Oooh
- Thread starter patrick
- Start date
Paul P.
H-DRCGB Archivist
It is not an X-90 but a Z-90, the X is the monkey bike style version. The Z was my first bike, exactly the model shown and was very nice, good for an indicated 64mph and able to cruise at 50mph, struggled with a passenger though. The engine design was based on the quite reliable 125 and would make a great commuter or down the pub ride but the big worry now is spares.
Mark Hammond
Committee
1974 Harley-Davidson AMF 90cc Classic Vintage Rare, One For The Collector | eBay
Motorcycles Unlimited - We are keen buyers of most Classics, We can pay by ££££ or bank Transfer, Top prices paid. - Call us on +442038933921 or click here to find out more.
www.ebay.co.uk
Rick
Affiliates Clerk
1974 Harley-Davidson AMF 90cc Classic Vintage Rare, One For The Collector | eBay
Motorcycles Unlimited - We are keen buyers of most Classics, We can pay by ££££ or bank Transfer, Top prices paid. - Call us on +442038933921 or click here to find out more.www.ebay.co.uk
Whilst the minter is around £3k more - it's the better option given the limited availability of parts and cost of specialist restoration services such as professional respray etc (unless you can do it all).
Rick
Affiliates Clerk
The mid 70s were the pinnacle of screaming two stroke performance and none more better than the spaghetti variety, just like the westerns, for a fist full of dollars you could live the American dream as Paul P did.
Rick
Affiliates Clerk
Sadly Paul, the people that tend to buy these bikes are collectors who will not know the difference, doubt the little beast will ever see tarmac again and have it's Speedo needle pushed beyond the 60mph mark!
I had to chuckle - included is the previous receipt from 6 years ago for £4500 and they claim these bikes are investments better than money in the bank - in which case why are they selling for £4489 - that's an £11 drop ffs!
At the end of the day, these sort of bikes only appeal to people reliving the memories of their youth or more likely a wealthy collector and given how few were sold in the UK back in the day it's the latter that is more likely to splash the cash, just like the previous owner. Perhaps the club could have a whip round and get you the bike Paul, I could see that little gem reigniting your youthful zest and transport you to this year's Perry's weekend event.
Paul P.
H-DRCGB Archivist
Rick you are spot on - I do consider how nice it would be to have a Z90 again and attend events with it, a lot LOT easier to live with than an X90 and a lot less likely to pick up speed tickets but it always comes back to spares, I really doubt there are enough out there for anything more than token trips. Lazy journalists always assume the 90's were enlarged M50/65's but as I mentioned they were "reduced" ML/SS/SX/SXT 125's and so were very robust. I don't know if they were as related to the 125 as, say, the R45/R65 BMW's but I will try to find out but the basic engine design began with the 1968 Rapido and looks like it could even be derived from the Aermacchi HD Aletta 125 which was scrambled and road raced so there was a lot of development involved.
Mark Hammond
Committee
We’ve got a lovely restored Rapido on the club stand at next months Bristol Classic Bike show.
Rick
Affiliates Clerk
It was also on display at last year's Wessex Wobbler if memory serves me right? As you say Mark a lovely bike and rare to boot!
Perhaps the club could have a whip round and get you the bike Paul, I could see that little gem reigniting your youthful zest and transport you to this year's Perry's weekend event.
Ron
Club Member
You were doing it backwards Paul, you should have been biting the heads off virgins and raping chickens.
Ahh, those front number plates we were stuck with back in the 70's.
In most cases - after they got rid of the longitudinal ones along the fender - these were mounted above the headlight.
Paul, did you have any problems, under heavy braking, when the number plate bashed the fender and left a dent in it?!
'Cos older HD forks sure had some 'bounce' in them.. . . On 2nd thoughts they would have been Italian - so maybe rock hard - and didn't!!
PS. bet that T shirt still fits you.
In most cases - after they got rid of the longitudinal ones along the fender - these were mounted above the headlight.
Paul, did you have any problems, under heavy braking, when the number plate bashed the fender and left a dent in it?!
'Cos older HD forks sure had some 'bounce' in them.
. . . On 2nd thoughts they would have been Italian - so maybe rock hard - and didn't!!PS. bet that T shirt still fits you.
Paul P.
H-DRCGB Archivist
It never reached the mudguard (nearly said fender, bad influence from that bloody Skip!) and it was less than a year before I traded in for an SX-175 (oh the power!) (actually it DID feel powerful after a 90!) which had the front plate rivetted to the scramble style cross bar. Took that off in 1975 when front plates were abandoned - the t-shirt would be good for head and arm wounds as it is now more of a tourniquet!
Thats the front L plate laying on the grass, the rear one is tapped to the back of the saddle.
Thats the front L plate laying on the grass, the rear one is tapped to the back of the saddle.
Paul P.
H-DRCGB Archivist
In post 9 I said I would double check just how much the Z-90 was related to the 125, the answer is as I mentioned - the 90 is basically a reduced 125, the motor so similar that they both use the same crankcase halves gasket, they share one half flywheel, identical clutch (meaning the 90 clutch is over-engineered), matching shifters apart from swapping sides, kicker as well. That 90 is a tough little terrier! (again, shame about limited spares)