Report From Italy
REPORT FROM ITALY
CARLO PERELLI
NEW GOLDEN WINGS
Aermacchi Harley-Davidson, which already deserves much gratitude for building the fastest production pushrod racers in the world (the 250 and 350 Golden Wings), has done the privateer another great service. Aermacchi has started production on a graceful and robust 125-cc racer, also called the Golden Wing. It certainly will be welcomed by the lightweight riders, since there are few good mounts easily obtained in this field. Its price is in the neighborhood of $800 in Italy. And, as for its bigger brothers, maintenance, spare parts and tuning all appear easy and inexpensive.
The engine is derived from the Rapido touring model introduced in 1966, but features twice as much power (from 10 bhp at 6750 rpm to 20 at 9200 rpm at the rear wheel). This is obtained through generous porting, a steeply inclined 27-mm Dellorto carburetor and an expansion chamber. Thermal efficiency is provided by a special “squish” head and ample finning of the head and cylinder. The latter has two vertical cuts at the exhaust port sides to prevent distortion. The outside of the crankcase also is finned to dissipate heat, thus preventing expansion of the fresh mixture. There are no complicated features in this engine.
This new racer is very light, 176 lb. in running condition, plus fairing. It has minimal frontal area, good road holding ability and strong pulling power from 6500 rpm. It has a sturdy, close ratio five-speed gearbox, and is powerfully anchored by the new 6.8-in. by 0.8-in. Fontana four leading-shoe front brake.
Last year, the Golden Wing had its first victory at the Camerino circuit. Also, in the last round of the Senior Championship at Vallelunga the machine placed 2nd between the famous Villa brothers and their rotary valve two-strokes. A first group of 50 machines is being assembled so private riders can have them in time for the season’s opening. This will add spice to the 125 class.
Some other interesting facts and figures of the 125 Golden Wing: bore and stroke are 56 mm by 50 mm; the cylinder is cast iron, but an alloy barrel is planned (this should save 11 lb.); compression ratio is 9.7:1; lubrication is by 25:1 mixture (the manufacturers say there is no need of an oil pump’s complication). The straight-cut primary drive gears and multi-plate clutch are on the right side. The flywheel magneto, rev counter and gearbox pinion are on the left. Mudguards, saddle support, tank and fairing are fiberglass. Suspension is, needless to say, Ceriani Competition; the rear shock absorbers are adjustable. Front and rear wheels both carry 2.50-18 tires.
TARQUINIO, THE MODELIST
Tarquinio Provini’s beautiful models are in demand everywhere. He first thought of bike modeling in 1964 while recuperating from his Belgian GP accident. He devoted himself totally to the models after recovering from his Isle of Man prang which kept him in the hospital for more than six months and ended his fabulous racing career.
To satisfy the increasing requests, Provini decided a year ago to set out on his own. He has brilliantly fulfilled his plans with the enthusiastic aid of his wife, Gelmina, who is his most precious assistant in the model business.
Provini recently opened a large, wellequipped workshop in the outskirts of Bologna. Here, everything regarding the models is produced, except the wooden models needed to obtain the moulds (these are prepared by a specialized firm in Bologna which also caters for such important customers as Maserati, Lamborghini, Innocenti, and Benelli). He employs a dozen workers, mainly beautiful girls, and an assembly line partially shown in the picture. Production is now 1600 units per day.
With the same attention to detail which drove the engineers and mechanics of his racing mounts mad, Provini has produced nine models, the latest being the complicated Honda Six. Available soon will be the MZ Twin and the Suzuki 125 Twin, to be followed by the Vespa 125, the MV Three and the Yamaha Four. In addition he has plans for dozens of other famous and historical machines. These include the 1954 World Champion NSU 250 Twin, the BMW 500 sidecar, the 1955 Gilera 125 Twin and the 360 Greeves Challenger.
BIG GUN FROM PESARO
A new mount from a famous factory soon will join the ever-increasing big bike brigade: the 650 Benelli Twin. After intensive testing, mainly on mountain roads and autostrada, this largest model ever from Benelli is now beginning regular production. The U.S. version will have a slightly lower seat and a larger tank than the metisse-type original that was exhibited at the 1967 Milan show. The machine weighs 460 lb. with the electric starter and 407 lb. without.
The ohv engine has alloy cylinders with austenetic liners, stellite-coated rockers and steel-tipped alloy pushrods. The valves are inclined at 58 degrees with an intake valve diameter of 37 mm and a 35-mm exhaust valve. Inside the horizontally-split crankcase the crankshaft is supported by four main bearings, two ball bearings at each end and two caged roller hearings in the middle. The helical gear drive for the camshaft is on the right side of the engine with the primary drive. On the opposite side there is a belt-andpulley drive for the huge 180-watt generator. The two 29-mm Dellorto carburetors inhale through paper air filters located under the seat near the battery and tool kit. Located near the five-speed transmissions’s foot lever is the typical Benelli “window” which eases oil level checks. The lubrication system also has an auto-type filter cartridge.
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Bore and stroke are extremely oversquare at 84 mm by 58 mm. Thanks to a smallish flywheel and a 9:1 compression ratio, the engine spins merrily at 7200 rpm to produce 50 bhp. Acceleration is very brisk; the front wheel lifts easily at the start. Top speed is about 105 mph.
Some additional info: final drive ratios are 16.46:1, 9.32:1, 5.53:1, and 4.82:1 with a 17-tooth countershaft sprocket and a 34-tooth wheel sprocket. Electrics, courtesy of Bosch, are 12 V. The battery-coil ignition has automatic advance up to 35 degrees. Tire sizes are 3.50-1 8 front and 4.00-18 rear. The twin cam-actuated front brake shoes measure 9.11 in. by 1.125 in., while the rears are smaller at 7.75 in. by 1.1 25 in.
A short ride proved that this new Benelli has perfectly placed and easy to operate controls, good riding position and road holding, excellent stopping power, and an engine willing to rev without too much noise and vibration. Fuel consumption at speeds below 75 mph is surprisingly low, about 70 mpg. Factory testers have reported fuel consumption to be 27 mpg at top speed.
LINTOS FOR SALE
An initial group of 15 Linto 500-cc Twins is being produced for private riders. The machine first appeared in 1967 and was brilliantly campaigned by rider-tester Alberto Pagani (1st place at Piestany, Czechoslovakia, and 2nd at the East German GP, etc.).
The complete bike will cost approximately $3250 in Italy, while the engine alone will sell for $2250. The latter should prove popular with sidecar racers, as the nearly horizontal cylinders allow for a quite low configuration.
Some international riders who have ordered the Linto are Scheimann, Marsovsky, Dodds, Lewis and Young. Of course, Pagani will continue with the machine along with Jack Findlay. Jack sold his fabulous G 50 Matchless and reportedly tested those top three Italian 500s, finally deciding on the Linto.
The Linto was conceived by Lino Tonti (formerly of Benelli, Mondial, Aermacchi, Bianchi, Güera, Moto Guzzi, et al). The machine is built in the workshop of former racer Umberto Premoli in the outskirts of Varese. Alberto Pagani and two specialized mechanics assemble the bikes (at the rate of one per week), while Findlay is there frequently to take care of his mount.
Technical highlights of the Linto (the name is composed of the designer’s initials) are the generous use of Aermacchi H-D Golden Wing parts, and the space frame with the engine suspended under it. Heads, cylinders, pistons, pushrods, rockers, valve springs, valves, camshafts, etc. come from Aermacchi. This assures an efficient and relatively economical mount for privateers. The horizontal cylinder layout allows for very good cooling, a low center of gravity and small frontal area.
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Recent improvements concern mainly the engine and frame. Power has been increased from 61 bhp at 9700 rpm to 64 bhp at 10,000 rpm by using 35-mm carburetors instead of last year’s 32-mm units and hotter cams. The intake and exhaust ports also have been refined, and some clever lightening of certain reciprocating parts has taken place. The frame also has been redesigned.
The fairing and tank are completely new, as well as the saddle support, the rear mudguard and the battery case. All have been especially designed for the Linto. The tank holds 6 gal. This ensures that the machine can run in world championship events which by rule cannot be run on distances less than 124.3 miles. Test riders have reported fuel consumption of 27 mpg under racing conditions.
The Linto retains the oversquare bore and stroke of the 250 Golden Wing (72 mm by 61 mm, also the same as the famous Morini Single). Valves are proitems as well with a 1.53-in. intake valve diameter and exhausts measuring 1.33 in.
The carburetors are Dellortos fed by two flat Amal float chambers. The single cylindrical float chamber used last year gave some metering problems. Compression ratio is 10:1.
The 3 60-degree crankshaft (the 180-degree unit vibrated too much) has four main bearings, two ball bearings at the ends and two roller bearings in the middle. In the middle of the crankshaft there also are two gears, one to drive the left cylinder camshaft and the other to drive the countershaft. The primary drive is off the right end of this shaft. This central gear also drives the right cylinder cam, the contact breakers, and the two oil pumps. One pump lubricates the entire valve train, while the other pump oils the crankshaft. The connecting rods use caged roller bearings at both ends.
The vertically-split crankcase has two parts. The front unit carries the cylinders, heads, crankshaft, etc., while the rear part houses the primary gear drive, the six-speed gearbox and the dry, multi-disc clutch. The long, narrow and finned oil sump, integral with the crankcase, is similarly split.
The space frame with its swinging arm weighs in at 18.5 lb., and the Linto’s total weight is 297 lb. The front wheel carries a 3.00-18 tire, and the rear wheel a 3.50-18. Front and rear brakes are by Fontana, with four-cam and two-cam actuation, respectively. Ceriani suspension units are found at each end.
