Miscellaneous Cool Italian Bikes

[The Don]

More photo's please

[Fergus]

More photo's please

Ditto.

Looks great and the story makes it better! What was the speed record?

[Skybarney]

More photo's please

I actually did not take many.  The first shots before restoration got lost with a phone.  He had misplaced the original speedometer, but we found the horn.  All had been removed to save weight.\






The record was 78.2 if I remember right.  While it may not seem that fast I have sat on the thing and it is tiny to say the least.  He did odd stuff to shed weight as well.  He took off the seat and rode on a towel as well as made rigid lightweight links to replace the rear shocks.  Weight was a concern lol.

He says it did wheelies in the first three gears when new.  To top it all off I can pick the entire bike up in my arms with no help from anyone.  Looking forward to riding it this summer  

[ducatiz]

You can make the beast with two backs it up starting from a Mantra.  Because you started from a Mantra.   

[Travman]

[Travman]

1974 Nuovo Falcone - Civilian model

[Speeddog]

Is that the starter motor? 

[Buckethead]

Sure looks that way. That's a hell of a primary cover, too.

[Travman]

That cover hides a really large flywheel. Above the flywheel you can see starter. Here it is with the cover removed...

[Speeddog]

That looks like a generator, v-belt drive like a car, 6 volt. 

What year is that?

[Travman]

The civilian model Nuovo Falcone pictured above is pretty rare. They made a lot more of the military versions.

[Dirty Duc]

That looks like a generator, v-belt drive like a car, 6 volt. 

What year is that?

BMW still runs car-style alternators on the boxers AFAIK.

[ducatiz]

1974 Nuevo Falcone - Civilian model

thank you for a new definition of "fugly"

what the HELL were they thinking??

[ungeheuer]

There have been uglier motorcycles....  but I dont think I've seen an uglier motorcycle engine than that one...  FMD... 

[brad black]

i had to ride one at work years ago, and after my boss told me they were used by lots of italian police i commented that it would be flat out keeping up with a shifty gipsy on a horse.

de tomaso killed all this old crap off i believe.