F.B. Mondial 125 Monoalbero SOHC
With Phil Aynsley
In the previous column I covered F.B. Mondial’s rare 1951 125 Bialbero, so I thought a look at its more readily available Monoalbero (SOHC) sibling would make for an interesting comparison.
Also introduced in 1951 this bike was developed for the long distance road races that were so popular in Italy at the time. Initially they were only used by factory riders but from 1952 they were also made available to privateers. The SOHC design was thought to be more reliable than the DOHC for these events.
The bikes were usually sold without street equipment for those wanting to use them on the track but they were available with lights and street electrical system for riders to use in the Moto Giro or Milano-Taranto races and the like.
The Monoalbero used a vertical stack of gears, on the right hand side of the motor, to drive the camshaft. Removable covers enclosed the valve springs. A wet sump crankcase was used in contrast to the Bialbero’s dry sump design.
The bike seen here is either a ’51 or ’52 model and appears to be a factory machine. It is in original and unrestored condition and the front guard decal was most likely applied in late 1954.
Again thanks to the bike’s owner, John Goldman, for the majority of the information used to put this column together.
