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Blast from the Past: 1975 Harley-Davidson SX 250

Written By: Molly Barari

Some things should never be taken out of their boxes – like special action figures, card collections and super rare Harleys.

Brian Mindt, owner of Iron Stallion Cycles in Valley City, North Dakota, knows this to be true from personal experience. At his shop, Brian has a one-of-a-kind Harley-Davidson motorcycle that represents a slice of history and culture from decades ago. The 1975 black Harley-Davidson SX 250 is remarkable in its own right – but what’s better is that it’s never been taken out of its crate.

“It’s never been opened, never out of its box,” said Brian. “That’s the way we bought it.”

Brian’s son, Cole Mindt, is the one who found the rare motorcycle listed on eBay. Cole was in college in Kansas at the time, and he’d only been going to school for a semester.

“I thought, ‘How can you afford that motorcycle when you’re going to college?’” said Brian. “We were watching the screen name for the highest bidder, and it was Cole. I told him, ‘We’d better hide the price from Mom. She’s going to have a fit!’”

Cole ended up buying the Harley. (Don’t worry, everything worked out at school. He ended up getting a grant from the state of Kansas that paid for his tuition.) Now, Cole, 30, helps Brian at the shop with mechanic, parts, cleaning and salvage work. Brian’s wife, Julie, helps with bookwork, making it a true family business.

Once Cole purchased the Harley, Brian and a friend went to Glenwood, Minnesota, to pick it up for him. That’s how the Harley ended up at the Iron Stallion Cycles shop in North Dakota.

According to an official letter Brian received from Harley-Davidson, the motorcycle has a 250cc single cylinder, two-cycle engine. It is one of approximately 11,000 SX 250 models that were produced. The bike was manufactured on September 5, 1974 by Aermacchi/Harley-Davidson in Italy. From there, the motorcycle was delivered to Torgy’s Harley-Davidson, Hwy 28/29 West, in Glenwood.

“They only sold lightweights – not any of the heavyweight Harleys,” said Brian. “They went out of business and that’s when they sold this bike.”

The bike is still in great shape. There is some rust, but the Mindt family makes sure to treat it. Now the rare bike has become a fixture at Iron Stallion Cycles, where it’s perched on a stand for customers to admire.

Cole has taken the bike to several shows – and because of its unique qualities, it has won several first, second and third place plaques.

“Some people say, ‘Why don’t you want to get it out and running?’” said Brian. “Taking it out of the crate, we’d lose about $5,000 in value. The fact that it’s in the crate is phenomenal.”

So that’s where the 1975 Harley SX 250 will stay, complete with its original paper packing from the factory.

“Our showroom is truly a museum,” said Brian. “We also have one of 640 1983 FLHT ElectriaGlides. The one we have was totally burned, and we have many other vintage pieces. We have the neatest, coolest bike shop from Minneapolis to Seattle.”

Iron Stallion Cycles has been operating in Valley City, North Dakota, since 1982. They specialize in motorcycle repairs and restorations. They do custom builds from scratch, frame alterations, custom engines, transmissions, and help restore bikes that have been involved in accidents or burns. They are also the only shop in South Dakota that builds throttle crutch cables.

For more information, find them on Facebook or call 701-845-5196.

January 2019

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Blast from the Past: 1975 Harley-Davidson SX 250

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