Report From Italy

REPORT FROM ITALY

CARLO PERELLI

ALFONSO MORINI

Commendatore Alfonso Morini, chief of the famous Bologna factory, died suddenly on June 30th at the age of 71. He is survived by his wife and a married daughter. He was a self-made man and a true racing enthusiast, like two other exponents of that generation, Carlos Guzzi and Giuseppe Gilera.

In 1924 he founded with Signor Mazzetti the M.M. (Morini-Mazzetti), which soon became one of Italy’s most prosperous small factories. In 1937, Morini left M.M. to start his own factory.

As a racer, he was very successful with the M.M. 125-cc lightweights. His most brilliant win was the 1927 Italian GP at Monza. As a technician, Morini created in the early thirties, a 175-cc ohc Single (later enlarged to 250 and 350) which won many races and titles in Italy, as well as capturing the 175-cc flying start kilometer record at 100.6 mph in 1933.

Commendatore’s masterpiece was the fabulous 250, the fastest Single of that size ever built, which was shelved at the end of a 10-year racing career. Morini had proudly stated that with the new FIM two-cylinder limitation on 250 engines, he was anxious to resurrect the Single, sure to top them aü. Alas, he will not see that.

MORINIS SWEEP THE BOARD

This year Morini machines dominated the Italian Trial Championship with the 98, 124 and 154 models recently described in CW. After five very tough rounds, the bikes from Bologna won the 100, 125 and over 125 classes with the riders Signorelli, Paganessi and Gritti. The 50 class was again monopolized by D. Perere on a Zundapp scrambler. Lacking the sheer power of the nonItalian two-stroke competition, the Morini four-strokes enjoyed good overall performance (as at last year’s ISDT). The bikes were handled by riders from the Bergamo area, the best rough riding school in Italy.

50-CC SCRAMBLER INVASION

Inexpensive maintenance, sturdiness, and good performance make 50-cc scramblers more and more popular in Italy. A growing number of smaU factories continue to improve the breed, and competitors from 16 years up are anxious to give the bikes a try. If this rate of development were possible in the 250 and 500 categories, Italian bikes would match the best in the world.

A typical example of the 50s is the Gori Special made in Florence. With monocoque fiberglass unit for the tank saddle support and rear fender, double cradle tubular frame, Ceriani GP suspension and trim finish, it is a worthy mount. Like many other models, the Gori Special’s two-stroke power unit comes from F.B. MinareUi. With fourspeed gearbox, the bike develops 8 bhp; top rpm is near 11,000.

CUSTOM 600 MV FOUR

It seems strange that the four-cylinder MV roadster has deviated so much from its racing heritage. Its weight, styling, electric starter, etc., hardly meet the enthusiast’s expectations. But dictatorial Count Augusta curiously states that he wants to produce the RollRoyce of motorcycles, and not be bothered by customers involving that model in racing. In that respect, he has been successful in discouraging most competitive efforts of the Four. Proof that enthusiasts expected something more sporty of the Four is the modification of many of these models in Italy. Someone even has gone so far as to substitute a chain for the shaft drive. But most mechanical modifications are limited to the addition of two carburetors, a higher compression ratio, and, if you’re on good terms with the factory, a hotter camshaft for about $60. These modifications considerably improve acceleration and increase top speed from 106 mph to about 125 mph.

The face-lifting of the Verghera roadster Four is much more eye-catching. The front end in most cases is fitted with a Ceriani GP fork, Fontana brakes, a “classic” looking head lamp and different gauges and handlebars. Incidentally, this customizing costs a fortune, especially if you use the new giant Fontana front brake recently shown in CW. The hump-back gas tank is usually done away with in favor of a slimmer racing type. The Menani firm has created for the 600 a five-gallon fiberglass model with anti-splash inner diaphragms, taps, breather and alloy filler cap. Also, the two-deck seat, which seems to terrify enthusiasts, is always discarded for a more stylish item. Most customizers use Ceriani GP equipment at the rear, with light alloy or stainless steel racing fenders, rearset footpegs and four megaphone exhaust pipes.

When the MV people take a look at these fine “specials,” they’ve been heard to sigh...they also wanted a racier Four but the Count is a rigid boss.

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STOPPED BY SNOW

The 350 participants in this year's "Stella Alpina" (Alpine star) rally couldn't quite reach their final goal. Heavy snow prevented them from reach ing the Sommeiller hut, 9800 ft. high in the Alpine chain. The riders, represent ing 11 countries in all, gathered at Bardonecchia, near the French border, to attack the roughest, steepest road in the Alps, but progress finally ground to a halt at the 9600 ft. level. The meeting, the only one of its kind in Italy, was still considered successful, with a large, enthusiastic turnout. Many fine machines made the tour, varying in size from 50 to 1000 cc. The "Headlight Parade" was truly beautiful, amidst the pine trees at night in the Bardonecchia woods. American visitors should make a date of it for next year.

Benelli has decided to double the capacity of its 250 Eight, presently under development, and bid for next year's 500 world championship. This fascinating news came from Paolo Be nelli, one of the Pesaro firm executives. The 250 model was to be scrapped before it ever raced, because of next year's FIM formula limiting the number of cylinders in the 250 class. So, for that class, the factory is developing a two-stroke Twin, and will also field something new for 350 competition.

Also, expectations of seeing Hail wood on the Moto Guzzi V-8 have vanished. Chances of this were pretty slim at first anyway, but the British. press still inflated the issue. In fact, during the presentation of the new V-7 Special, the factory wanted Mike for its recent record attempts but couldn't arrange things in time. The Mandello del Lario factory, although more solvent than in past years, is still unable to undertake GP endeavors for reasons of economy. But everyone there is a racing enthusiast, from the Commercial Director Ing. Bianchi, to the Technical Director Lino Tonti. So you can be assured that when the slightest chance arises, we'll see again the eagle of Mandello del Lario on the racing tracks.

WATER-COOLED SCRAMBLERS

There is nothing new about water cooling for motorcycle engines. It ap peared first at pioneer times and has since been used for both racers and roadsters. Recently it has come in favor for the fastest GP "strokers," giving lots of Italian enthusiasts, mainly young ones, ideas of straddling a water-cooled bike. No factory has yet decided to adopt this system for production, al though Guazzoni is giving the matter serious thought. On the other hand, special parts builders have lost no time and have just started delivering watercooling conversions, mainly for 50-cc units. The kits generally include a chromed bore, squish type head, jacket, piston, radiator (about 2-qt. capacity) and a temperature gauge. Many of these conversions, costing around $80, are already on the road. And some have been fitted to scramble machines. Riders report no power drop after tough going, as happens with the same models using orthodox cooling.