1978 King County Metro MAN / AM General SG-220 

A few years late to this video but it's bringing back loads of memories. These things didn't feel like any North American bus from the driver's seat. The difference was strikingly similar to the differences between German and old-school American cars. The suspension was firm, the steering was direct and accurate with lots of feel, and the transmission made decisive shifts everyone on the bus noticed. They rewarded hard driving (by bus standards) and were perfectly happy doing 0-40-0-40-0-40 all day on a route like the 174. You could take turns faster in them without upsetting the passengers than in any modern equipment. The tailswing caused many an accident, but I'm going to blame inconsistent training for that. It was easy to avoid trouble, and the rear steering axle made it possible to do unbelievably tight turns if you knew how to use it. It was possible in these things to turn right from NE 45th to 15th NE, or from 1st onto the old Columbia viaduct onramp, using only the curb lane on both streets. They weren't the easiest on the driver's body, between the rough suspension, the high-effort steering, and the constant jolts from the transmission. You also weren't going to give the passengers a perfectly smooth ride. The character of the SG220 with the tall freeway gears and the SG310 with the city gears was much different. The 220 accelerated glacially but just kept accelerating, and I remember being the fastest vehicle on the freeway on many trips once finally up to speed. The 310 was much better stop to stop in the city but just felt out of breath on the freeway.

I love the sound of these MAN coaches.

I loved driving those MAN artics during my Metro days!

I remember when these were in service. Climbing hills, they moved at like 5mph, but on flat terrain, they could catch 75-80mph easily. The 2000 series coaches (1983's) which were very similar to this series except for a slightly more powerful engine and wheelchair lift, had a special reduction gear set and could climb hills fairly respectably. Although they would struggle to do more than 60 on the freeway.

This thing sound pretty similar to the D40LFs and D60LFs. Just it has a different engine but it is because of the MAN axles.

Never would I ever thought that those legends would land on the west market aswell! Those are pieces of gold on wheels, keep them safe. We had the same here in Croatia, home license production by Avtomontaža, 1995. Very few are left.

Funny to hear everyone talk about the engine sounds. I'm from Seattle and have rode all these buses more times than I can count. What a great bus. I really liked the style. My favorite seat was the first row of elevated seats right on the middle wheel well. In Seattle all of these buses ran on electric trolly lines. They didn't even have diesel motors installed. I rode the #7 every day for years and years. Now the #49 all of which used this bus. Good times!

My favorite bus ever accept in AC Transits colors (East Bay/ SF).

I really miss this bus. Especially the old ones

Wooww MAN bus from germany in USA? verry cool!

That engine sound brings back pleasant memories. It's a shame these buses were retired.

Love to see these things still in action! In the late 90s/early 2000s I had an SG192 as my regular school bus! Sadly I found pictures of it not long ago, the bus company left it to rot in the yard and gutted it for parts :(

Loved the Los Angeles SCRTD and inherited Golden Gate M.A.N artics I grew up on here and would continue to ride on the SF MUNI! Great video love the sounds!!!

Amazing video didn't think those buses could actually run with traffic.

2 SEATS IN THE ACCORDION ALSO THE SAN JUAN UNITS EQUIPPED WITH C SHAPED 3 SEATS ON ACCORDION SECTION

@dls99 AC Transit also ran Crown-Ikarus 286s during that time. They had underfloor Cummins diesel engines with Allison HT740 transmissions. I know TriMet here in Portland ran 87 of those.

I remember riding these buses in San Diego for years. In fact, the first transit buses I remember riding were these MAN articulator buses on the #7 route from what was then known as East San Diego (around 48th & University Ave.) to Downtown San Diego. There were only 44 of these used by San Diego Transit in the 80s and early 90s (numbered 1001 to 1044, which had an unusual pitch), and they were used primarily on routes 7 (San Diego to La Mesa via Balboa Park and University Avenue) and 29 (Point Loma to the Iris Avenue Trolley Station near the San Ysidro Border via Downtown San Diego, National City, and Chula Vista), though other routes, such as the 20 (express from San Diego to near Escondido) and 90 (express from San Diego to El Cajon, using CA-94) also used them. But since I had to use the 7 (which now goes from the SD Convention Center to La Mesa) and later the 29 (which is now route 929 from Old Town to the San Ysidro Border), I spent quite a bit of time on these buses before they were retired around 1992.

It's unfortunate that MEHVA sold off #2138 (1982 MAN Artic coach with the SG-310), but at least they have this one. Good stuff. :)

Sounds a bit like 1982 models which 100 of them from Seattle were sold to Chicago CTA in 2000, I rode them in Chicago.

Many SG310's did. Chicago and Denver, I believe. But all of the SG220's were equipped with Renk Doromats. MAN didn't actually sell any SG220's, they were all sold by AM General.

Also right in San Juan, the SG310 of 1984, the 1st articulated buses, only 12 in fleet. Some of this buses acquired by AMA on the accordeon section have the unusual C shaped seats to accomodate 6 persons, 3 on each section of the accordeon made by American Seating, other units, only 4 I remembered have only 4 seats, 2 persons on each section. Also the replacing engine are Detroit Diesel 6v71 or 8v71, nóbody repowered to 8v71, only one unit in San Juan, the 84802 receive the Detroit Diesel 6v71 engine and sounds like a fishbowl bus in idle. I love this buses, now the only two NABI's 1201 thru 1202 operates exclusively at the E20 express bus from Bayamon thru Toa Baja.

@qwandiddy But it's northern neighbor Westchester County had 61 of them including the NYCTA demo 8990, which became 661.

Our first 200-series Ikarus citybuses came with Renk-Doromat automatics too.

WOAHHHHHH!

Another bus I'd like to see you ride is the 1979 Flyer D900 with its Cummins VTB903 diesel engine and Allison V730 transmission.

These were driving on Zagreb streets till recently (2011. I believe). What an amazing bus.

@brianbrwa Back in Chicago, these were WAY FASTER than those wacky junk NABI 60LFWs CTA had.

Cool buses, but i kinda like the ones that replaced these better.... The BBB's!!

Finally the T2 from Country Club to San Juan via Rio Piedras - Hato Rey. Times where never forget with my favorite accordion buses.

WMATA ran these on the X2 line down the now hip H Street. They were in service from 1979-2001. I love the sound of these buses, the Neoplans and the original 1986 Flxibles. I agree, today's buses are pretty boring sounding and lifeless too.

I always liked the MAN buses they were better than the crappy Gillig's that replaced them.

SAN JUAN AMA's 1984 SG310 84301 thru 84312

I rode on one of these rare, sans wheelchair-lift (The front stairs have that railing dividing them) only once. It must have been rt. 307 from 15th ave ne and 125th. The driver put it in neutral at the stoplight and roared the engine for some reason. I was in fifth grade and I was sitting on the high seat over the engine and trying to puzzle out how the wheelchair lift on those divided pie- shaped stairs would work (not thinking for a second that there might not be one)

I remember that shift down like it was yesterday.

does it have router 359? on the rollsign?

I was just wondering, how many liter is a MAN D2566?

Unfortunately no M.A.N. SG-220s were ever builted with ZF HP500s

It sounds just like the ones here in Auckland. The Auckland Regional Authority purchased 20 of these chassis from MAN in 1983. Local body builder Hawke's provided the body, based on the German VOV 1 or VOV 2. These buses performed faithfully for thirty years being retired at the end of 2013. Some local people are trying to save 1 from the scrap yard but are having an uphill battle doing so after the local transport museum decided not to preserve any as it is too interested in streetcars it seems.

What would an SG220 or SG310 sound like with a Voith D854 or D864 transmission?

How did you get your own private ride? Nice.

I just wondering, how many cubic inches is a D2566?

We in Phoenix used to have a few of these running Route 10 (28th street/Roosevelt), and I remember when I first got to the valley riding them. I would beg my mother if we can go on a bus ride on one of these just because of the sounds they produced. Now the buses they have today can't match up sadly.

How do i enter?

My back still hurts from driving this piece of junk.

I HATED driving these coaches! The tail swing and the power-assisted steering...argh!