Moto Gilera A Study of Speed

MOTO GILERA A STUDY OF SPEED

THE STORY of Moto-Gilera is a study of one man—Giuseppe Gilera, born in Zelobuonpersico, Milan, Italy, in 1887. Giuseppe at an early age displayed the mechanical genius that was to make his name known over nearly all the world, for the name Gilera was destined not only to become revered by Grand Prix racing fans, but the very invincibility of his fabulous fours was to put fear in the hearts of his competitors.

As a young man Giuseppe showed great interest in the internal combustion engine, and by the early nineteen-hundreds he had become known as a prominent mechanic on motorcycles. This in itself was an outstanding achievement, because motorcycles were still not common in Italy. The country was poor, and lagged well behind the more western European nations in industrial development.

By 1909, Giuseppe had completed several years’ training with an engineering firm named Bucher and Zeda, and he felt the time was ripe to launch the production of his own machines. In a little shop in Milan he designed his first motorcycle, a single cylinder model that proved to be most reliable.

With his reputation established sales began to climb, and Giuseppe was forced to move to larger quarters at Arcore. During the first World War, the company received a prestige boost when the Italian Army officially used their machines. After the War the expanding economy boosted sales, and Gilera became one of Italy’s leading machines, fielding a range of models from 125cc to 500cc.

Gilera was still largely an Italian motorcycle, but during the 1930’s the company began to expand their distribution to other European countries. After World War II the concern expanded even further, adding a production plant in Argentina (Gilera of Argentina), and establishing distributors in several North African, Oriental and South American countries. The Güera production is still sold mostly in Italy, although in recent years the U.S. did receive an authorized distribution of their machines.

GEOFFREY WOOD

The present factory facility is very modern, featuring its own steel and smelting plants, production line, and test track. Although he is now 77 years old, Cavaliere del Lavoro Giuseppe Güera is still chairman of the board and exercises a competent control of all engineering and technical matters—a truly remarkable achievement.

The 1965 range of Güera motorcycles includes models of 98cc, 124cc, 150cc, 175cc, and 300cc, all with pushrod-operated OHV engines. In addition, there are the two new scooters, also OHV, with cylinder capacities of 50cc and 80cc. Most are built to “pavement riding” specifications.

Single cylinder engines power the full line, except for the 300cc model which is a vertical twin. A beautifully engineered swinging arm frame, telescopic front fork, full alloy hubs, and an engine-gearbox in unit are other notable features. Other technical specifications that appeal to the enthusiast are the alloy engines, the bore that is equal to or greater than the stroke to hold down piston speed, and alloy wheel rims on some “sports” models.

It is in another sphere of motorcycling activity that Güera is more famous though, and that is competition, particularly Grand Prix road racing. Early in his career Giuseppe decided that competition was the best way to find out just how good his engineering was, and within obviously tight financial limits he accomplished wonders. The great contribution to motorcycle engineering that Güera has made is impossible to accurately assess, but Moto Gilera’s accomplishments on the great racing courses of the world are already legend.

Giuseppe himself started the company’s competition program rolling by competing in Italian races in the period prior to World War I. The first great International victory came much later though—in 1930 at Grenoble when the works team of Miro Maffeis, Rosolino Grana, and Luigi Güera captured the coveted International Six Days Trial Trophy. To prove the quality of his machines Giuseppe again entered the trial in 1931, held that year at Merano, and again the team took home the trophy. The models used were selected from the standard production range.

During the 1930’s the Güera concern was expanding its sales market, and it was only natural that they began to cast their eyes upon the great classical road races of the day. During that era Grand Prix racing became a leading international sport with hundreds of thousands of potential motorcycle customers viewing each event.

It was in this atmosphere that Giuseppe decided to shoot for the top—the Senior Class World Championship. The problems were almost insurmountable. To have a chance at defeating the supercharged AJSs, BMWs, NSUs, and the fine handling Nortons and Velocettes, Gilera would have to design and build a genuine “works” racer, since a standard production model would be far too slow. In addition, a really top flight rider would have to be engaged if Georg Meier and his BMW were to be dethroned. The really big problem, however, was money, as Güera was still unable to expend as much capital as the giant European manufacturers.

Undaunted, Giuseppe tackled the problem with ingenuity and determination to succeed. The Rondine factory was approached, as they had a small four-cylinder engine with a double overhead cam head, water cooling, and supercharging. Giuseppe reasoned that if he could take advantage of an already developed high performance engine, he could save both the time and money involved in developing one himself. Furthermore, it would take all of Gilera’s financial resources to develop a machine capable of handling the phenomenal horsepower and speed that the supercharged engines of the day were capable of producing.

During 1936 the first machine was assembled, and the result was certainly an impressive piece of raceware. The 500cc Rondine engine was mounted partially laid down in the frame with the compressor on top of the crankcase. Since the model was liquid cooled, a radiator was mounted on top of the head between the two front down-tubes of the frame. A gear train drove the two overhead camshafts, the supercharger, and the transmission. Final drive was by chain.

The frame was most unusual. Described as a duplex cradle frame, the top and bottom tubes were very wide and extended to the outside of the transversely mounted engine. The front end had a pressed steel girder fork with friction dampers, and the rear suspension was by an unusual pivoting fork with horizontal spring units. Massive full width brakes and a four-speed gearbox were used.

The performance figures were kept quite hush-hush, and a great amount of secrecy always surrounded the machine. Reliable sources said the Rondine produced 90 hp at 10,000 rpm for a top speed of over 150 mph. Anyone who ever saw the monster in action never doubted that performance rating.

During the spring of 1937 the Güera was given its first airing, and reportedly attained 157 mph. Piero Taruffi was the first to put the new challenger in the news when he upped Jim Guthrie’s one-hour Norton record from 114.092 to 121.23 mph.

Development work continued on the racer during the summer, as the handling left something to be desired. Güera felt his machine was ready by the season’s end though, and Giordano Aldrighetti scored the first big victory by winning the Gran Premio d’ Italia at Monza. Aldrighetti followed this up in 1938 by winning the 1200 km. (745.2 miles) Milano-Roma-NapoliBari-Taranto race at 73.278 mph, a record which to this day has not been broken.

Giuseppe was grooming another man for the championship circuit now, a brilliant newcomer named Dorino Serafini. For 1938 young Serafini was merely to learn how to handle the colossal performance of the Rondine, and to become familiar with the great classical Grand Prix courses. In championship racing that year a third place in the Dutch GP was the best obtained. Taruffi showed the world what was due the following spring when he upped his one-hour record to 127.5 mph and recorded an all-out speed of 170.15 mph, only 3.52 mph below Ernst Henne's BMW record.

In 1939 the fabulous Güera came of age, and Serafini won the World Championship with victories in the Grands Prix of Sweden, Ulster (Ireland), and Germany. Taruffi closed out the year for Güera by placing 23 world records in the books, and the concern also captured the Italian championship. Then came the War.

In 1947 racing resumed again, but the classical superchargers were not to be seen. The Federation Internationale Motocycliste decided that the blower would have to go, and in its place was a formula that specified pump gasoline and atmospheric induction. Italy, like most other European countries, was engaged in rebuilding a war ravaged country and so Gilera’s first post-war competition efforts were quite modest.

In 1946 a new 5()0cc single was introduced called the Saturno, and it was available in either road, moto-cross, or road racing trim. The new thumper was a success in racing as it possessed good brakes, was very light (300 lbs.), and had good acceleration. For the 1946, ’47, and ’48 seasons the factory team of Nello Pagani, Carlo Bandirola, O. Clemencich, and M. Masserini raced the Saturnos, winning a few Grands Prix but generally having to take a back seat to the faster Nortons.

For the 1949 season a fabulous new 500cc four was fielded for the works team of Nello Pagani and Alberto Artesiani. Designed by Pietro Remor, the new Güera was air-cooled, and the DOHC engine was mounted transversely in the frame. Girder type forks were used at the front end, and a pivoting fork suspension at the rear. The final drive was by chain, and the gearbox had four speeds.

During the 1949 racing season the fours proved fast, but improvement was needed in the handling qualities. Pagani did win the Dutch and Monza events on a four, but on the “tighter” courses the fine handling Saturno was also used. For 1950 Umberto Massetti was signed to the team, and he rewarded the factory with the World Championship after a terrific struggle with Geoff Duke.

In 1951 Duke and his new “short-stroke” featherbed Norton got the better of the fours, but in 1952 Massetti was back on top. Duke joined the factory team in 1953 and Güera became invincible. A master racing technician, Duke provided the knowhow to improve the Gilera’s roadability. An orthodox telescopic front fork and swinging arm rear suspension were adopted, a five-speed gearbox used, and great improvements were made in the suspension, brakes, and cornering qualities of the machine. Geoff was World Champion in 1953, ’54, and ’55, and then sat out half the 1956 season due to an injury and a suspension by the F.I.M.

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For 1957 Güera fielded a superb racing 500cc, and a new stablemate 350 as well. By then the 500 model was producing 70 hp at 10,500 rpm, and the 350 churned out 50 hp at 11,000 rpm. Top speeds were about 170 and 150 mph on the two models. Full dustbin streamlining was used (this had been progressively developed since 1954) and several sizes of fuel tanks and brakes were available to suit the various courses.

There was no stopping the works team of Bob McIntyre, Libero Liberati, Bob Brown, Geoff Duke, Alano Montanari, and Alfredo Milani. Bob McIntyre started off, in what was destined to be the finest year of post-war Grand Prix racing, by winning both the Junior and Senior TT races, and in the latter he became the first to lap the Isle of Man at over 100 mph.

Every race that year was a fantastic battle with the fully streamlined MV Agustas, Moto Guzzi singles and V-8s, BMW twins, and the Norton and AJS singles all in the show. In the end, the brilliant newcomer Liberati took the Senior class championship, but the Guzzi of Keith Campbell proved too much in the Junior.

To crown a really outstanding year, Güera then went to the banked Monza International circuit and set no less than 32 world records. Romolo Ferri was the first to score, and he pushed 123.0 miles into one hour with a 125cc model at a time when the absolute one hour mark was held by the 500cc Norton streamliner at 133.71 mph. Bob McIntyre then took out the 350cc four and upped the hour mark to 141.37 mph, and Albino Milani attached a sidecar and did another hour at 134.4.

The standing start kilometer records were the next to fall, and Alfredo Milani used the 350 and 500 fours to average 96.5 and 106.77 mph for the distance. With sidecars attached Milani clocked 87.0 and 95.0 mph. To climax the week, a new 175cc twin was rolled out and it averaged 129.5 for one hour.

Then it was over — a golden era had come to an end. The F.I.M. imposed severe restrictions on streamlining, and Güera, along with Moto-Guzzi and F. B. Mondial, retired from the racing game. For 1963, Geoff Duke was lent several of the fabulous fours by the factory, and for a while it looked like the world championship was again destined for Arcore. Derek Minter and John Hartle beat defending champion Mike Hailwood and his MV Agusta into third place at Imola, and halfway through the season Güera was leading MV in the championship race. Gilera’s only real chance at beating Hailwood lay in Minter though, and he was injured early and did not return to top form all season. Mike kept his championship.

For 1964 Güera depended solely on Benedicto Caldarella, a newcomer from Argentina, who spent the year learning the GP circuits. Benedicto has great talent, but any real chance at a world title will take a determined effort by Giuseppe — an effort all true motorsportsmen hope the old man will make.