Gilera Classic Motorcycles

Gilera's history has its roots in the early part of the twentieth century. The first motorcycle to bear this name, the VT 317, was produced in 1909 by Giuseppe Gilera. In the years following World War I, Gilera produced the 500 cc side valve motorcycles that went on to win major international races. From the mid-Thirties the production of motorcycles with a valve in the crankcase, such as the "Quattro Bulloni 500" and the "Otto Bulloni", began.

The "Rondine", a futuristic cross-racing bike with a four cylinder 500 cc engine, dates to 1936. The motorcycle set several world records (274.181 kph on a flying run in 1937: a record that remained unbeaten for almost two decades) and won Dorino Serafini the 1939 European Championship. After the war Gilera presented the new Saturno 500 and a range of medium-high displacement motorcycles. The four cylinder 500 cc became the new winner: Umberto Masetti was world champion in 1950 and 1952, followed by Geoff Duke (three wins) and Liberati (one title). Gilera also collected six manufacturer's championship wins, three Tourist Trophies, seven Italian titles and an impressive record win by Bruno Francisci at the Milano-Taranto race.

In all Gilera won 44 international Grand Prix titles before its exit from racing in 1957. It was also a strong contender in off-road racing, dominating several International Six Day races. Standard production models included medium-displacement bikes such as the Giubileo, Rossa, Turismo and the Sport. In the higher displacement range, besides the Saturno, the 300 dual cylinder deserves a mention.

In 1969 Gilera became part of the Piaggio Group which undertook a complete reconstruction. It re-launched the historic dual ring brand, transferring it to the production of small and small-to-medium displacements on a range of on and off-road models. Innovations such as the production of the ground breaking 125cc Dual Cylinder Cross motorcycle highlighted the Gilera name again, this time in cross racing.