Perusing the Marketplace

We were not in the market to buy a bike. But thanks to the shelter-in-place mandate here in NYC, one Saturday afternoon, we found ourselves waxing poetic about the bikes we used to own, which was followed by looking online at old motorcycles on the auction block.

In 2008, I owned a 1973 Aermacchi Harley-Davidson SS350 Sprint, purchased with an attached sidecar for the purpose of getting around town with my dog. Strangely enough, we spotted one on Marketplace, and made plans to casually see it in Middle Village, Long Island the following Wednesday afternoon.

Bandit sitting in the sidecar of my first Aermacchi, snagged from Craigslist in Connecticut, circa 2007.

Cons: The 'Macchi was kept in a shed, semi-exposed to the elements, and covered in rust. But it ran…using the kickstarter (starter not operative). The ignition was drilled out.
 
Pros: Single owner, ridden less that 1,000 miles. And, it came with all the original documentation in pristine condition.

We were on the fence… until the seller brought the price down by $500. At that point, it was an offer that we couldn't refuse!

The service coupon book, showing the last service in 1973. It never reached the 1K for service!

That the bike came with all its original documentation in pristine condition was a selling point.

The bike is a time capsule from the 70s. From the engineering and form factor, down to the graphics of printed paraphernalia. A unique find, for sure.

At any rate, the seller dropped it off to us in Brooklyn for another hundred bucks and we had ourselves a project!