Rare 1970s Harley Race Bike Heads to Auction
With some help from Italy, Harley-Davidson took on the world of Grand Prix motorcycle racing — and won.
Harley-Davidsons have a well-deserved reputation for being big, heavy, and comfortable bikes. They don’t call ’em cruisers for nothing, after all.
However, the Motor Company wears many hats — or helmets, more appropriately. They’ve gone racing more times than we can count, with varying levels of success.
In the 1970s, Harley-Davidson took on Grand Prix motorcycle racing, known now as MotoGP. Utilizing an Aermacchi-sourced racing bike, Italian rider Walter Villa won four world championships for Harley-Davidson.
From 1974 through 1976, Villa won the 250cc class championship, while in 1976, he snagged the 350cc title as well. Villa, who sadly passed away from a heart attack in 2002, was well-known and well-liked in the motorcycle racing world. Known as a subdued, polite, and kind man off his bike, one twist of the throttle was all it took to transform him into a fierce competitor.
The Harley-Davidson/Aermacchi race bikes wear the familiar black and orange, and, as you can imagine, are exceedingly rare. According to this listing on Hemmings, just 17 RR250s were built in 1974. What you’re seeing here is bike number 12, fully restored and ready for display — or vintage motorcycle racing, if you’re brave.
The water-cooled 250cc twin that powered this bike was allegedly designed to use Yamaha internal components in order to save costs. Despite its small size, its nature as a race-bred two-stroke meant that it was — and is — fast enough to scare the leather chaps off of nearly any rider.
Instrumentation consists only of a tachometer and a water temp gauge, both in Italian. It’s all you really need on a race bike, anyway.
Other features of the bike include a close-ratio six-speed transmission, dual front disc brakes, and a chain drive. For its time, it was a very high-tech bike, and in the talented hands of Villa, it was nearly unbeatable.
If you have the means and the desire to add this piece of incredible Harley-Davidson history to your stable, here’s your chance. The bike seen here is part of Mecum Auctions’ Las Vegas 2020 motorcycle sale. The sale runs from January 21 through 26.
Photos: Hemmings
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