1978 Harley Davidson MX-250

In 1961 Harley Davidson purchased 50% of Aermacchi Motorcycles (Italy) and began importing them in an effort to capture younger riders. The MX 250 was among the last of these, and by all reports, not a bad dirt squirter. In fact, Harley Davidson won the motorcycle division of the Baja 500 in 1975 with an SX 250.

The MX 250 had some really good features. Chrome plated cylinder bore, C/D ignition. Preload adjustable rear shocks, the kickstarter worked off the primary so you could kick it in gear (really handy when you fell down in the dirt).

The primary problem seems to be that dirt riders typically didn’t go into HD dealerships and Harley riders didn’t consider them a ‘real Harley’. Less than 1000 of the MX 250s were made in ‘78, the last year for the Italian Harleys. HD sold their stake in Aermacchi to Cagiva in 1978.

The 1978 Harley Davidson MX 250 used a 243 CC air cooled single cylinder two stroke motor that used a gas/oil mix at 20:1. The bike had a 5 speed transmission, 2.2 gallon fuel tank, 12 inches of ground clearance with a 21 inch front and 18 inch rear Akront wheels. Wet weight of 253 LBS made it a pretty good competitor in the day.

This particular 1978 Harley Davidson MX 250 is located in San Marcos, California and is listed as ‘restored using most original parts’. The listing is detailed, including the story of the restoration at Vintage Iron in Yorba Linda, California. It hasn’t been fueled since restoration was completed. The bike is currently at $3,100.00 with reserve not met with very active early bidding