Gilera SP01 125
Gilera SP01 125
.Today, Gilera are probably best known for theirscooters – the GP800 and the very cool, very funky Fuoco 500. But the Italiancompany has made some pretty hot motorcycles too, in the past. And for those whothink Ducati and MV Agusta are the only Italian manufacturers who’ve beensuccessful in motorcycle GP racing’s premier class, get this – between 1950 and1957, Gilera riders won six 500cc world championships! Umberto Masetti (1950,1952), Geoff Duke (1953, 1954, 1955) and Libero Liberati (1957) brought glory tothe Gilera name on the GP circuit.The company was founded by one Giuseppe Gilera, and the first motorcycle to bearhis name – the Gilera VT317 – came out in 1909. By the 1930s, Gilera werealready producing bikes with four-stroke, side-valve 500cc engines, and theirmachines were notching up race victories in Europe. The 1936 Rondine 500 evenset a top speed record of 274.181km/h, which remained unbeaten for almost 20years.Gilera left the grand prix racing scene after 1957, and in 1969, the companybecame a part of the Piaggio Group. From then on, Gilera have only been makingsmaller bikes and scooters, though in the 1980s they made some very memorablebikes, most notably the SP01, SP02 and the CX125, which featured an innovativesingle-sided front fork.
Launched in 1988, the SP01 was fitted with a 125cc two-stroke, liquid-cooled,single-cylinder engine that made a claimed 35bhp at 10,600rpm. This, combinedwith the SP01’s aluminium beam chassis, stiff suspension, disc brakes, andsix-speed gearbox made it the perfect sportsbike for teenagers (and, well,lightweight adults). The 132-kilo SP01 was capable of doing the quarter-mile(400m) in 15.1 seconds, and top speed was 171km/h. Not too bad for a 125ccbuzz-bomb. And for Kevin Schwantz fans, the SP01 was even available with a 1989Pepsi-Suzuki replica paint scheme!The Gilera SP02 was launched in 1990...Gilera launched the SP01’s successor, the SP02, in 1990. With a bit more powerand bit more style, the SP02 would do the standing quarter-mile in 14.9 seconds,though top speed was still 171km/h.Source Faster and Faster