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Ten of the Greatest Motorcycles
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Sold for $133,245 on October 20, 2013 Fastest Single Cyclinder 4-Stroke 250cc ever made! One of the greatest racing designs ever created.. |
| Moto Morini 250cc Bialbero Grand Prix Racing Motorcycle | |
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Many enthusiasts would argue that the DOHC 250 Morini, which reached a
peak in 1963 when the might of Honda only just managed to vanquish the
lone Italian single with Tarquinio Provini in the saddle, was the most
outstanding design of its type ever conceived. Whether one subscribes to
this particular theory or not, it is an indisputable fact that the bike
was the fastest single-cylinder four-stroke of its capacity ever made.'
- Mick Walker, 'Classic Italian Racing Motorcycles'. Before the arrival of its family of v-twin roadsters in 1973, Morini's reputation had rested mainly on its highly successful double-overhead-cam single-cylinder racers that came within a whisker of snatching the 1963 250cc World Championship from mighty Honda. Founded in 1937, Alfonso Morini's company built two-stroke lightweights at first before developing a range of fast four-stroke roadsters during the 1950s, the first of which appeared at the Milan Show in November 1952. Previously, Alfonso Morini had been in partnership with Mario Mezzetti, manufacturing motorcycles under the 'MM' name. MM had built several successful racers and Morini continued to be actively engaged in competition after WW2, commencing with a 'racerised' version of his 125cc two-stroke roadster. |
