c1954 Gilera Saturno Sport 500cc Motorcycle

Description

Giuseppe Gilera began his career apprenticed to some of the oldest and largest Italian motorcycle manufacturers as a young boy, including Moto RevelItalia, Bianchi and BucherZenda, and developed a reputation for being a fine mechanic and an excellent rider. In 1909, at the tender age of 22, Gilera established his own company in Milan, Moto Gilera, his first machine little more than a bicycle with a belt-driven 317cc ohv engine attached. Success came quickly and the model range expanded to include various capacities, while his goal of competing at the highest level of Grand Prix competition was realised in 1936 with the likes of Piero Taruffi and later Dorini Serafini serious contenders for the Championship. The post-war years saw Gilera continue to cement its reputation as one of the premier Italian motorcycle manufacturers, with a range of ohv singles and twins. Gilera enjoyed unprecedented success on the track in the 1950s, winning no less than 44 World Championships with the likes of Umberto Masetti and Geoff Duke riding for the company, also setting numerous records. A large part of this success was down to the Saturno, a model designed by Ing. Giuseppe Salmaggi in the late 1930s but war intervened before series production could commence - a handful raced in 1940 with some success achieved by Massimo Masserini. Powered by an air-cooled four-stroke single with a bore and stroke of 84mm by 90mm, the Saturno went on sale in 1946 in three models - the Sport, Turismo and Competition. The Sport was rated at 22 horsepower, the Turismo at 18 horsepower while the Competition differed in having an aluminium cylinder (with a pressed-in cast iron sleeve), all using a foot-operated four-speed gearbox. At the end of 1950 Gilera updated the Saturno with telescopic front forks, a full-width front alloy brake hub and a new petrol tank with cut-outs. The following year the rear suspension was modified, with vertically-mounted twin shocks employing enclosed coil springs. Production racers included the Sanremo of 1947-1951 and its successor, the Corsa of 1951-1957 and in 1952 the pushrod model was supplemented by the twin-cam, a modified Corsa designed by Franco Passoni. According to Mick Walker's book on the subject, a total some 6,450 Saturnos of all types were manufactured between 1946 and 1960, of which around 170 were racing models. The Saturno went on to claim its place as one of the great Italian motorcycles of the era, with surviving examples keenly sought out by collectors today.