A elderly gentleman in Carini, Italy has a collection of bikes, most of which he has owned for over 30 years. Unfortunately, he is getting old and needs to sell some motorcycles, so a group of his friends are helping out. They’ve currently got 5 bikes up on eBay, and all are said to be “in beautiful restored condition” and “museum quality.”
My favorite is the 1934 MAS 350. MAS stands for Motocicli Alberico Seiling, and it was named after the founder. In the 30s, Alberico offered side valve motors in 248cc, 348cc, and 568cc displacements (as well as a luxury tourer with a 498cc overhead valve motor). Here’s a mid-size side valver. MAS shut down in 1956. Find this bike with a BIN of $8,600
The other 4 are:
1927 Harlette 175. This is an interesting one. I’ve found slightly conflicting stories online and nothing that I would say is conclusive just yet. According to Italian Wikipedia, Harley had a bit of racing success in Europe early thanks to their large displacement engines. Sales were low due to high cost, so the idea came about of licensing the Harley name for a smaller motorcycle. As the licensing deal started in France, the name of “Harlette” was born. An Italian importer then gave it a try with a Puch motor, though by 1927 production had been passed onto MAS. Find with it a BIN of $8,600
1958 Moto Gitan Solano 125. Gitan made small two stroke and four stroke machines. By ’58, production had switched mostly to mopeds and small bikes like this 125cc Solano were slightly rare. Find with it a BIN of $4,300
1961 Aermacchi Harley-Davidson Ala Verde. Ala Verde translates to “Green Wing” from Italian, and it was a sport variant of the Ala Azzurra. It stood out thanks to distinctive styling and a bump in power from the 250cc engine up to 16 horsepower. Find with it a BIN of $4,650
1951 MAS Stella Alpina 125. We’re back to MAS! In the late 40s, MAS introduced a 122cc single called the Stella Alpina. It was notable for having a top end formed from two concentric cylinders. Per Sheldon’s EMU, the inner cylinder was connected to the outer cylinder by a series of vertical fins. “The theory behind it was that such a configuration would keep the engine cool at low speeds. It was not a commercial success.” Find with it a BIN of $7,100
This bike-uriousity brought to you by John K!