969. Meanwhile. the engine got a cosmetic makeover. with the cylinder. head and rocker box blended together. Two versions of the Aermacchi Harley-Davidson 350 Sprint appeared: the SS with a one-into-two exhaust and low pipes. and the offroad oriented SX with a high pipe. high fenders and knobby tires. This was a time of rapid change in the motorcycle market. however. The race for power and performance was well underway. led by hi-tech cammy Hondas and increasingly frantic two-stroke twins from Bridgestone. Kawasaki. Suzuki and Yamaha. Race versions of Yamaha?ˆ™s 350s were already challenging the big four-stroke Grand Prix bikes ?ˆ” and winning. Could a 350cc pushrod single with its roots firmly in the Fifties hold its own? Mid-size four-stroke singles had pretty much disappeared from the streets. and offroad riding was dominated by lightweight European and Japanese strokers.

Also published at eBay.com