"I Can Truely Say I Owned A New Harley During the 1970s Mini-Bike Era!"

Back in Catholic school in the 8th grade (72-73).... I drooled & day-dreamed in class over the original Harley Davidson X-90 advertisement that ran on the back page of an order form for our school's paperback book club...It was the terror of the mini and trail bikes and NO manufacturer made a small solid wheel trail bike with a 90cc engine!!..and not many knew Harley did for it wasn't advertised everywhere.....

That summer with my "totally motorcycle hessitant parents," alot of begging and pleading I finally convinced my father. That weekend me and my parents were off to the Harley Dealer in our '71 Gold metallic with white vinyl roofed Chevy Impala 400 with rear wheel skirts! The trunk had the humongous room to place just about anything in to...This was the first and last time I'm sure my parents shoes would grace the tiles of a motorcycle showroom for the remainder of their livetimes, (though I did see my father smile while cruising around the bigger bikes on the floor.) I could tell he had a mild case of bike fever smelling the scent of the new bikes and leather surrounding him and being pumped through the showroom's a/c ventalation I'm pretty sure!............. In 1973 the X-90 was going new about in the $369.00 cost range. After a new bike purchase checkout in the service center, the X-90 slid nicely into the well padded trunk with room to spare and then some.

I told none of my friends of my new bike, and a Harley at that......After arriving home, pulling the quite heavy girl from the trunk, letting it see it's new home, one kick of the start petal and you knew she was a two stroke...... A few laps in the yard checking out the manual clutch and ALL GEARS DOWN transmission shift pattern it was time to introduce the black bike, or should I say inflict terror to the neighborhood. It turned heads of the kids as well as some fathers never seeing this little black bike before and wondering just what it was......But soon enough all came in contact with the black bike with the red, white and blue striping on the tank.

It would most certainly out eccelerate and top out all of my friend's mini-bikes, Honda Mini-Trail 50s & 70s and the Suzuki Trailhoppers....AND EVEN topped out my friend's '71 Kawasaki GS-90 road bike with full diameter motorcycle spoked wheels..... Even the Honda 100cc owners were targets as the little black bike stayed right on the back of their heels on the flat top backroads of my subdivision! It was a mini two stroke oil injected terror...........

I sold it to my neighbor and upgraded to a Honda CB-125 full size road bike.....About three years later I had to sell THAT for my parents to allow me my car license......I'm now 54 years of age.....I've own much larger bikes throughout my life until becoming disabled and having to divorce....... But I'll NEVER forget the memories of my teen-years with my teenage friends and being the trail bike King of terror in my subdivision, surrounding trails and in the country on board my shiny black Harley Davidson X-90. ~cek