Hi, This is my 1978 / 79 Harley-Davidson / Cagiva SST 250, Euro version. The bike has not run for the last 8 years. I will document the details of the SST during rebuild. This (HD) Cagiva SST250 is a one-owner bike w/ 2600 miles since new and was stored / unrun for the last 8 years (block damage). Although it is a HD-Cagiva SST 250, the bike was first registered Sep 1979, and likely manufactured end 1978 / early 1979 at the Varese factory. This is interesting as (with the exception of the tank badge / seat stencil) this makes the bike a transition model from AMF, as Cagiva used up remaining stocks AMF-HD components before the modified / facelifted Cagiva models arrived in 1980 and full ownership to Cagiva (later of Cagiva / Ducati / MV Agusta fame). With the exception of tank logo / seat, this is a effectively one of the last produced AMF-HD SST250s. The original 1979 UK Rego docs say Harley-Davidson. I was very pleased w/ the find. Interesting issues re. the bike. Unchanged (from memory) from my 1976 SST 250 and there were no additional items added by Cagiva. The muffler is still the chrome Lafranconi and the engine casings are all still stamped AMF-HD. The side plate ha AMF-Harley-Davidson (same as the MX-250s) and the Veglia instrument cluster still says 'Harley-Davidson' (later changed to Cagiva). The front brake is a single disc Brembo caliper / iron disc used on Ceriani. A little delicate, but effective if used / maintained correctly. HD-Cagiva SST250s also had an assortment of CEV / Guzzi parts bin accessories (such as flip-top gas tank lid) and separate fairings for the headlight. It has the same Radaelli rims w/ the paper thin chrome, but these will be replaced w/ slightly wider new Radaellis. The SSTs are very pretty bikes in restored condition, but (like a lot of Italian machinery) not w/o their faults - it does appear, however, to be a genuine un-messed-with SST 250, which makes it pretty rare 30 years on. I have seen 2 ea. SSTs for sale in the US in the last couple of years, each likely a private import
I don't like harleys and I want one Hope the resto goes well mate, I can see in my future some woman rolling her eyes as I start my own rebuild!
G'day Ian, Mate you have got me hanging on every word and picture with your rebuild. Also fantastic post on the SST's. Great reading. All the best with your resto and can't wait for the next installment. nat
Hey Nat, Sorry for the delay and thanks for your comment. More to come as the paintwork is on its way home. New rims and relacing come next.... Doh! Just missed out on a '78 GT250 X7 engine w/ all the fruit last nght on Yahoo Auction Japan :angry4: (that is the engine going on my basket case SS250...). As the X7 is air-cooled, it looks more period. Pound for pound, the SS250 is the same weight as the X7, so accounting for a slight increase in engine weight + 50% power increase / smoother motor, should make it a fun ride. I plan to camouflage the X7 engine as an Aermacchi-HD Twin. The purists won't like it, but that is not really a concern. Ian B.
Hi, First post and i also have a SST250, a 76, that i bought a few weeks back that i am restoring! Mine looks a lot worse than yours and hasnt run for around 25 years, the motor was seized solid and have had to wreck the barrel and piston to get them off, the rest of the bike is just rusty from sitting in a damp garage for so long in bits. Currently looking for a new barrel and piston or a replacement engine both are available if you search hard enough! I am a harley man and have had a few over the last 10 years, last SS being a 350 4 stroke that i restored a few years back. came upon this one and couldn't resist! Here is a pic the day i picked it up with my Road King in the background
welcome Chopper, good to see another SST250 on here, look forward to hearing about your resto. Its great to see these bikes getting back on the road. :Thumbs_up: Chris
Hi Chopper, I have also been corresponding w/ another guy in the UK who is at the same stage w/ another
When you replace the Caliper you could fit a Brembo F08 with an adapter plate. They are great callipers and can be obtained new for a reasonable price from Bevel Heaven. https://store.bevelheaven.com/brake-related-parts/brake-caliper-brembo-f08-left-side-front-of-fork/ What size is the Master Cylinder? 12mm is perfect match for F08 but I have heard of good results with an 11mm also.
I am in the UK, I have all the parts that came off the bike, the guy that stripped it 25+ years ago bagged and boxed everything so there is nothing missing as far as i know, i just need a Barrel and Piston as mine are toast, Fork legs are being re-furbed at the moment and the wheels are getting new rims and spokes as well as the hubs refurbed etc. Frame is off at the powder coaters being blasted and all the tins will be at the painters in the next week or so for a full repaint. Then its start building again just the engine bits will hold me up hopefully
Hi mboddy, You are right - this is a much better caliper than the original SST-fitted Brembo ( I heard the original was intended for a hand-brake) and will also be a replacement on the '78 SST. I believe the later Cagiva SSTs also had these calipers. Ian B.
Sounds good, Chopper. The more parts you have, the easier it will be. The headlight bezel and ring is particularly hard to find, so if you have that you are in good shape. The metal for the tank / fenders etc. was thin and poor quality, so look out for rot. Also, these bikes tended to develop a stress crack across the rear of the front fender, so check before they do the paintwork. Cheers, Ian B.
Yep, have the complete headlight, ring will be getting re-chromed i guess but the bezel is still like new, long way down the list! all the tins have surface rust but they are all solid and original with the decals etc still on, will check out the front guard. apart from the surface rust its all in very good condition ,mainly because it was barely used, the guy owned it from new and used it very rarely in sunshine only, has less than 4k miles on the clock! the rust is from being in a damp garage for to long!
Hi Chopper, Sounds like you are good to and well done finding a complete bike - there can't be many left. Sourcing these small SST parts 30 years later can be a real PITA and expensive, as everyone thinks they have a gold-mine because it says HD on it... Agree fully re. above front caliper upgrade - the original is a complete POS. Good luck. Ian B.
Hi, Here are some shots of my other current project bike. I have always liked single thumpers - 2 stroke or 4 stroke. I had an original '76 AMF Harley-Davidson SST250 (air-cooled) which was a pretty crappy bike overall (poor quality parts / poor reliability etc.) and decided to make the bike I wanted when I was 18, but which wasn't available - a liquid-cooled 250cc AMF H-D SST250. AMF H-D bailed on the 2 strokes in the late '70s without further development so I am making a 1 of none H-D SST 250 LC from a '76 SS250 (fenders / frame / tank / seat / instruments / lights etc), Honda FT500 (forks / swingarm / steering head / disk brakes) and '96 Honda CRM250AR (ignition / engine / cooling system / harness etc). Here are some pics below. That way the thing will handle and stop correctly, with (hopefully) 2 x the HP on tap. CRM250AR has a 6-speed and powervalve. The purists won't like it, but I don't really care. I am certainly interested in seeing other road-going single projects. Here is a Illustrator mock-up for the final result. More to follow. Ian B. P.S. Don't lament the demise of the CRM250AR - it is in worse condition than it looks having stood outside since 2001.
Thanks. It is the factory frame and serves as the oil tank for the 250 cc single cylinder 2-stroke motor. Ian B.
