Photo ou archives : D. Ganneau
3206
MM
175cc SB32 -1932
High-speed lightweight
For a long time, the 175 category was one of the most fiercely contested. This competition produced - particularly in Italy - a number of superb little four-strokes. MM made its debut in this category in 1929, but the overhead-valve engine they were using at the time was already outclassed. For 1931, MM decided to bite the bullet and developed an overhead-camshaft unit, which did not really come into its own until the following season.
Glory Years
For the ohc MM, the glory years really began in 1933, when Bonazzi took the World Flying Kilometer record at 100.38 mph, despite determined opposition from the German Winkler on a DKW. The same year, the great Dorino Serafini became Italian champion, while the French MM rider Barthe won the Grand Prix of France at Montlhery, a feat
repeated on the same circuit in 1935 by the Frenchman Terigi and in 1937 by the English rider Dickwell. And Schouppe became Champion of Belgium in 1936 with his 175 MM.
End of the Road for the 175
Remarkably, a similar 175 MM, ridden by Fouilhoux, finished second in its category in
the Bol d'Or in 1948, long after the MM's racing days were over in its homeland. In 1935, the Italian Federation had done away with the 175 category, ending a whole generation of machines that were at the same time simple yet highly evolved and aggressive. Among the finest of them all - marques such as Benelli, Ladetto-Blatto, Miller and OMB - was the MM.
SPECIFICATIONS
Engine: 174cc (58x66rnm) air-cooled singlecylinder four-stroke; dry-sump lubrication
Power Rating: 15 hp@ 8200 rpm
Valves: overhead-camshaft
Fuel System: carburetor
Transmission: 3-speed, chain final drive
Suspension: girder forks (front); rigid (rear)
Brakes: drum (front & rear)
Wheels: wire (front & rear)
Weight: 176 lb
Maximum Speed: 84 mph
With a fine competition record, the MM 175 is a typical Italian sporty lightweight of the early 1930s.