Aermacchi Ala d'Oro
| Aermacchi | |
|---|---|
_1X7A7902.jpg) Aermacchi Ala d'Oro 350 (1965) |
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| Ala d'Oro | |
| Manufacturer | Aeronautica Macchi / Aermacchi-Harley-Davidson |
| Sales description | Ala d'Oro 175 / Ala d'Oro 250 / Ala d'Oro 350 |
| Production period | 1957 to 1972 |
| class | Racing motorcycle |
| Motor data | |
| 1-cylinder 4-stroke | |
|
|
| transmission | 4-speed / 5-speed |
| drive | Chain |
| Brakes | drums |
| Wheelbase (mm) | 1270 |
| Dimensions (L × W × H, mm): | 1920 × 520 × 860 |
| Empty weight (kg) | 102-114 |
| successor | Harley-Davidson RR |
The Aermacchi Ala d'Oro is a racing motorcycle from the Italian manufacturer Aeronautica Macchi (later: Aermacchi-Harley Davidson), which was built from 1957 to 1972. "Ala d'Oro" means "Golden Wing" in German
history
The brothers Giovanni and Agostino Macchi started building carriages in the second half of the 19th century . Their descendants Giuseppe, Enrico and Giulio Macchi founded the Società Anonima Fratelli Macchi stock corporation in 1905, a company that initially mainly engaged in railway construction. From 1912 they began to manufacture aircraft (from 1946 Aermacchi). 1948 Giulio Macchi also began production of motorcycles (under the brand Aermacchi) at a branch in Milan . The first model was a simple model with a 123 cc two-stroke engine, which was soon followed by other machines with a four-stroke OHV engine . The origins of the Ala d'Oro go back to 1958.
Ala d'Oro 175
For the Italian motorcycle road championship , Aermacchi manufactured a 175 cm³ machine with a 1-cylinder four-stroke engine, which was derived from the Ala Rossa series model and developed between 11.8 and 15.5 hp (8.7–11.4 kW). In the same year, the performance of the further developed model was increased to 20.8 PS (15.3 kW). It now reached a top speed of 160 km / h. This racing motorcycle was able to compete in the Italian youth competitions and in the Italian motorcycle mountain championship with the Moto Morini Settebello , which was won several times by Angelo Tenconi .
Ala d'Oro 250
In 1960, the 175 was given a 250 cc model with which Aermacchi first competed in the motorcycle world championship . At the TT Circuit Assen in Assen , Alberto Pagani , the son of the former world champion Nello Pagani, came 9th. At the Belgian Grand Prix at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps , a week later, Pagani was already fifth. The results with this 250 prompted the management of Aeronatica Macchi to launch a small series of the Ala d'Oro 250 (with the addition "DS") for sale to private drivers for the 1961 season . Since the power could not be increased (the 1961 model developed 26 HP [19.1 kW] at 9000 / min), the advantages of the Aermacchi were its low weight (102 kg) and thanks to the long-stroke design of the four-stroke engine (bore × Stroke = 66 mm × 72 mm) their high torque at low speeds. Further technical equipment included, among other things, a four-speed transmission with multi-disc wet clutch and a 30-mm Dell'Orto - carburetor .
Ala d'Oro 350
Aermacchi's works racing drivers (again Pagani, Gilberto Milani ) tested a model for the 350 class from 1961 onwards. When the model changed in 1962, little changed for the Ala d'Oro: The cams became a little steeper and the engine output increased by 2 HP (1.47 kW), the speed by 200 rpm. Stability problems as a result of z. B. broken transmission shafts and repeated piston seizure prevented further increases in performance in the four-stroke engine. However, the 1963 model has been revised in several ways, e.g. B. Pistons, controls and a new five-speed transmission. In 1964 the DS-S model was introduced. It was driven by a newly designed, short-stroke unit which provided a wider usable speed range. With a bore of 72 mm and a stroke of 61 mm, the result was a displacement of 439.2 cm³, which enabled an output of 32 hp (23.5 kW) at 9400 rpm. The red area should only have started at 10,000 rpm.
From 1964 the Ala d'Oro was also made available to private drivers. However, it had a long stroke engine (bore × stroke = 74 mm × 80 mm) and 4 gears were later equipped with a five-speed gearbox. In 1966 the engines of the Ala d'Oro's were equipped with a dry clutch and the gear ratio was extended; new pistons were used and a larger carburetor (35 mm for the 250 and 38 mm for the 350), which made the motorcycles more reliable overall. For the 1968 motorcycle world championship , Aermacchi equipped its works racing drivers with a short-stroke engine (bore × stroke = 77 mm × 75 mm) that delivered 42 hp (30.9 kW) at 8400 rpm and a top speed of 210 km / h made possible. The Australian Kel Carruthers achieved third place in the race. At the 1969 motorcycle world championship , the Ala d'Oro won numerous prizes in the 350 class.
Ala d'Oro "400"
In the 500 cc class (also known as the premier class ), Aermacchi, under the direction of Harley-Davidson , competed with a 350 cc built in collaboration with Rickman and drilled to 408 cm³. It became known as the Aermacchi Harley-Davidson (also Rickman 408 GP ). At the 1969 World Cup, considerable successes were celebrated. At the Spanish Grand Prix was Carruthers second. Brian Steenson also runner-up in the Isle of Man TT (Tourist Trophy) . At the Italian Grand Prix in Imola and the Yugoslavian Grand Prix in Abbazia , Milani came second. These places were also achieved in the 1970 season. Alan Barnett at the Tourist Trophy, Angelo Bergamonti in Yugoslavia and Holland and Giuseppe Mandolini in Spain.
All of these efforts were later unsuccessful because of advances in two-stroke engines . In the late 1960s, Aermacchi's motorcycle division was owned by Harley-Davidson. In response to the challenge posed by the Yamaha TD and the Yamaha TR , Aermacchi-Harley-Davidson launched the two-cylinder Harley-Davidson RR in 1971 , which was based on experience with the Aermacchi Aletta 125 since 1967.
Technical specifications
| Type | Ala d'Oro 175 | Ala d'Oro 250 | Ala d'Oro 350 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Construction period | 1957-1965 | 1959-1972 | 1964-1972 |
| Displacement | 172.4 cm³ | 246.2-248.4 cc | 344.1-349.2 cc |
| Bore × stroke | 60 mm × 61 mm | 66 mm × 72 mm 72 mm × 61 mm |
74 mm × 80 mm 77 mm × 75 mm |
| power | 11.8-20.8 hp (8.7-15.3 kW) | 26.0–32.0 hp (19.1–23.5 kW) | ? –42.0 PS (? –30.9 kW) |
| at speed | 9200 rpm | 9400 rpm | |
| transmission | 4-speed | 4-speed / 5-speed | 5-speed |
| wheelbase | 1270 mm | 1270 mm | 1270 mm |
| Dimensions (L × W × H) | 1920 mm × 520 mm × 860 mm | 1920 mm × 520 mm × 860 mm | 1920 mm × 520 mm × 860 mm |
| Empty weight | 112 kg | 102-114 kg | |
| Front / rear tires | 2.50 ″ × 18 ″ / 2.50 ″ × 18 ″ | 2.75 ″ × 18 ″ / 3.00 ″ × 18 ″ | 2.75 "× 18" / 3.00 "× 18" |
| Brakes front / rear | Drums, 180 mm / 180 mm | Drums, 180 mm / 180 mm | Drums, 200 mm / 200 mm |
| Top speed | 155 km / h | 177-190 km / h | 200-210 km / h |
literature
- Mick Walker: Aermacchi Harley-Davidson Motorcycles . Ed .: Tyne & Wear. Redline Books, 2005, ISBN 0-9544357-6-1 ( limited preview in Google Book Search).
- Mick Walker: Mick Walker's Italian Racing Motorcycles . Ed .: Tyne & Wear. Brooklands Books, 1998, ISBN 0-9531311-1-4 , pp. 345 ( limited preview in Google Book search).
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ Aeronautica Macchi - Motos - Scooters . Sales prospectus of the Aermacchi importer for Belgium and Luxembourg DEFCO SA, Liège (French)
- ↑ Aermacchi-Harley-Davidson - Caratteristiche Tecniche - Technical Specifications - Caractéristiques Techniques . Aermacchi-Harley-Davidson, Varese approx. 1960 (Italian / English / French)