I've just become the owner of this. It's a 1971 Guazzoni Ingranaggino 50cc 17 HP. It weighs less than me so I need to shed some pounds and probably do some yoga as well to be able to fold myself in half to ride it.
I haven't a clue if it runs at all yet. It hasn't run for some time and it needs a good look over first. I'll definitely get it going and I'll ride it. When and where, I don't know. I'm hoping to conjur up a dating certificate and get it road legal.
Parking is an issue as it hasn't got a stand of any kind. I'll add that to the list of things to overcome.
What an epic bike!!! I can't imagine a better way to focus on loosing a few as imagining the excitement of riding that bike! Kickstand...you don't need a kickstand, just lean it up against some old lady's Jag in the Waitrose car park! Just kidding.
A footpeg stand stuffed down your jacket will be fine Looking forward to pictures of you actually on it
2 short of the top spec Kreidler of the same year. They maxed out at 21 I believe before being replaced with the 80cc class
I shall endeavor to document the journey of getting this thing going. It may be a long and arduous journey as information on these bikes is very sparse and I appear to have a engine configuration that shouldn't exist. Needless to say that engine spares are pretty much non existent. I'm feeling lucky though so watch this space.
So, the journey of discovery has begun. The jury is still out whether it is a original race bike or a modified road bike. I'm not sure I'll ever know for sure. Not that it matters. I now believe it was always a race bike as there I no evidence of the frame having has things like centre stand bracket removed and it has some of the characteristic differences to the road frame. The engine is a 4 speed with 60cc and not 50cc as thought. The Italians had a Cadet class which used 60cc bikes with a 17mm carburettor restriction. Now comes the interesting bit. They never did a 60cc water cooled cylinder. That only came out in 1973 and the Cadet class was no more by that time. I however have a very well made 60cc water cooled cylinder. Someone has gone through a lot of trouble to convert that from a 50. Not only did it need a new liner but also a spacer at the bottom. Somehow that manages that but didn't manage to sort out the water circulation system so I took all the ports off and start again. I'll try to convert it back to thermosiphon as that eliminates the need for a battery. The suspension is the finest money could buy at the time. 28mm Ceriani race forks and preload adjustable Ceriani race dampers at the back. A Grimeca 4 leading shoe front brake with Borani aluminium rims front and back. Tomaselli clip ons and throttle twist grip and a Veglia mechanically driven rev counter. They also managed to find a remote temp gauge that works without the need for electricity. I'm not quite sure yet how that works but it does. Sombody signed the tank, no idea who. Here's a picture of the same bike at a sale in Imola 1995 And then again at a specialist Italian dealer not so long ago
Indeed, I managed like this for about a year on my old Ducati 250 Scrambler, after the side stand went AWOL whilst riding home one night...
