Motorbike stories: the italian aprilia and moto guzzi

Good morning, Misses! Today, we continue to discover curious facts about our beloved Italian motorcycle brands! Today, I will explore two more brands that any motorcyclist has heard of at least once in their life. I must admit that even I was ignorant on many points, and it has been a pleasure to make “new” discoveries!

Let’s start with…

PIZZETTI, DOCTORS, AND JAPANESE KAMIKAZE

These quotes may not mean much to some, but I’m sure others have already guessed what I’m talking about, and everything will be clear in a few paragraphs… we are in the heart of Veneto to talk about Aprilia, one of the greatest Italian racing brands of all time, which made generations of sixteen-year-olds dream with its 125 motorcycles and still continues to enchant with technologically advanced products.

It all began in 1945 in Noale, in the province of Venice, thanks to the work of Cavaliere Alberto Beggio. Initially, the company produced bicycles, and the first real motorcycle arrived only in 1960.

A note about the name: I used to think that the company was originally from… well, Aprilia, in Lazio. Instead, the company is 100% Venetian, and the inspiration for the name comes from the Lancia Aprilia, a car that fascinated the Cavaliere so much that he used it to christen his own company. Can you believe it?

Initially, the company’s involvement in competitions was limited to motocross, and the first victories came in the late ’70s. But it was in the ’80s that the Aprilia range expanded, including models for trial, enduro, and the road.

During these years (and in the ’90s), the most iconic models of the company’s sports bikes were launched: the RS50, RS125, and RS250, all with racing liveries and spectacular lines that ignited the dreams of many teenagers and, in the case of the incredibly fast and agile 250, even of many adults!

In 1995, with the debut of the RS250, the “corsair” Max Biaggi (with his iconic goatee) won the Rider World Championship, and the company won the manufacturer title.

At the end of the ’90s, the company introduced its first superbike, the bicilindrica RSV1000. Shortly after, based on that bike, they presented the Tuono, a sporty naked with a great frame and the predisposition for wheelies, anytime, anywhere.

In 2000, the company also acquired two other historic brands, Moto Guzzi and Laverda, before being acquired in turn by Piaggio.

In recent years, the Aprilia RSV4 with its 1000 V4 engine has proven to be an insane bike, practically a race bike straight out of the dealership, as demonstrated by its numerous victories in the World Superbike Championship.

Since 2006, the motorcycles from Noale have been entirely produced in Italy, including the engine (previously supplied by Rotax). The company is relatively small compared to its competitors, especially the Japanese brands, but its commitment to racing has always been maximum, and so have the results.

In terms of World Constructors’ Championships, Aprilia ranks fourth among the most successful motorcycle manufacturers of all time and first among European manufacturers, which is quite impressive given that they don’t have the resources of a multinational giant.

And these excellent bikes from Noale have always been in good hands… We have already mentioned the Roman rider Max Biaggi, who, especially in the 250 World Championship, won three titles with an Aprilia, to which he added two Superbike World Championships in 2010 and 2012.

But let’s continue: other World Championships have been won by Loris Capirossi, Marco Melandri, Alvaro Bautista, Jorge Lorenzo, and none other than Valentino Rossi (here’s the doctor of the title).

The total number of World Championships won amounts to an impressive 54, especially in the 125 and 250 categories, where the company truly excelled… especially considering that the direct competitor was Honda, the world’s first motorcycle manufacturer and a giant in the industry. It was truly a David vs. Goliath battle.

Let’s not forget MotoGP because after a long hiatus, Aprilia returned to the premier class (where it had never won anything), and the third place achieved in the 2022 championship (along with the first pole position and the first victory ever with Aleix Espargarò) shows that our Venetian friends are not playing around at all, and we’ll have some great fun!

And so, where do the Japanese kamikaze come in? Well, that was a mention of my personal favorite rider, Noriyuki Haga, who competed in the 2002 Superbike World Championship with Aprilia, finishing in fourth place, and the following year in MotoGP, also without success.

So why mention him? Well, first of all, because I truly adored him as a rider, even though he had the curse of second place (and he didn’t win a Superbike World Championship with Ducati only because he had incredibly bad luck).

But also, with Haga, especially during the Aprilia period, let’s say… his interviews were something. Kind of out of his mind. No filter between brain and mouth. Adorable. I won’t add any details because they would be things that cannot be written. I’ll just tell you that YouTube remembers everything.

OLD GLORIES, RAID TO CAPE NORTH, AND CENTER STANDS

For lovers of classic motorcycles with a winning history… I have something just for you!

Yes, because today’s second brand is the historic Moto Guzzi, founded in 1921 in Genoa by Cavaliere Emanuele Vittorio Parodi and his son Giorgio Parodi.

It was Giorgio himself who chose the name, taken from their first and most famous designer, Carlo Guzzi.

I must say I didn’t know much about this company, and it was awesome to explore its past. If you think these motorcycles might not interest you… you’re mistaken! Many aspects of motorcycles as we know them today come directly from this historic manufacturer.

Really, keep reading because you won’t believe your eyes!

First of all, a curiosity about the choice of the golden eagle, the company’s symbol, which pays tribute to their friend Giovanni Ravelli, an aviator who died during a test flight in 1919. Giorgio Parodi had flown alongside him in the fiery skies of the First World War. The golden eagle was the symbol of all civilian and military pilots of the Aeronautics and was taken as the emblem for the company’s motorcycles.

Guzzi motorcycles were advanced from the start, being the first in the world to mount, among other things, the center stand. That’s right: it didn’t exist before, and they invented it!

But another episode catapulted the House of the Eagle onto the international scene, in a quite adventurous way: in 1927, the new motorcycle produced was named GT 500 “Norge,” like the airship that had flown over the North Pole the previous year. Unfortunately, the other motorcycle companies didn’t appreciate this “inappropriate appropriation” of that heroic feat and strongly protested, causing a real risk to the company’s image.

However, this is where individuals populate legends: Giuseppe Guzzi, Carlo’s brother and an engineer with a terrible temper, suffered terribly from the heat. Really: he literally worked in his underwear and undershirt. Needless to say, he didn’t welcome visitors.

Nevertheless, to escape the heat and test the motorcycles, Engineer Giuseppe used to spend his summer holidays on long trips in the Alps between Austria, Germany, and France. Given the ongoing controversies, he decided with a stroke of genius to change his destination: his usual “summer trip” became a journey of over 6000 km that took him to Cape North in 28 days, consuming 182 liters of gasoline (I expected much worse) and three tires.

Now, let’s put things into context: remember what motorcycles were like at that time, not to mention what the “roads” were like, which were often little more than dirt paths full of potholes. No one had thought of riding to Cape North on a motorcycle. Until then.

Upon his return to Italy, no one had anything more to say about the name “Norge,” which had evidently been earned in the field! From then on, the motorcycle ride to Cape North was recognized and many replicated Giuseppe Guzzi’s achievement.

Before the Second World War, the company ranked first in Italy in terms of motorcycles produced and won twice at the Tourist Trophy, cementing the reputation of the motorcycles from the House of the Eagle in the racing world.

Immediately after the war, the most iconic motorcycle was the 500cc Falcone, which was the dream of Italian motorcyclists. And here, there was another visionary innovation: it was, in fact, the first motorcycle in the world to be fitted, on the intuition of Carlo Guzzi, with an upside-down fork that provided numerous advantages in terms of rigidity and sportiness, and also suspension loads (with some slight disadvantages, especially for non-sporting uses).

The first in the world! And it was 1950!!

As a point of comparison, several sports motorcycles continued to have traditional forks (“standing”) until the 1980s, more than thirty years later, which in the rapidly evolving world of motorcycles is like a whole era!

In competitions, success continued to come after the war, including victories with the Moto Guzzi 8-cylinder 500cc, the highest fractionation ever attempted on a racing motorcycle.

In 1957, this motorcycle produced an impressive 75 horsepower… yes, that’s right! At the time, it was a lot.

Unfortunately, in the same year, the company withdrew from racing.

The following years were troubled due to the general crisis in the motorcycle world, mainly due to the increased popularity of cars (which had previously been a means of transport for the wealthy).

The company was eventually sold to the creditors’ banks.

However, innovations did not stop, such as the introduction of the famous 90-degree V2 engine mounted longitudinally. Motorcycles continued to be produced to high standards, such as the V7 Sport, a benchmark sports bike and the world’s first production motorcycle to exceed 200 km/h.

Subsequent changes in management involved De Tomaso, Benelli (which we already talked about in the previous issue), Aprilia, and finally, Piaggio, as mentioned earlier when discussing the House of Noale.

Fast forward to the beginning of the new millennium, Moto Guzzi returned to racing with the MGS-01. Now, I re-read several times because I thought I hadn’t understood correctly: this motorcycle won numerous times (or came second) at Daytona in races without displacement restrictions or modifications, where even Superbikes, more powerful and many kilos lighter (we’re talking about 25 kg less!), competed. Despite its significant weight and a lower number of horses compared to the competition, this MGS-01 won due to its balance and extremely progressive power delivery.

It even won against the debutant Ducati 1098: certainly not bad!

Impressive.

The company is still active, has embraced technological innovations while maintaining the classic vintage style, and remains firmly in the hearts of Italians but also of many other enthusiasts worldwide.

Currently, the factory is located in Mandello del Lario, in the province of Lecco, where the world’s first motorcycle wind tunnel was built in 1950. Unbelievable!

Also located at this site is the company’s museum, which I am now curious to visit, and who knows, maybe we can even plan a group visit!

CONCLUSION

I want to thank Elena Bagnasco from the Giorgio Parodi Association for contacting us and providing valuable and accurate information for the writing of this article.

And today, we’ve reached the end of this leap through history, but tell me: how many of you own an Aprilia or a Guzzi? Post pictures of your beasts on the MissBiker community!

Until next time, Misses!

Marcella Colombari