Gilera

GILERA

An old name made new

ANOTHER LONG GP SEASON hadcome to an end. The exotic four-cylinders had ruled again, winning the 500cc class. But racing costs were growing each year, and motorcycle sales were slowing. Besides, the point had been proven: Hadn't the Fours won five of the last six championships? Hadn't the 150-mph technical prowess first exhibited before the war by the supercharged, liquid-cooled Four been proven? Gilera thought so and quit racing in 1957.

Gilera, a company clothed in history. has roots going back to the first part of the century, to 1909. The marque blossomed during the 1950s, when production reached 45.000 machines a year and roadracing was dominated by Gilera Fours. But the 1960s weren't so kind, and as the Gilera name faded into racing's history. the company's streetbike sales faded as well. Finally, while facing financial ruin in 1 969, Gilera was acquired by Piaggio, the giant Italian company best know n as the manufacturer of Vespa scooters.

Gilera entered the 1 970s a shadow' of its former self, its sales restricted mainly to the Italian 125cc and moped classes. But that changed with the 1980s. Piaggio’s scooter sales were slowing, and Cagiva was providing an example of how rewarding the motorcycle market could be. The corporate parent saw' an opportunity, and sent Gilera to expand its motorcycle line.

This year. Gilera has 125cc and 200cc motorcycles in sport and dualpurpose trim, plus competitive 250cc enduro and motocross machines, and a new 250cc street racer. This has not only broadened the company's range, it has also broadened sales to the point where Gilera is knocking on Cagiva's door for sales leadership in some segments of the Italian market.

Success breeds success, and Gilera has ambitious plans for the future. The company will unveil an electricstart four-stroke Single this fall, wearing dual-purpose trim and coming in 350cc and 500cc displacements. There is talk about 350cc two-stroke street racers that will compete with RZ Yamahas, and even hints of a large sport tourer that would mix it up with the BMW K100.

Included in Gilera's ambitions is a return to the U.S. market that it left in the 1960s. If that comes to pass, one of the newest motorcycle companies here could also be one of the oldest.

Gilera NGR250

$2325

GILERA NGR250

G ILERA'S NGR25O COMES FROM A SOUND IDEA: Take a successful, liquid-cooled 250cc moto cross engine, detune it slightly, add a counter balancer, and then slide it into the slickest road chas sis you can design. In that sense, the NGR is nothing but a reincarnation of the famous Bultaco Metralla of 20 years ago. The NOR retains the Metralla's strengths, which are light weight, good speed and su perb handling, while the negatives of a 1 960s two stroke have been eliminated by modern technology.

Or at least that should be the case. Unfortunately, w hen we were at Gilera, NGR production wasn't fully underway, and the only NGR available for us to ride was a development hack with tens of thousands of kilometers on it. Its engine was tired—so tired that the power would drop off before the engine reached its 7500-rpm claimed power peak, and so tired that it took 1 5.58 seconds to cover the quarter-mile.

Gilera claims 38 horsepower for NGRs. and if that figure is real, as we expect it is, they should run almost a second quicker in the quarter. That would turn the NGR from a slightly enjoyable motorcycle into a memorable fun machine, for even the weíl-used bike we sampled handled with rare precision, and had a compliant suspension and excellent brakes. I he riding position is enjoyable, as well, offering a comfortable, forward lean that feels good both in town and at speed. Combine that performance with the bike's excellent fit and finish, and our biggest complaint with the NGR250 is the fact that it isn't sold here.

GILERA NE250 & NX250

M ENTION GILERA AND RACING IN THE SAME SEN tence, and sepia-toned images of Geoff Duke and his fabulous 1 950s dustbin-fairing 500cc roadracer come to mind. But Gilera's history includes off-road racing as well, starting in 1 952 with a 500cc motocross thumper called the Saturno.

Gilera’s dirt bikes of 1985 are much more sophisticated. Two 250cc models, the NX motocrosser and the NE enduro bike, are available, powered by Gilera's own liquid-cooled, rotary-valve two-stroke engines. The bikes feature double-cradle frames, aluminum swingarms, Marzocchi forks, Ohlins shocks, disc front brakes and five-speed gearboxes. Following European tradition, the motocrosser was transformed into an enduro mount by adding lights, centerstand, silencer, and extending the rear fender.

After a brief test ride on the NE, we found it a little hard to believe Gilera’s claim of 44 horsepower at 8000 rpm. Still, the engine is ideal for enduro conditions, with usable power at low revs and a healthy midrange punch before flattening out on top.

Both the NX and the NE have an overall quality of finish and attention to detail that rivals and even surpasses that of most other dirt bikes of either European or Japanese origin. While it remains to be seen if the NX and NE are the performance equals of those bikes, we can only hope that Gilera brings these two offroaders along when it re-enters the American market.

$2509