Binetta Super 5
Road Impression: BINETTA SUPER 5
FEW NEW ENTRIES to the American market will be burdened with a more unattractive name than the Binetta Super 5. But, as Shakespeare said, what's in a name? In the name Binetta, seekers of lightweight performance and mechanical excellence will find a great deal to please them. A portion of the charm, and a more than ordinary portion it is, lies in the neat little German-built Sachs engine, without question a superior power plant. Newcomers to the motorcycle field should be told that the Sachs engine has been the heart of some of the most successful lightweights in this country for many years.
Its appeal does not end with the engine, fortunately. As one look at the pictures on these pages will show, it is a handsome little bike that can hold its own in any beauty contest. Finished in a sedate, almost reserved, grey lacquer with a minimum of chrome and flash, the 50 from Germany will pretty well clean house on most of its brethren in this popular class. Distributors claim a top speed of 73 mph; it sounds a bit exaggerated but without timing it we find it difficult to argue with them. Our reason is simple; it glike hell!
The road racers (and would-be road racers) on the staff, liked very much the tidy five-speed gearbox. It operates flawlessly, and the ratios are perfect for the 5.2 horsepower engine. Peak power is achieved with a relatively low rpm of 7,400. Slightly unfashionable bore and stroke of the two-cycle engine are 38mm x 44mm. Compression ratio is 9:1. It is of the conventional piston-port design.
Front suspension is the now rarely seen "Earles Fork", or leading link type as it is also known. It works quite well on the Binetta. One of the rather strange sensations of this suspension is its tendency to lift, rather than descend, on hard applications of the front brake. The reaction is decidedly pronounced on machines with a lot of travel in the system, such as the Binetta. Incidentally, if Binetta isn't funny to you, perhaps the name of the maker is: Rabeneick.
Since success in competition is an oftenused sales motivation in motorcycling, we'll point out that the Binetta has done exceedingly well in cross-country European events, hauling down 1,041 Gold Medals in various outings. Also, two of them traveled the distance of a trip around the world in 22 days, 7 hours, and 29 minutes, non-stop, and (the maker claims), without any engine repairs.
Fully equipped, standard items include a double seat, chrome carry rack, rear view mirror, full lighting, a superb air cleaner, a very effective muffler, rear passenger footpegs, and 2.75 x 21-inch tires. We have sniped at such size wheels before, but on a machine designed strictly for the streets they are excellent. Our previous objections have been based on off-the-road applications.
Bico U.S.A. Corp., importers of the Rabeneick Binetta Super 5 also offers a lOOcc version with conventional forks, 8.2 hp, four-speed gearbox, 16-inch wheels, and a bore/stroke of 48mm x 54mm. We plan on getting our hands on one very soon. If it offers only a few of the advantages of the 50 it should be a sensation.
We would like to add a footnote to this impression. We are often asked if the "other" fifties and various lightweights, referring to all of those other than the ones advertised in Life and Playboy, are really any good. We won't go into all of them at this time, but this one in question does indeed have something to offer. It is enough for a prospective buyer to give it the closest inspection. •
