Well, anybody who doesn’t love a Chianti burner, even if it is under a Harley badge, has no soul.
Well, if we're going to talk about the "Most awful motorcycle I ever loved", my vote goes to the Bridgestone 175 DUAL TWIN:
A two stroke rotary valve parallel twin, it was a lot of bike for the money. It was fast and ran well, handled typically for the period. It did have some awful quirks . . .
If you inadvertently reversed the plug wires during a spark plug change, the engine would run backwards. Quite well, actually . . .
The transmission had a lever which would allow you to change the shift pattern, from 1-N-2-3-4-5 to a 1-2-3-4-N-1-2-3-4-N pattern. The lever, located near the left footpeg, could be easily bumped into the second section. You discovered this Faux Pas by shifting from fourth, expecting fifth and instead getting Neutral. Thinking you missed a shift (which occurred often enough), the next tug on the lever would get you First when expecting Fifth. Hilarity usually quickly ensued. The sound of insanely spinning transmission gears was your only clue, until you let out the clutch . . .
Still, I'd love to have one in the garage!
