Post Sale Update: This Piega sold for $20,437 on Iconic Motorbike Auctions in Marina del Rey, California.
It’s been a little while since I’ve hit you with something from the new auction site, but there’s a few awesome ones that I want to alert you to this week. First we’ve got one of my favorite sportbikes of all time – the Mondial Piega.
There’s just something I adore about the idea of Italian style with Japanese reliability. It’s Bimota, but even more obscure. There’s an interesting backstory as to how Mondial got Honda to supply engines for this bike. In 1957, Soichiro Honda approached Mondial about the purchase of one of their racebikes (which had just won 125cc and 250cc World Championships). Mondial gave Honda a bike, which was used to set the standard for Honda racebikes of the future. Nearly 50 years later, when Mondial was looking for an engine to power the Piega (after Suzuki pulled out of the deal), Honda repaid the favor.
This was the first time Honda allowed use of their engines in another company’s motorcycle. The Mondial Piega uses the SP-1 motor from a RC51, but Mondial developed a propietary exhaust, injection system, and airbox to bring power up to 140 at the crank. Build quality was supposedly excellent, and you had the reliability of a Honda engine. It was destined to be great. Unfortunately, finances proved to be a problem, and after only 35 were built, the factory was placed into bankruptcy. Deals were worked out and a third party came in, eventually producing approximately 120 (accounts differ on the exact number produced, but the original intent was to produce 250 for homologation reasons). Interestingly enough, 11 bikes were apparently stolen from the factory – rumor is they were looted by employees trying to get compensation for lost wages – and the Italian police are still looking for them!
This example (VIN: ZA9SP102PG7100104) has been legally imported but it’s on a bill of sale with UK paperwork.
Find this Mondial Piega for sale here on Iconic Motorbike Auctions Powered by Bike-urious with bidding up to $12,000 and the reserve not yet met in Marina del Rey, California.