When Harley Davidson built dirt bikes
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 9,228
Likes: 3,243
From: west Michigan
In 77 I rode one, it was also a 76 125'er.. Then I rode a 77 DT125 Yamaha - it was head and shoulder better than the HD. It really didn't do anything great.. The Yamaha was the benchmark that season and I bought a green one (yep, it was green) and rode the crap out of it..
Extreme HDF Member
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 15,259
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From: Delaware
Harly built the DKW bikes here, in the states. It was a war repatriation gift. The US Government gave Harley the blue prints, dies, etc to the DKW bikes from Germany. They lasted from 1948 through 1966. They were decent, if not under powered 2 strokes.
The Italian bikes were marketed by Harley but built in Italy. Harley had a "buy in" deal with the Italian plant. The early 2 and 4 stroke bikes were quite decent.
One of the very best was this rare screamer:
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 9,238
Likes: 5,784
From: On the Big Blue marble
The DTs
These were good bikes.. The 77 introduced the Monoshock rear and Yamalube systems so you didn't have to premix. Other than having a geat tank rust out from a bad batch of fuel, the bike was indestructible. In 4 summers I put about 2500 miles of hard trail riding on her, still had orig tires and never broke.. Then, well I bought an 82 Wideglide.. Lifes never been the same..
Ultimate HDF Member
Joined: Apr 2016
Posts: 5,627
Likes: 1,382
From: Monroe, North Carolina
Had a harley AMF 90 when I was 12, my dad bought it for me after many mini bikes. It was the best mini bike on the block.
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Club Member
Joined: Jan 2013
Posts: 101
Likes: 6
From: Illinois
Had a '72 SX350. rode the dog crap out of it. It had electric start that kept tearing the little planetary gears out of it so I had to kick start it. Kick start was on the left side. The sx had a high front fender and high exhaust. The ss model had a low fender and low exhaust. The sx was geared a bit high for the trail and was fairly heavy, but I still took it to the trails climbing hills and jumps. Miss that ol thing.
I had a '71 and '73 Rapido and a '72 Baja. They were decent hikes. They each had dual rear sprockets so you could change the final gear ratio. The Baja had cereani (I'm probably not spelling that right) suspension. The forks had 6" of travel which was a lot back then. I trail ride and raced it. It handled jumps good.
I'm sure the jap bikes were the bench mark for reliability back then. The euro bikes handled better and had better suspension..
I'm sure the jap bikes were the bench mark for reliability back then. The euro bikes handled better and had better suspension..