F.B. MONDIAL

50 Record -1966

The first disc-braked 50cc bike

The British Douglas company pioneered the use of disc brakes on motorcycles, fitting British Research Association discs to its racing bikes as early as 1920. In 1923, a disc-braked Douglas won both the Senior and the Sidecar TTs. Fred Dixon's winning outfit even had a disc brake on the wheel of its banking sidecar - but discs did not appear on motorbikes again until the early 1960s.

Competition Leads the Way

Again, it was motorcycle sport that led the way. Discs were fitted to Provini's racing Benelli, a motocross Jawa - and to the 50cc Honda RC113 and RC114 Grand Prix racers whose disc brakes used the wheel rim as a friction surface. In 1965, a mechanical disc brake developed by Campagnolo appeared on the rare MV Agusta 600cc four. This new technology was also adopted on a 50cc racer by one of the star makes: F.B. Mondial.

Fastest in Its Category

F.B. Mondial had launched its 50cc fourspeeder the year before. When tested by the French champion, Jean-Pierre Beltoise, it had proved the fastest in its category. Its 56.5 mph beat such leading makes as Itom and Kreidler. Shown by F.B. Mondial at the 1964

salons, the disc brake didn't go on sale until a year later, with cable operation, a floating caliper and a stainless steel disc. More efficient than traditional drums, it nevertheless failed to make its mark, and on the racing scene, F.B. Mondial returned to drum brakes in subsequent years.

SPECIFICATIONS

Engine: 49cc (38.6x42mm) air-cooled singlecylinder

Power Rating: 6.2 hp

Valves: two-stroke

Fuel System: 18mm Dell'Orto carburetor

Transmission: 4-speed, chain final drive

Suspension: telescopic forks (front); swinging fork (rear)

Brakes: disc (front); drum (rear)

Wheels: 2.00x18 inch wire (front & rear)

Weight: 110 lb

Maximum Speed: 57 mph

Backward progress: the 1966 Record in the foreground has a front disc brake, while the 1970 50 SS in the background reverted to a front drum brake.