--- title: "Harley-Davidson Z90: Bad News Bears Bike & Aermacchi Era" slug: "11-thinks-you-didnt-know-about-the-harley-davidson-z90" description: "Aermacchi built it from 1973-1975. Kelly Leak rode one in Bad News Bears. Survivors still under $1,000 if you know where to look. The Z90 story, fully sourced." pubDate: 2019-11-18T00:00:00.000Z canonical: https://bobberbrothers.com/pages/11-thinks-you-didnt-know-about-the-harley-davidson-z90/ --- The Harley Davidson Z90 motorcycles were actually a small series of HD's motorcycles built between the years of 1973 and 1975 by Aermacchi. The Harley Davidson Z90 motorcycles got famous as the ride of Kelly Leak which was played by Jackie Earle Haley in the Bad News Bears. There are plenty of examples in the market considering the low mileage ones of the first years of production. Harley Davidson Z90 When taken a particular example in case the Harley Davidson Z90 motorcycle has only 220 miles run, this can even be spotted for purchase at charity functions. There was one such case where the owner of the Harley Davidson Z90 motorcycle purchased it for gifting it to their son, but the mileage driven when taken into consideration show that the use was not that much. This kind of Harley Davidson Z90 motorcycle was a case taken in Myrtle Beach in South Carolina and will be bidding up to $800 since it will run like a new one. There are even motorcycles which have a bid of $3250 found on eBay basically. There are even buyers who claim to have found a 1973 AMF z-90 just by looking over the regular local classified section. This will lead to purchases for just $150. This particular case witnessed a Harley Davidson motorcycle which was all covered in the dust from the garage and was underneath the sheets for plenty of time but surprisingly clean. In this case, the bike had a mileage of only 120 miles. In this case, the tires even were found to be the original ones but the blinkers were partially smashed. When checked with the tanks, it seems to have zero corrosion in it. The cylinder once got into the lubed state along with the complete cleaning of carb was accompanied by the change of all the fluids. The main owner for this particular vehicle seemed to have had a wiring malfunction the previous time the motorcycle was ridden and the registration, in this case, was as old as 1981. This also makes sense as most of the wiring part was damaged. This only leads to one sensible conclusion. It is better to rework on it which will lead to changing the entire wiring of the motorcycle. Harley Davidson Z90 While this can be done with a lot of time and a few beers in hand for a Harley Davidson motorcycle fan, it will eventually lead to a motorcycle which will run by kicking the ignition right away. As the mentioned motorcycle has its chain shot off it is better to wait for a new chain in order to fix it and take it off the road right away. Other suggestions can be made based on the future of this particular bike. When taken into consideration, the suggestions made for the motorcycle, it is seen that motorcycles like AMF and Harley are better to be kept in the original condition. The reason the majority of the people suggest this because the original condition of the motorcycle is very rare and the demand will be high. ## Sources - [Aermacchi 1973-1974 X-90 and Z-90](https://cybermotorcycle.com/marques/aermacchi/aermacchi-1973-x90.htm) - Aermacchi production history and model details - [220 Miles 1973 Harley-Davidson Z90](https://www.bike-urious.com/220-miles-1973-harley-davidson-z90/) - Documented low-mileage Z90 example and background - [1973 Harley-Davidson Z-90 Specs](https://www.jdpower.com/motorcycles/1973/harley-davidson/z-90-90cc/specs) - J.D. Power standard equipment and specifications *If you want the bigger Harley picture, our [Harley-Davidson history guide](/pages/harley-davidson-history-guide/) walks every engine, model, and era from the founding to current production.* *Wearing it means something. Our [Built Not Bought line](/collections/all/) is for Harley riders who back their builds with original gear.* ## Read More From the Brotherhood - [HD Daymaker Headlight: The Facts](/pages/6-facts-about-the-harley-davidson-daymaker-headlight/) - [The 4 Best Harley Davidson Stereo Systems](/pages/the-4-best-harley-davidson-stereo-systems/) - [The Harley Davidson Sportster Seventy Two](/pages/6-facts-about-the-harley-davidson-sportster-seventy-two/)