 | |
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Motorcycle andScooter |
| Founded | 1909; 116 years ago (1909),Milan |
| Founder | Giuseppe Gilera |
| Defunct | 2020; 5 years ago (2020) |
| Headquarters | , Italy |
Area served | Worldwide |
| Parent | Piaggio |
| Website | gilera |
Gilera is an Italianmotorcycle manufacturer founded inArcore in 1909 by Giuseppe Gilera (1887–1971). In 1969, the company was purchased byPiaggio.
Giuseppe Gilera founded his self-named motorcycle company in 1909 (aged 22) nearMilan,Italy. His first model used a 317cc single-cylinderoverhead-valve engine (67x90mm bore/stroke) with a single-speed belt drive in a simple open frame with the engine as astressed member of the frame, and no suspension. It produced 7 hp, weighed 75 kg, and had a top speed of 105 km/h (65 mph).[1]
Gilera subsequently produced a series of V-twins and single-cylinder models withsidevalve,F-head, and overhead-valve configurations. After WW1, the factory was moved toArcore, between Milan andLecco, very near theMonza racing circuit. Racing was always a focus for the brand, with Giusseppe's brother Luigi a successfulISDT participant in the early 1930s.[2]After withdrawing from competition in 1957, Gilera changed direction abruptly. They downplayed their hitherto successful line of four-stroke singles and began to focus on motocross and off-road events in association with independent specialist Elmeca. Sales declined through the 1960s and by 1968 the company was in receivership.[3]
In 1969, Gilera became part of the Piaggio group. In 1992, Gilera made a return to the Grand Prix arena and Piaggio continues to produce small-displacement motorcycles with the Gilera name. The famous factory ofArcore was closed in 1993 and now the motorcycles (only scooters) bearing the name Gilera are produced by Piaggio in Pontedera.
In 1935, Gilera acquired rights to the CNA Rondine. It had double-over-head camshafts, forced-inducting supercharger and was water-cooled, producing 60 kW (80 hp)@9000 and had a top speed of 140 mph (230 km/h).[4] This formed the basis for Gilera' s racing machines for nearly forty years. From the mid-thirties, Gilera developed a range offour-stroke engine machines. The engines ranged from 100 to 500 cc, the most famous being the 1939 Saturno. Designed by Giuseppe Salmaggi, the Saturno was inspired by the pre-war Gilera VTEGS 500 cc “Otto Bulloni” yet was quite different due to its unit construction.[5]
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After World War II, Gilera dominatedGrand Prix motorcycle racing, winning the 500 ccroad racingworld championship six times in eight years.[6] Facing a downturn in motorcycle sales due to the increase in the popularity of automobiles after the war, Gilera made a gentleman's agreement with the other Italian motorcycle makers to quit Grand Prix racing after the1957 season as a cost-cutting measure.[7]
The 1957 500 cc machines on which former World Champion riderGeoff Duke had much success were resurrected in 1963, but with the benefit of newer, upgraded Tyre technology of the 1960s were considered still competitive. The team was devised by Duke to challenge the domination ofMike Hailwood on the MV and had early successes with ridersDerek Minter and teammateJohn Hartle atSilverstone,Brands Hatch andImola, Italy.
In May 1963 Minter suffered serious injuries when racing aNorton at Brands Hatch, and his place in the team for the TT races was taken byPhil Read, who came third to second-place teammate Hartle. The team only raced for one season in selected races.
In 1966 Minter arranged to ride the Gileras at the TT in June,[8] again without success as he crashed on a wet road surface after a rain shower atBrandish Corner during the last practice before race-week, breaking his left wrist which ended his racing for the rest of the race season. The bikes were raced at Brands Hatch later in the year.[9]
The four-cylinder Gilera engine was also used successfully for world championship sidecar races. Eight victories in the sidecar class, as well as four runners-up in the world championship from 1949 to 1952 (three times Ercole Frigerio and one Albino Milani), showed the potential of the engine. In 1954, the Gilera four-cylinder was used byPiero Taruffi for the record-breaking TARF vehicle.[10][11][Note 1] The Swiss driverFlorian Camathias won a sidecar race with a Gilera four-cylinder engine for the last time in 1964.[citation needed]
| Year | Class | Rider |
|---|---|---|
| 1939 | 500 cc |  Dorino Serafini |
Gilera won the following World Titles:
| Year | Class | Rider |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 500 cc |  Umberto Masetti |
| 1952 | 500 cc | Umberto Masetti |
| 1953 | 500 cc |  Geoff Duke |
| 1954 | 500 cc | Geoff Duke |
| 1955 | 500 cc | Geoff Duke |
| 1957 | 500 cc | Libero Liberati |
| Year | Class | Rider |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 250 cc | Marco Simoncelli |
| Year | Class | Rider |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 125 cc |  Manuel Poggiali |
| Year | Champion | Class | Motorcycle |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1957 Isle of Man TT | Bob McIntyre | Class 350 cc |
| Year | Champion | Class | Motorcycle |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1955 Isle of Man TT | Geoff Duke | Class 500 cc | |
| 1957 Isle of Man TT | Bob McIntyre | Class 500 cc | |
| 1963 Isle of Man TT | John Hartle Second | Class 500 cc | Team Scuderia Duke Gilera |
| 1963 Isle of Man TT | Phil Read Third | Class 500 cc | Team Scuderia Duke Gilera |
| Model | Engine | Years | Notes | Image |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gilera 500 Rondine | () | |||
| Gilera 5004C | () |  | ||
| Gilera RSA 250 | () |  |
| Model | Engine | Years | Notes | Image |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 500 LTE | () | Produced duringWorld War II for the Italian army. |  | |
| Marte | () | Produced duringWorld War II for the Italian army, the Marte was a 498 cc (30.4 cu in)OHVsingle with 14 bhp (10 kW). Intended for use with asidecar, the Marte had a shaft drive and hand-operated transmission. | ||
| Saturno | () | Produced after World War II until 1959 as a 498 cc (30.4 cu in)OHVsingle with 22 bhp (16 kW) @ 5,000 rpm and swinging-arm rear suspension using parallel, twin horizontal coil springs. The racing version designatedSaturno San Remo was campaigned with success in Italian national and international races but was unable to compete with the multi-cylinder andoverhead camshaft opposition.[12] |  |
| Model | Engine | Years | Notes | Image |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RV | 124,3 cc,Single,Two-stroke engine,Reed valve,liquid cooling | (1984–1987) | ||
| RX | 124,3 cc,Single,Two-stroke engine,Reed valve,liquid cooling | (1984-) | ||
| KK | 124,38 cc,Single,Two-stroke engine,Reed valve,liquid cooling | (1986–1987) | ||
| KZ | 124,38 cc,Single,Two-stroke engine,Reed valve,liquid cooling | (1986–1987) |  | |
| Saturno Bialbero 500 | (1987–1991) | Produced from the late 1980s as a modern version of the historic Saturno using a 491 ccDOHC engine with 45 bhp @ 7,500 rpm[12][13] |  | |
| XR1 | 124,3 cc,Single,Two-stroke engine,Reed valve,liquid cooling | (1988–1989) | ||
| MX1 / MXR | 124,38 cc,Single,Two-stroke engine,Reed valve,liquid cooling | (1988–1990) | .jpg) | |
| SP 01 / SP 02 | 124,38 cc,Single,Two-stroke engine,Reed valve,liquid cooling | (1988–1991) |  | |
| RC 600 | (1989–1994) | |||
| Nordwest 600 | (1991–1994) | |||
| Freestyle 125 | 124,38 cc,Single,Two-stroke engine,Reed valve,liquid cooling | (1991–1994) |  | |
| CX | 124,38 cc,Single,Two-stroke engine,Reed valve,liquid cooling | (1991–1993) |  | |
| Crono | 124,38 cc,Single,Two-stroke engine,Reed valve,liquid cooling | (1991–1992) |  | |
| GFR | (1993–1994) | |||
| DNA | (1996–2009) | |||
| Runner | (1997–2020) | |||
| Nexus | (2003–2012) | |||
| GP800 | (2006–2013) | .jpg) | ||
| Fuoco | (2007–2017) |  | ||
| Ice | (2001–2003) |
| Model | Engine | Years | Notes | Image |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eco / EC1 / Città | (1979–1989) | (moped) |  | |
| Stalker | (1996–2012) | (also known as SKP) |  | |
| SMT / RCR | (2003–2020) |  _Gilera_SMT_50_at_Bahnhof_St._Valentin.jpg) |
