AEROCAPRONI

150 cc Capriolo -1955

A pioneer aviator's pet project

As soon as the war was over, factories sprang up like mushrooms all over Italy, headed by makers of motorcycles, the most economical means of transport of the period. At the 1952 Milan Salon there were no fewer than 108 constructors with 237 different models!

Two Counts

In 1948, Count Caproni operated factories at Trento and also at Vizzola, on the edge of the Milan-Malpensa airfield. There, he was a neighbor of Count Agusta, based at Verghera. Both men had been pioneers of Italian aviation, and up to then had built airplanes; now they diversified into motorcycles.

A Bad Choice

Caproni made a bad choice in ignoring his competition and concentrating on sophisticated small-displacement machines. His 150 flat-twin, unveiled in November 1953, was the top model of his range. The bike's valve operation was very original. The overhead camshaft carried undulating disks, based on a principle invented by the British engineer Slater. A similar layout was found on the Soyer, CF, and Chater-Lea bikes of the Thirties and on the Italian Fusi of the Forties. These "face cams" had no real advantage over conventional radial cams, but they constituted, along with the pressed-steel frame, the "signature" of the Capriolo. It was, however, costly to build, and enjoyed only limited success. Caproni finally gave up motorcycle production in 1963, when only a 75cc bike and some NSU-engined Caproni-Vizzola models (as opposed to the Trentobuilt Aerocaproni) remained in his catalog.

SPECIFICATIONS

Engine: 149cc (47x43mm) air-cooled flat-twin

Power Rating: 7.5 hp@ 6000 rpm

Valves: overhead face cams

Fuel System: single carburetor

Transmission: 4-speed; chain final drive

Suspension: telescopic fork (front); swinging forks with twin spring/dampers (rear)

Brakes: drum (front & rear)

Wheels: wire

Maximum Speed: 62 mph

The frame may have looked obsolete, but the engine of the the 150 Caproni made this costly little machine something out of the ordinary.