Maserati Motorcycles
With Phil Aynsley
In 1952 Adolfo Orsi split up his company between his siblings with sister Ida taking control of FCAM which produced electrical components, notably spark plugs.
The following year she bought the Italmoto company and rebranded their motorcycles as Maseratis.
It wasn’t long however until newly designed Maseratis replaced the old range, starting with a 123 cc two-stroke.
This was followed by 160, 175 and 250 cc four-strokes and then in 1956 a new range of two-strokes in 50, 125 and 160 cc displacements.
The pretty red machine I photographed is actually a base model 125 that has been converted into a replica of the 1957 125GT/Super that was built in limited numbers for privateer use in the 125F3 class of the Moto Giro long distance road race. The 125GTS was made from 1957 to 1959.
Output was 7.2 hp at 6000 rpm and weighed just 86 kg, boasting a top speed of around 108 km/h.
