Maserati Motorcycles?

[Bill929]

So how many of you knew that Maserati briefly made motorcycles?  I didn't until today...



1956 Tipo L 160 T4 Turismo Lusso - from the 2016 Amelia Island Concours

[oldbike54]

 Didn't Maserati start out manufacturing spark plugs and misc electrical components . Memory tells me they bought out another existing bike builder .

 Dusty

[Bill929]

Didn't Maserati start out manufacturing spark plugs and misc electrical components . Memory tells me they bought out another existing bike builder .

 Dusty

Yes, you get the prize Dusty!  Their spark plug and battery unit acquired Italmoto (sometime in the late 30s I believe) and due to financial issues shut down motorcycle production in 1960.  The bike shown was produced from 1953-58. 

[clubman]

Ferrari built bikes too, but it was one of Enzo's cousins not the car factory. Small 125?, saw one at Del Mar some years ago.

[oldbike54]

Yes, you get the prize Dusty!  Their spark plug and battery unit acquired Italmoto (sometime in the late 30s I believe) and due to financial issues shut down motorcycle production in 1960.  The bike shown was produced from 1953-58.

 Once again my ability to remember completely useless information comes in handy , now if I could just remember where that dang torque wrench is 

 Dusty

[Dukedesmo]

There's a guy in the UK building a Maserati bike;



Info for anyone interested here; http://ducatiforum.co.uk/threads/its-italian-and-ends-in-ti.26377/

[pikipiki]

Didn't Maserati start out manufacturing spark plugs and misc electrical components . Memory tells me they bought out another existing bike builder .

 Dusty

All I know is that there were brothers who started maserati and they made race cars, the company was sold quite early on, allmost all maseratis aren't maserati brothers cars. the ones that are are very expensive collectors pieces. the brothers later made fiat based cars under the name Oscar. probably the company who boughts maserati made spark plugs and the like and had a little forray into bikes.

[Two Checks]

The four brothers built race cars for another company and din't build a Maserati car until the late 20s. The sold the company to Orso in 37 and during the war produced many products for the war effort. After the war they continued their original product, spark plugs, along with batteries, machine tools and even tually sports products among others.
Maserati was bought by de Tomaso, who also owned Benelli and Guzzi. Then Fiat bought it in 93.

[Old Jock]

On the connection with Maserti............ .........sort of the V6 Laverda's engine was designed by Giulio Alfieri who designed some Maserati engines & essentially that's what it was, so I'm told.

[malik]

Came across one in the bike museum in Peterborough SA - a fully faired race bike - 250cc, I think. A stunning piece of kit.