Report From Italy

REPORT FROM ITALY

CARLO PERELLI

PASO LEAVES BENELLI

Fed up with promises of new mounts that never materialized and angered by frequent talks of hiring Hailwood or Agostini as first-string riders, Renzo Pasolini left Benelli. The unorthodox stylist, however, has no intention of abandoning racing, and has already approached Jawa and Aermacchi for suitable mounts.

Early in November, Paso went to the Jawa research and racing department in Prague to have a close look at the 350 four-cylinder stroker. Jawa has already signed Ivy for 1971, but is still looking for a top rider.

Later, he paid a visit to his old friends at Aermacchi-HD (for which he rode officially from 1963 to 1966) to ascertain the possibilities of their new 250-350 two-stroke Twin.

Both factories will decide about Paso’s offers early in 1971.

GRASSETTI HIRED BY MZ

After riding unspectacularly for Jawa in 1970, Silvio Grassetti signed with MZ for the upcoming season. He sampled some MZ strokers last season, and now he has been confirmed as a first-string rider by the East German factory. Sided by local man Gunter Bartusch, he will ride 250 and 300 Twins.

Incidentally, Grassetti has enjoyed more works rides than any other Italian road racer. He has had official rides from Benelli, Morini, MV, Güera, Bianchi, and Jawa.

AGO CONFIDENT

Ago is confident that he will win two more world titles in 1971. If he succeeds, he will surpass the present record of nine titles, held jointly by Mike Hailwood and Carlo Ubbiali.

Ago may find this task difficult, though, because Hailwood and Ubbiali have both stated that they intend to return to the game. Hailwood is being allured by Benelli, and Ubbiali is considering an unspecified Japanese machine.

Ubbiali, now 42, started racing in the early post-war days. He began with over-the-counter MVs, switched to works Mondials, and ended his career on works MVs.

Ubbiali always rode in the lightweight classes, and, unlike the Italian rider image, he was a scientific rider and a supreme tactician.

NEW MODELS FROM DUCATI

Renovated management and more favorable market conditions prompted

Ducati to introduce new models to their line.

The 90-degree V Twin 750, promised to dealers by next spring, will be accompanied by a 900-cc version. The 450 Scrambler has been redesigned by Italian scrambles champion Ostorero, and will appear with a new frame and styling. Claimed weight is 249 lb. and 43 bhp is available.

An interesting competition project is a 500-cc Twin with an engine along the same lines as the 750 and 900, but with four valve heads. The unit is fitted into a special Seeley frame. Weight is only 264 lb.

Ten of these machines are being prepared for GP racing. A couple will be used by works rider Bruno Spaggiari. The others will be given to selected riders, mainly in England.

Getting back to the big ones, the space-frame Moto Guzzi V7 Sport, developed by Lino Tonti, will appear in dealers’ showrooms sometime in the spring.

MV IMPROVES MOUNTS

Although forecasts don’t indicate strong opposition for MV in 1971, they are working intensively on their weapons. The factory has not only improved the 350 and 500 Threes, but has readied a 350 Four, in addition to new 350 and 500 Sixes.

THE LAST STRAW

“Agostino o’ pazzo” (Agostino the Mad in translation), as you perhaps remember, is a young motorcyclist who made acrobatic night appearances in the streets and squares of Naples. He collected wild applause from the crowd while police made vain attempts to seize him.

Within a few weeks, the matter reached colossal proportions. While increasing numbers of lawmen were out trying to catch Agostino, bandits and smugglers in other places were increasing their activity undisturbed.

Tracing Agostino was difficult, not only because he was being protected by the Mafia, but because he rode a 50-cc machine, which in Italy is not required to be registered, licensed, or insured. By law, these mounts should have top limits of 1.5 bhp, but most exceed this figure. Some machines that pretend to comply with the law actually have scrambles or GP features, produce at least 7 bhp, and come with six-speed gearboxes.

So, the rides of Agostino the Mad

focused authorities' attention on these outlaw machines. The prefects of many provinces have begun to confiscate them, and the Italian government is on the verge of passing new registration laws.

Because of these pending regulations, manufacturers fear a big sales drop. Last year, 650,000 under 50cc units were sold, making the tiny machines the top sellers in Italy.

In case you are wondering, after much trouble, the police managed to grasp Agostino o' passo. Three years' imprisonment was requested during his trial.

LAVERDA 1000 THREE

Laverda is about ready to release a substantially different 1000-cc Three than was introduced at the 1969 Milan Show. Double overhead camshafts are used (instead of a sohc). which are controlled by a rubber belt that runs in a case on the right side of the engine (instead of a duplex chain concealed in the finning).

Rubber belt actuated timing is widely employed in the car field, but to my knowledge, this is its first use in motorcycles. The Three also sports an alternator and an electronic ignition.

Furthermore, Laverda has a 480-cc

dohc Twin with a five-speed gearbox and electric starting on the drawing board.

BENELLI TORNADO IS HERE

Every time Italian enthusiasts who had booked the Benelli Tornado read French or American magazines, they went mad. They read that the Pesaro Twins that they had been promised a year ago were already on sale in other countries. Now, five years after its birth, the Tornado has reached the Italian market as well.

There is nothing exceptional about this bike, but some details deserve attention. To start with, it is the lowest priced 650 on the Italian market. It has a horizontally split crankcase, an in unit five-speed gearbox, four crankshaft bearings, caged rollers for the con rods, light alloy cylinders with iron liners, and a paper element oil filter. Electric starting is optional.

The engine is much oversquare at 84 by' 58mm. The compression ratio is 9: 1. Fed by two 29-mm Dellorto concentrics, the 50-bhp unit revs merrily up to 8000 rpm.

On the road, the bike has good braking and stability, but acceleration is not supreme, due to a 440-lb. machine weight. Top speed is 105 mph. ¡o]