Three Cimattis
THREE CIMATTIS
Road Impression:
AND YET ANOTHER new marque is added to the growing list of lightweights available in this country. The delightful little Cimatti (pronounced Chee-mot-tee) bear no great concern as road racers, but certainly merit consideration as small touring numbers. As they are presented here, without something familiar for reference, they appear to be quite robust and sturdy. Actually, each of the Cimattis is a neat scale-down of a large tourer, and therein lies much of their appeal.
The 100 and 150cc models are set on 16-inch wheels which mount comparatively wide Pirellis. The 50 is given a pair of 19-inch wheels and is not as deceptive as its two larger siblings. Brakes on all three bikes are good, and those on the 150, in particular, are more than adequate for a lightweight.
All of the Cimattis have double-cradle frames. The base loops “tee” into a larger diameter single member just aft of the engine, and this tube completes the circuit back to the steering post. Rear suspension is carried on a secondary horizontal loop tube that is welded to the spine. All in all, it makes for a very sturdy frame for bikes of this size.
Front suspension of the Cimattis is firm and positive, and particularly so on the 150. On the tarmac, we were pleased with the smooth, consistent attitude they maintained through turns.
We note with some curiosity that the only major items common to all three are the bars, tanks, seats, and tool and battery canisters. The greatest difference was that of exhaust system routing — 150 on the right, 100 on the left, and 50 split
and run back on both sides. The differ-
ence between the 150 and 100 can readily be resolved: these two swap sides with starter and brake. For the 50, however, we can only assume that the exhaust
system was a product of some orderly
mind that could not abide by anything not symmetrical. Fun and games aside, the systems on the two smaller numbers were quiet and didn’t feel as though they were unnecessarily restricting the engines. The 150 muffler borders on the offensive under hard acceleration.
Finish on the Cimattis was superb. Cimatti’s builders are apparently not content to muck about with just a couple of gloss-finish colors. Instead, they’ve chosen to add a bit of texture in the form of black wrinkle finish. The transition between gloss and wrinkle is handled nicely with silver striping. The effect is interesting and pleasing.
The kickstarter/footpeg relationship on both the 100 and the 50 deserves a little more drawing-board time than has been spent on it so far. These two were consistently slow to start and the whole business resulted in several bruised insteps during the testing session. We question the wisdom of an alternator system that has no kill button or switch. This is a complaint confined to the smaller members of the family. (The 150 has a switch in the headlamp unit.) And finally, one fault that is common to all three Cimattis is the electrical systems. They’re adequate, but require a lot of churning before the wicks light sufficiently.
The Cimattis are, in general, real gentlemen, short on bad habits, and just out for a good time. In standard trim they are fine lightweight touring bikes with excellent handling characteristics. ■
Cimatti 50
SPECIFICATIONS
Cimatti 100
SPECIFICATIONS
Cimatti 150
SPECIFICATIONS
