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Travels with Guido – Aero-Davidson
1973-74
Harley-Davidson Sprint SS 350
We've just blundered into a new project
(Guy 'Guido' Allen, October 2025)
It's a long story. Back
in 1960 Harley-Davidson bought a stake in, and later
ended up owning, the then nub-end of Aeronautica
Macchi out of Italy, later known as Aermacchi.
The latter produced some
fast small- to mid-range motorcycles, a couple of
which scored solid race results during the 1960s –
most notably at the Isle of Man Junior TT.
However the big
achievement was winning the 1976 250 and 350 Grand
Prix World Championships, as Aermacchi
Harley-Davidson, with Italian legend Walter Villa in
the saddle of the two-stroke machines.
Thanks to some weird
personal connections, I've just bought a remote piece
of that: a 1973-74 Harley-Davidson Sprint SS 350.
Among the last of the breed, it boasted electric start
and was promoted by H-D as an entry into riding.
It's a pushrod
four-stroke, claiming 25 horses at 7000rpm, running a
five-speed transmission. Top speed was said to be
140km/h (90mph) and weight around 150kg (330lb).
Our example is a mix of
good runner (or so we're told – we've yet to clap eyes
on it) and second-tier on the cosmetics front. We can
see money needs to be spent to bring it up to scratch
as a decent classic. Overall it's tidy, however the
exhaust system is damaged and wrong and the
instruments are damaged.
This reminded me that
the language we use is always up for interpretation.
Your idea of a great example may not be mine – mine is
probably original, running, and something you would
not be embarrassed to show as a good survivor.
In this case, it's not
an issue. However I've seen some shockers over the
years. Here's the thing: if you tell me it is
original, that's what I expect. Many sellers interpret
that as looking vaguely like it left the factory. No.
Original is what it says on the tin. That means
factory exhausts, screen, whatever.
I have in the past
looked at other machines the sellers listed as
original – except for the exhaust system, the cut down
rear guard, the levers, the rearsets and, oh yes, the
aftermarket paint used to cover up the crash damage...
Back to the Sprint: for
me, sometimes it is a weird (and worrying) background
of knowledge that leads to trouble. In the case of
this model, I know from past experience a
late-sixties-to-early-seventies exhaust is siamesed
from the header and has unusual-looking twin mufflers.
That nugget is clearly the result of a mis-spent adult
life. When I saw those pieces missing, I knew this
latest buy was a bit of a project. Fortunately the
stock parts are available as a mix of used and
new-old-stock
Meanwhile I've just
tripped over a photo of a clearly-damaged chrome bezel
on the speedo. Something has been dropped on it and it
hasn't been replaced or repaired. And the problem is?
It won't have any impact on how the motorcycle runs.
But I will be staring at it every ride – maybe that
says as much about my psyche as it does the machine!
Let's move on to an
easier topic. Where does the
Sprint fit in? The way my fleet
works at the moment is we have a few strictly
functional motorcycles (the BMW R1150GS and K1200LT
plus the little Yamaha and Honda dirt bikes are good
examples) which we try to keep tidy and reliable.
They're the sacrificial anodes – perfectly happy to
see them take the damage of regular or hard use.
The rest are running
show-ponies – none are concours, but they're mostly in
very good to exceptional mechanical and cosmetic
shape. And that's where the Sprint should slot in,
once the repairs are sorted. Right now it appears to
be exactly what we didn't need – another sodding
project!
Why bother at all? I
like the story behind it.
Small-to-mid-sized
motorcycles are easy to throw around and love,
meanwhile everything I read about this model says it's
a joy to ride. It wins points by having electric
start, which will have a big impact when I eventually
decide to find it a new home. And, you know what? I
just like the idea of riding the thing. Watch this
space...
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