c1959 Bianchi 125cc Motorcycle

Description

One of Italy’s earliest motorcycle companies, Edoardo Bianchi originally established his eponymous company as a workshop in Milan in 1885 and began building motorized tricycles as early as 1897. As was so often the case, orders from the Italian military in the First World War saw Bianchi’s fortunes rise and a civilian version of their single-cylinder machine went on sale in the 1920s. Bianchi expanded their model range and began to enjoy success in competition in this period, their first 350cc ‘Freccia Celeste’ racer proving hard to beat in the hands of legends like Tazio Nuvolari and Achille Varzi. The Bianchi factory was destroyed during the Second World War and early post-war production concentrated on utilitarian, small-capacity bikes and of course scooters. Following the death of founder Edoardo Bianchi in 1946, bikes like the 45cc two-stroke Aquilotto, 125cc two-stroke Bianchina and 250cc four-stroke Stelvio were instrumental in Bianchi’s recovery from the devastation of the destruction of their Milan factory. The company continued racing in the 1950s, with Lino Tonti designing a Grand Prix 250cc twin in 1960, that also competed in 350 and 500 versions. Sadly Bianchi’s attempts to expand their model range, combined with competition from Japan, saw the company go through a period of decline in the 1960s and motorcycle production ended in 1967 following a takeover by Piaggio.