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Galbusera (Italian pronunciation: [ɡalbuˈzɛːra] ) [1] is a vintage brand of Italian motorcycles made by Moto Galbusera & Co. (later Motocicli Plinio Galbusera) in Brescia from 1934 to 1955.
Plinio Galbusera and engineer Adolf Marama Toyo [2] initially built 173 to 498 cc Python (Rudge-Whitworth) and Sturmey-Archer engines into their frames, but in 1938 they made two larger models. One was a 249.2 cc four-two with compressor; the other had a 498.4 cc eight cylinder engine built from two coupled four blocks. It also had a compressor.
Galbusera did not intend to develop much power. His primary goal was to create reliable machines and the top speed of 150 km/hour was very acceptable.
After 1945, the standard engine was 125 to 175 cc with two-Sachs-blocks, later replaced by Villiers engines. In 1955 they began to have financial problems and production was terminated.
Vespa is an Italian brand of scooters and mopeds manufactured by Piaggio. The name means wasp in Italian. The Vespa has evolved from a single model motor scooter manufactured in 1946 by Piaggio & Co. S.p.A. of Pontedera, Italy to a full line of scooters and one of seven companies today owned by Piaggio.
Benelli Q.J. is an Italian company, based in the city of Pesaro in the Marche region, that produces motorcycles and scooters.
Moto Guzzi is an Italian motorcycle manufacturer and the oldest European manufacturer in continuous motorcycle production.
Gilera is an Italian motorcycle manufacturer founded in Arcore in 1909 by Giuseppe Gilera (1887–1971). In 1969, the company was purchased by Piaggio.
A. J. Stevens & Co. Ltd was a British automobile and motorcycle manufacturer in operation from 1909 to 1931. The company was founded by Joe Stevens in Wolverhampton, England. After the firm was sold, the name continued to be used by Matchless, Associated Motorcycles and Norton-Villiers on four-stroke motorcycles until 1969, and since the name's resale in 1974, on lightweight, two-stroke scramblers and today on small-capacity roadsters and cruisers. The company held 117 motorcycle world records.
Coventry Victor was a British motorcycle and car manufacturer. Originally Morton & Weaver, a proprietary engine manufacturer in Hillfields, Coventry, founded in 1904, the company changed its name to Coventry Victor Motors in 1911. The company closed in 1971.
MV Agusta is a high end motorcycle manufacturer founded by Count Domenico Agusta on 19 January 1945 as one of the branches of the Agusta aircraft company near Milan in Cascina Costa, Italy. The abbreviation MV stands for Meccanica (mechanics) Verghera, the hamlet where the first MVs were made. The modern headquarters and main production facilities are located in Varese, Italy on the shore of Lake Varese.
Matchless is one of the oldest marques of British motorcycles, manufactured in Plumstead, London, between 1899 and 1966. A wide range of models were produced under the Matchless name, ranging from small two-strokes to 750 cc four-stroke twins. Matchless had a long history of racing success; a Matchless ridden by Charlie Collier won the first single-cylinder race in the first Isle of Man TT in 1907.
A motorcycle engine is an engine that powers a motorcycle. Motorcycle engines are typically two-stroke or four-stroke internal combustion engines, but other engine types, such as Wankels and electric motors, have been used.
Laverda was an Italian manufacturer of high performance motorcycles. The motorcycles in their day gained a reputation for being robust and innovative.
The Square Four is a motorcycle produced by Ariel between 1931 and 1959, designed by Edward Turner, who devised the Square Four engine in 1928. At this time he was looking for work, showing drawings of his engine design to motorcycle manufacturers. The early engine with "two transverse crankshafts" was essentially a pair of 'across frame' OHC parallel twins joined by their geared central flywheels, with a four-cylinder block and single head. The idea for the engine was rejected by BSA, but adopted by Ariel. Thus it became the Ariel Square Four.
FN is a Belgian company established in 1889 to make arms and ammunition, and from 1901 to 1967 was also a motorcycle manufacturer. FN manufactured one of the world's first four-cylinder motorcycles, was famous for the use of shaft drive in all models from 1903 to 1923, achieved success in sprint and long-distance motorcycle racing, and after 1945, also in motocross.
Bandini Automobili was an Italian automobile manufacturer operating between 1946 and 1992. It was named after its founder Ilario Bandini. It produced about 75 cars, of which around 40 were sold in the United States.
Beta is an Italian motorcycle manufacturer, specialising in off-road motorcycles. Beta is best known for their popular observed trials bikes. In 2005, they launched a range of enduro motorcycles using KTM engines. In 2010 they launched the new RR series, with a new engine made in-house. Beta motorcycles have been used by world trials champions such as Jordi Tarrés, Dougie Lampkin, Albert Cabestany and Enduro riders Steve Holcombe and Brad Freeman. Production in 2018 was expected to be in excess of 20,000 motorcycles, ranging in size from 50 cc to 480 cc.
Bianchi was a brand of Italian motorcycle made from 1897 to 1967 by F.I.V. Edoardo Bianchi S.p.A. The company also produced automobiles from 1900 to 1939, and today is a major Italian bicycle manufacturer. Edoardo Bianchi started his bicycle manufacturing business in a small shop on Milan's Via Nirone in 1885. Bianchi was a prominent name in the motorcycle racing world from 1925 to 1930.
Fabbrica Candele Accumulatori Maserati S.p.A. was an Italian manufacturer of motoring components, as well as mopeds and motorcycles. It was part of Adolfo Orsi's large industrial corporation, that was divided among siblings (1953). His sister Ida Orsi received over the component branch that was not doing well at the time. By purchasing the Bologna-based motorcycle manufacturer Italmoto (1953), the company entered a new market and sold well locally and had an export line to South Africa, Europe and North America as well. The products were allowed to continue the use of the well-known Maserati name and the company's trident trademark.
Victoria was a bicycle manufacturer in Nürnberg, Germany that made motorcycles from about 1901 until 1966. It should not be confused with a lesser-known, unrelated Victoria Motorcycle Company in Glasgow, Scotland that made motorcycles between 1902 and 1928.
A. Fusi & Co., S.p.A. Milano (1932–1957) is an historic brand of motorcycles.
Ceccato was an Italian motorcycle manufacturer founded in 1938 by a former pharmacist, Pietro Ceccato, who was passionate about both engines and innovative management ideas, such as making process changes using input invited from employees. For the motorcycle Giro d'Italia and other races, Ceccato built the first of Fabio Taglioni's engines to be realized, a 75 cc OHC single designed with the help of Taglioni's Technical Institute students. The company was active in motorcycles until the 1960s. It however successfully continued producing compressors and grew over the years. Today Ceccato is an important player on the global compressed air market.
Piero Remor was an Italian engineer and motorcycle constructor, best known for his work for the Gilera and MV Agusta brands.
