I really hate to see this end. It has been fun checking in every few days to see your postings. MikeV

I'm with Mike! Why should it end? Start telling us your future plans and include pics! Lou

What engine did Gilera use in the Piuma ?

Dont worry, I wont let you off that easy...

The Piuma had a pretty standard 558cc, the same one that used in different Gilera models as various 350 offroaders, the Saturno (350 and 500cc), the Nordwest and so on. Basically a very good design, dohc with cambelt and easy to maintain and work on. Fragile yes, but then again also japanese singles broke their crankcases when power was increased with 50%. We replaced the single intake head with the later dual intake from the Nordwest, bigger valves from Kawasaki KLX650R, double Dellorto 36mm, camshafts from Grosewächter, a 9mm longer conrod from Autoverdi and a 104mm piston from Wahl in a iron lined outbored original cylinder. We were very happy with the 72hp, but the Yamaha XTZ:s made easily 80 and the BMW:s as easily 90...

I will try to push my F1 to be ready for next year, and will report about that and I have started to collect parts for a TT1 replica. Picked up the Alazurra heads last week, not much to start with but maybe the most important and hardest to find pieces!

I have a dream garage consisting of the Piuma, a TT1 and an Aprilia RSW250. One is in place, the second in my mind but the third one is unobtainable for me. But I might slip in some words and pics of my surrogate, a Harris with a Rotax 250 tandem (so at least a 250 GP racer!) Or is that too off topic?

/Björn

That's on topic to me.....bring on the Harris/Rotax !!

Clay

Then, here it comes... !

This frame was originally bought by Swedish 250 racer Hasse Gustafsson (anyone heard of the Blue Lunatic Ducati might recognize the name) for his ambition of being Swedish 250 GP Champion. This was when the TZ and Honda RS production racers started to be really good, in the end of the 80:s, and it was hard to build a competetive bike with the rather aging Rotax tandemtwin as base. In 1987 EMC entered Harris framed bikes in the World Championships so there was at least possibilities. It turned out that the frame was poorly fabricated. The engine did not fit properly in the frame, the triple trees for the front fork were not aligned, etc etc. This was suddenly a long term project for Hasse instead of the instant assault for the title that was intended. He did finish off the project, but then retired from 250 racing so it never brought him the success. Instead it became, as so many other 250-chassis at that time, a Supermono. This was a hard life for the frame, not designed for that load and vibrations. It cracked pretty often in different places, so after a while put aside. I, with my dream of having a real 250 racer, bought it three or four years ago with the intention of bringing it back in original state. It has not progressed that far yet, it needs a proper examination and repair by an experienced welder, so I handed it to Erik Lundin of ESW, a former very competent frame builder in Sweden. The plan is to have the frame ready by autumn this year and then start to build it up. I have most parts, so in that case it could be ready for next season.

/Björn

And how do you get around finding the engine for such a bike, without feeding the sellers in southern Europe thousands of euros? Simple: Superkart is dying, so there are some cheap complete karts for sale, most of them with the Rotax tandem 250 engine. You buy the complete kart, strip it and sell the complete chassi to a kart enthusiast. The engine has costed me 20-25 of what the bare engines sometimes are advertised for. Yes it might be worn, and have a different spec than an engine coming from a racing motorcycle, but who has ever bought a used racing engine without need for renovation?

tbc

/Björn

While waiting for my Harris frame to be ready I am fortunate enough to borrow an ESW chassis for the Rotax tandem twin from a friend who doesnt use it. This meant I could test my own engine, which was handy as it turned out to need an overhaul.

ESW stands for Eksjö Special Welding and is run by Erik Lundin. He was a 250 racer, and in the early 80:s not happy with the TZ frames. He started producing his own, mainly for TZ engines but also for Rotax. First in square tubes and later beams, but all in aluminum. He has also done two frames in round steel tubes for single cylinder fourstrokes, one Rotax ohc and one Husqvarna 510 that was shown in Husqvarnas booth at the exhibition in Milan. Could it have been 1984? Several years up to the end of the 80:s ESW framed 250:s totally dominated the podiums in our national championship. At that point the Honda RS was established and the TZ had a frame that actually worked.

Over and out!

/Björn