Harley-Davidson’s core business is, and will always be, big American V-twins. But there are moments in The Motor Co.’s history where it has deviated from this formula in a bid to attract a wider audience, with varying levels of success.
In the 60s and 70s, Harley leveraged their part (and later full) ownership of the Italian manufacturer Aermacchi to create a handful of smaller bikes—like the 1974 Harley-Davidson SX250. Released during Harley’s infamous AMF era, this single-cylinder two-stroke was designed to compete with the lightweight Japanese enduro bikes of the day. But since it was effectively just a rebadged Aermacchi, it faded from existence when Harley sold the Italian firm to Cagiva in 1978.
These days, Aermacchi Harleys enjoy a niche following among vintage racers, and anyone else who has a soft spot for 1970s oddballs. This particular AMF-era Harley-Davidson SX250 belongs to Marco Donati—a Milan-based architect, motorcycle enthusiast, and flat track rider.
Marco sourced the bike specifically for this project, before handing it over to Massimo Rinchiuso at Fuchs Workshop to turn it into a svelte flat tracker. “His vision was clear: reinterpret the spirit of old-school racing with a modern twist, without betraying the original identity of the motorcycle,” says Massimo.
“Inspired by this uniquely American discipline, the little Harley was turned into a true tracker— designed to deliver vintage thrills, but with real performance on the track. The process was anything but simple. The engine, which had been dormant for years, had to be completely rebuilt, with every part carefully restored and tuned to recover reliability and extract every ounce of performance from this two-stroke single-cylinder powerplant.”
Fuchs Workshop’s master engine builder, Claudio Lanconelli, took point on restoring the 250’s motor, while Massimo turned his attention to the chassis. The rear half of the frame was rebuilt to accommodate a new seat, before being raised with a set of longer-than-stock YSS shocks, to sharpen the steering head angle.
The modern shocks are matched to a set of Yamaha R6 forks, held in place by CNC-machined yokes. With no front brake in play, Massimo liberated the lowers of their caliper mounts and cleaned them up.
The Harley’s new wheels use modified motocross hubs, laced to 19” anodized aluminum rims with stainless steel spokes. They’re wrapped in flat track rubber from Anlas in the UK. The stock swingarm is still in play, with a single rear disc brake handling stopping duties.
As a hat tip to the SX250’s history, Massimo retained the original fuel tank, retrofitting it with a new filler neck and a knurled aluminum gas cap. It’s matched to a fiberglass tail section, supplied by Kompotech. The only other bodywork is a set of number boards, which Massimo fabricated from aluminum.
JV Exhaust tackled the Harley’s pipe—a stunning TIG-welded affair with an expansion chamber designed to offer maximum torque lower in the rev range. (The oversized carb and pod filter do their part too.)
A striking orange livery finishes this Harley-Davidson SX250 flat tracker off in style. It’s not, as you might expect, a nod to the iconic XR750, but a re-creation of the bike’s original paint job, with the graphics tastefully extended to the new tail section. Like everything else on this build, it’s just bellissimo.
Fuchs Workshop Facebook | Instagram | Images by Christian Fussi, at the VR46 Ranch in Tavullia, Italy
