After the second world war, Italy was forced to drastically reduce its aircraft production capacity and capability. Piaggio, a large industrial concern since the turn of the century, had, before the war, produced trains, nautical fittings, aircraft engines, aeroplanes, trucks, trams, buses and aluminium windows and doors. With the Piaggio factory completely bombed out, the company needed to start building something that would enable it to keep its workforce employed.
Italy's crippled economy, and the disastrous state of its roads, were not immediately conducive to the re-development of the automobile market. Enrico Piaggio, son of Piaggio's founder Rinaldo Piaggio, decided to leave the aeronautical field in order to address Italy's urgent need for a modern and affordable mode of transportation for the masses.
In 1944, Piaggio engineers Renzo Spolti and Vittorio Casini designed a motorcycle with bodywork fully enclosing the drivetrain and forming a tall splash guard at the front. In addition to the bodywork, the design included handlebar-mounted controls, forced air cooling, wheels of small diameter, and a tall central section that had to be straddled. Officially known as the MP5 (Moto Piaggio no. 5), the prototype was nicknamed Paperino (either duckling or “Donald Duck in Italian). Piaggio really didn’t like the MP5, especially the tall central section.
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Denne historien er fra October 2020-utgaven av Bike SA.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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A Ladies Perspective What a Surprise Kawasaki Ninja 1000SX
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Exclusive track test of the last British bike to win the Isle of Man Senior TT in 1992, after what's widely considered to be the most exciting race ever held in the Island
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I’ve recently written in my Editor’s note bemoaning the lack of available Sports-Touring motorcycles nowadays.
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“The bigger they are, the harder they fall.” This truism comes from boxing, but applies to all walks of life. Innovative MotoGP superstar Marc Marquez, however, adds a new twist.