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Travels with Guido – Aero-Davidson
1974 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
very fast small- to mid-range motorcycles, a couple of
which (350cc pushrod four-strokes) scored spectacular
race results during the 1960s – most notably at the
Isle of Man TT.
Thanks to some weird
personal connections, I've just bought a 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.
Our example is a mix of
good runner (or so we're told) and flawed package. We
can see money needs to be spent to bring it up to
scratch as a decent classic. Overall it's tidy enough,
and the well-meaning owner promises it is terrific.
But the exhaust system is damaged and wrong and the
instruments are damaged.
This comes down to
standards and there is no malice intended. 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.
Here's the thing: if you
tell me it is original, that's what I expect. However
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 te
crash damage...
For me, sometimes it is
a weird (and worrying) background of knowledge that
leads to trouble. In the case of the Sprint, I know 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 were availale 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 you will be staring at it every day. It's shabby
and will hurt the resale value.
Let's move on to a
happier topic.Where does the
Sprint fit in? The way my fleet
works at the moment is we have a few strictly
functional motorcycles (BMW R1150GS is a good example)
which we try to keep tidy and reliable. They're the
sacrificial anodes – perfectly happy to see them take
the damage of regular use.
The rest are running
show-ponies. 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?
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 damn
thing. Watch this space...
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