Maserati Motorcycles


Maserati Motorcycles


	If you own a Maserati motorcycle or are interested in this rare marque, you should contact Sig. Giovanni Salmi at FRIENDS OF MOTO MASERATI REGISTRO STORICO MOTO MASERATI ITALIA Via Capramozza 4 40123 Bologna Italia e-mail: info@maseratibikes.it


THE NEW WEB SITE IS AT www.maseratibikes.it





Fabbrica Candele Accumulatori Maserati S.p.A.

My sincere thanks to Sig Giovanni Salmi of the Friends of Moto Maserati
for providing me with the information on which this page is based.

I first laid eyes on a Maserati motorcycle in the Giuseppe Candini workshop in 1998, until then I didn't realise that Maserati had ever made motorcycles and in a way, I was right. Understandably, I assumed that Maserati had at some time produced motorcycles at their factory in Modena. I was wrong!

It is a curious fact that the motorcycles that carried the famous 'Trident' were not made by the famous car maker, but by a subsidiary company of the Orsi Group that manufactured spark plugs, batteries and bulbs for cars and motorcycles. These two companies having only the famous name and the Trident logo in common.

The association with two wheels goes right back to the origins of Maserati, for it was Carlo Maserati who started his engineering career building single cylinder engines to mount on bicycles working from a workshop just outside Milan.

During the First World War, Alfieri Maserati, on completing his miltary service, set up a spark plug factory in Milan which was transferred to Bologna in 1919. Thus, when in 1937 the Orsi family acquired the Maserati workshop, they also acquired the factory manufacturing spark plugs.

The badge is the same but the maker isn't!
In 1939 Maserati moved to a larger factory in Modena, the centre of the Orsi family's operations, with the spark plug factory sited at a separate factory some 2 Km away from the car factory. During and after the war this side of the business, aided by goverment contracts, flourished and in 1947 Società Anonima Fabbrica Candele Accumulatori Maserati was formed with its headquarters in Via Generale Paolucci 165, Modena.

Literature demonstrating the range of products.
The company was now expanding fast: thanks largely to an intense advertising campaign in motor cycle, national and provincial magazines and journals, and the product range was extended to include the production of batteries, bulbs, distributor caps and contact sets for the car and motorcycle market.

In the early fifties the Orsi Family divided the various activities of the company amongst its members, with Adolfo retaining "Maserati Automobili", brother Marcello given the foundry business, "Fonderie di Modena" and sister Ida the spark plug factory, "Fabbrica Candele e Accumulatori Maserati". Due to a combination of a misunderstanding and an oversight on the Notary's part, Fabbrica Candele e Accumulatori Maserati retained the right to the use the Maserati name and the 'Trident' logo.

It was at this time that the home market showed signs of an increasing need for cheap motorised transport, especially on two wheels. With this in mind, Fabbrica Candele Accumulatori Maserati decided to enter the field of motorcycle manufacture.

Realising the high cost of developing a motorcycle from scratch, they decided to purchase an existing motorcycle manufacturer and turned their attentions to a small well established motorcycle manufacturer in Bologna by the name of Italmoto. In 1953, a deal with Dr Giuseppe Migliori, the major shareholder of Italmoto, was arrived at and Fabbrica Candele Accumulatori Maserati bought Italmoto. At their factory in Via Ferrarese 171, Bologna, Italmoto produced three motorcycles, two 125cc two-stroke machines and a four-stroke 160cc touring bike.

In 1953 all motorcycle production was transferred to the Fabbrica Candele Accumulatori Maserati factory in Via Generale Paolucci 165, Modena. Early production of Maserati motorcycles consisted of the 160cc four-stroke touring bike previously produced by Italmoto but now sporting the Trident logo and renamed the Tipo 160/T4.

The company established a new department to design and produce their own bikes and their first model, the L/125/T2, was influenced greatly by the German DKW design. Over the following years several new models were introduced with engine sizes varying from 50 cc to 250 cc.

The company's initial success in this field and a dramatic decline in the demand for its batteries and spark plugs forced the company to concentrate its efforts towards motorcycle production and emphasis was placed on the utilitarian 50cc 'Moped' sector of the market. They produced two 50cc bikes: the T2/U (U for UOMO/ man) and the T2/D (D for DONNA/ woman) distinguished by their frames, the first tubular and the second pressed-steel. There followed two four-speed 125cc models, the T2/TV and the T2/M, and two sporty 50cc models, the 50/T2/S and the 50/T2/SS. The latter, with a dual-beam back-bone frame, wrap-around front mudguard, race number carriers in front of the headlamp and at the rear, and a dummy megaphone exhaust pipe. These features made this model particularly popular among the younger enthusiasts as it gave the impression of being a larger engined bike.

The beautifully styled Tipo 50/T2/SS 'Rospo'

The unusual 'back-bone' design of the 50/T2/SS gave rise to its nickname which originated in the premises of Lina and Guido Borri at Via Mazzini 54 in Bologna; the Borris were formerly dealers for Italmoto but now Maserati. When they took delivery of the new model, Lina took one look at the it and exclaimed: "Ma cos'è questo brutto rospo? ("What is this ugly toad?"). From then on, the 50/T2/SS was nicknamed 'Rospo' (toad) and Guido even attached specially designed decals to his bikes depicting a toad 'ready to pounce'.

The Guido Borri designed 'Rospo' decal

Maserati did not have its own motorcycle racing team, even though this route was proven to have a positive effect on sales, but it did, however, encourage some of its retailers to organise races for its customers. Those races include the ' Giro d'Italia Motociclistico' (The Motorcycle Tour of Italy), the 'Milano-Taranto' (The Milan to Taranto race) and many other local races.

At first the Maserati motorcycle business was able to resist strong competition from FIAT, with its small cars that had now invaded the motorcycle market. The Maserati motorcycles had secured an established slice of the market and by 1958 Fabbrica Candele Accumulatori Maserati were producing no fewer than ten different models (shown below). For many young people and Maserati enthusiasts, to own a Maserati motorcycle was a sign of distinction making it preferrable to other marques.

In the first four years, demand for motorcycles at home and abroad was good with markets firmly established in South America, Europe and North Africa. Then in 1957, news of serious financial difficulties within the Orsi group began to leak out. This was followed by the news of Maserati's withdrawal from Formula One and other official competition.

In 1958 the company was in serious financial difficulties. For a variety of reasons, its foreign customers refused to pay and were no longer placing orders. Demand on the home market fell drastically due to the serious competition not only from such prestigious marques as Morini, MV Agusta, Benelli, Laverda and others, but the arrival of more competively priced cars from FIAT: which had a dramatic effect on the Italian motorcycle industry. In spite of this, there was potential for increased sales but the company desperately needed an injection of capital, and when in 1960 the banks decided to 'pull the plug', it marked the end for 'Maserati Candele, Accumulatori e Moto and the company went into liquidation.

It is ironic that the factory producing the first product made by the Maserati brothers should go into liquidation at a time when car production was on the increase.

Unfortunately all official records of Maserati motorcycle production have been lost but I am sure the REGISTRO STORICO MOTO MASERATI ITALIA would love to know details of any Maserati motorcycles out there.

If you own one of these fabulous machines, or know of somone who does, please help! You can assist them in compiling a register so why not contact them direct at info@maseratibikes.it.

Tipo 50/T2/U - Turismo Uomo

Years of production: 1956-1959
Two-stroke single cylinder 49.635 cc engine
Bore 40mm and stroke 39.5mm
Compression ratio 8.0:1
Power output 2.0 bhp @ 6000 rpm
Maximum revs 6500 rpm
Dell'Orto T1 13 SA carburettor
3-speed gearbox
Maximum speed 50/55 kph
Dry weight 52 kg

Tipo 50/T2/D - Turismo Donna

Years of production: 1956-1959
Two-stroke single cylinder 49.635 cc engine
Bore 40mm and stroke 39.5mm
Compression ratio 8.0:1
Power output 2.0 bhp @ 6000 rpm
Maximum revs 6500 rpm
Dell'Orto T1 13 SA carburettor
3-speed gearbox
Maximum speed 50/55 kph
Dry weight 50 kg

Tipo 50/T2/S - Sport

Years of production: 1956-1959
Two-stroke single cylinder 49.635 cc engine
Bore 40mm and stroke 39.5mm
Compression ratio 10.0:1
Power output 2.4 bhp @ 6700 rpm
Maximum revs 7000 rpm
Dell'Orto T4 13 SA carburettor
3-speed gearbox
Maximum speed 60/65 kph
Dry weight 52 kg

Tipo 50/T2/SS - Super Sport

Years of production: 1956-1959
Two-stroke single cylinder 49.635 cc engine
Bore 40mm and stroke 39.5mm
Compression ratio 12.0:1
Power output 2.82 bhp @ 6700 rpm
Maximum revs 7300 rpm
Dell'Orto UA 16 S carburettor
3-speed gearbox
Maximum speed 70/75 kph
Dry weight 49 kg

Tipo 50/T2/MT - Ciclocarro

Years of production: 1956-1959
Two-stroke single cylinder 49.635 cc engine
Bore 40mm and stroke 39.5mm
Compression ratio 8.0:1
Power output 2.0 bhp @ 6000 rpm
Maximum revs 6500 rpm
Dell'Orto T1 13 SA carburettor
3-speed gearbox
Maximum speed 38/40 kph
Dry weight 115 kg

Tipo L/75/T2 - Turismo Lusso

Years of production: 1957-1959
Two-stroke single cylinder 74 cc engine
Bore 45.5mm and stroke 45.5mm
Compression ratio ?
Power output 4.5 bhp @ 6500 rpm
Maximum revs 7000 rpm
Dell'Orto ? carburettor
3-speed gearbox
Maximum speed 80 kph
Dry weight 65 kg

Tipo L/125/T2 - Turismo Lusso

Years of production: 1954-1959
Two-stroke single cylinder 123 cc engine
Bore 52mm and stroke 58mm
Compression ratio 6.5:1
Power output 4.8 bhp @ 5000 rpm
Maximum revs 5000 rpm
Dell'Orto ? carburettor
3-speed gearbox
Maximum speed 60/65 kph
Dry weight 80 kg

Tipo 125/GT/Super

Years of production: 1954-1959
Two-stroke single cylinder 123 cc engine
Bore 52mm and stroke 58mm
Compression ratio 7.5:1
Power output 7.25 bhp @ 5500 rpm
Maximum revs 6000 rpm
Dell'Orto ? carburettor
4-speed gearbox
Maximum speed 90/95 kph
Dry weight 86 kg

Tipo L/160/T4 - Turismo Lusso

Years of production: 1954-1959
Four-stroke single cylinder 158 cc engine
Bore 60mm and stroke 56mm
Compression ratio 6.5:1
Power output 7.5 bhp @ 5500 rpm
Maximum revs 6000 rpm
Dell'Orto ? carburettor
4-speed gearbox
Maximum speed 100/105 kph
Dry weight 112 kg

Tipo 250/T4 - Gran-Turismo Lusso

Years of production: 1958-1959
Four-stroke single cylinder 246.5 cc engine
Bore 70mm and stroke 64mm
Compression ratio 6.5:1
Power output 12.5 bhp @ 5350 rpm
Maximum revs 5900 rpm
ell'Orto ? carburettor
Dual ignition system
4-speed gearbox
Maximum speed 115/120 kph
Dry weight 150 kg

MASERATI MOTORCYCLE PRODUCTION 1953 to 1960
MODEL	Years of production	Cubic Capacity	Horsepower	Gears
125/T2	1953-1956	123 cc	4.8	3
160/T4	1953-1959	158 cc	7.5	4
125/TV	1953-1958	123 cc	6.0	4
160/T4/TL	1955	158 cc	7.5	4
125/T2/TL	1955	123 cc	4.8	3
175/T4/S	1955	175 cc	15.0	4
250/T4/GT	1955	246.2 cc	12.5	4
125/GTS	1957	123 cc	7.2	4
50/T2/U	1956	49.6 cc	2.4	3
50/T2/D	1956	49.6 cc	2.0	3
50/T2/S	1956	49.6 cc	3.0	3
50/T2/SS	1956	49.6 cc	3.0	3
L 75/T2	1958	74 cc	4.5	3
125/LE	1959	123 cc	5.3	3
50/T2/MT	1957	49.6 cc	2.0	2

To increase sales and promote publicity, Maserati S.A. organized, through its retailers, many motorcycle races. Legendary races like the Motorcycle Tour of Italy, the Milan to Taranto and thousands of other races: regional, provincial and urban.

Illustrious names of yesterday and today, like Angelo Falzoni, Giuliano Trebbi and Guido Borri competed in the Tour of ltaly with the 125cc Maserati motorcycle in the M.S.D.S. - Macchine Sport Derivate dalla Serie (Series Production Sports Machines) class and the Formula 2 class, in 1956, and their names will be forever remembered in the race's 'Roll of Honour': Falzoni finished in 3rd place overall, with Borri 4th and Trebbi 7th, around a minute behind the winner after eight stages and a distance of 2563 Km (around 1600 miles).

The Modenese Team reached their peak in 1957, ironically this was the last time these two famous road races (Motorcycle Tour of Italy and the Milan to Taranto) took place. After a tragic accident in the 1957 'Mille Miglia', in which several spectators were killed, motor racing of all types was banned from all public roads in Italy.

In the 1957 'Motogiro d'ltalia', Maserati entered nine riders on their 125/GTSs in the Formula Three - 125 cc class.

The Maserati riders in order of registration were:

      No. 33 Benito Carlotti (M.C. Asti)
      No. 38 Bruno Lombardi (M.C. Ruggeri Bologna)
      No. 47 Antonio Nardi (M.C. Firenze)
      No. 48 Antonio Petrini (M.C. Ruggeri Bologna)
      No. 53 Dante Avoni (M.C. Alberti Bologna)
      No. 59 Giovanni Petri (M.C. Firenze)
      No. 63 Giuliano Trebbi (M.C. Ruggeri Bologna)
      No. 69 Antonio Milanti (M.C. MV Bologna)
      No. 79 Guido Borri (M.C. Ruggeri Bologna)

That year the 'Motogiro d'ltalia' took place from the 6th to the 14th of April and was raced over nine stages for a total of 2060 Km (around 1300 miles) from Bologna to Bologna across the Italian peninsula. Out of a total of 318 starters, all the Maserati riders, except Dante Avoni, completed the race, in the maximum times, finishing in the first one hundred places. A considerable achievement when one cosiders that they battled against the bad weather, tiredness and rival riders the calibre of Venturi, Milani, Mendogni, Rottigni, Graziano, Montesi and others.

Meanwhile the factory had introduced two new single-cylinder models; the two-stroke 75cc L/75/T2, derived from their present 175cc motorcycle, and the 125/LE.

GIOVANNI SALMI
PRESIDENTE DEL CLUB:
'FRIENDS OF MOTO MASERATI'
BOLOGNA - ITALIA.