They are sleek. They are beautiful. Few would argue that the motorcycles that have been built in Italy during the past century deserve a classification all their own. While they've long been considered to be some of the most advanced pieces of machinery on the roads, Italian motorcycles are also aesthetic works of art. Even referring to them as "motorized masterpieces" would not cause anyone familiar with the various models that have been introduced during the past 100 years to bat an eye.

The list of companies who have offered up these magnificent machines over the years is long. Venerated names like Aprilia, Benelli, Bimota, Ducati, Gilera, Lambretta, Laverda, Malaguti, Mondial, Moto Guzzi, MV Agusta and Vespa are the mechanical equivalent of names like DaVinci and Botticelli in the art world.
But where did all of this start? A better question might be how it all started. To find the answer to both, you have to go all the way back to the late 1800s.

IN THE BEGINNING...
It seems like a long time ago, especially when you look at the bikes of today compared to some of the first motorcycles produced. Yet it was only a little over 100 years ago when two wheelers began to make their presence felt not just in Italy but all over the world.

Long considered to be a hotbed for all things stylish and fashionable (remember the Renaissance?), Italy is now among the world's leaders in such fields as architecture, bicycles, electronic and textiles, to name just a few. As a result, it should come as no surprise that the Italians would ultimately produce not only some of the most beautiful bikes ever built, but also some of the most

technologically advanced machines to be found on two wheels.

Originally it was a bicycle manufacturer - Eduardo Bianchi - who built Italy's first motorcycle when he attached an engine to one of his pedal bikes before the turn of the century. From there he expanded into airplane engines, cars and trucks, and a host of other companies followed Bianchi's lead into the burgeoning motocicletta business.

Unfortunately after WWII ended, Bianchi's company (and many of the other upstart motorcycle makers) struggled with increased competition. Italy's first OEM stopped making motorcycles in 1967, though the Bianchi name is still alive today in the bicycle industry.



Another early pioneer was Giuseppe Gilera who, at only 22 years old, founded his motorcycle-making operation in 1909. The company moved to a new factory just outside Milan in 1920, and in 1935 acquired the rights to the rival Rondine racing bike that would become the blueprint for Gilera factory racers for the next three decades. The four-cylinder configuration of the Rondine was not only the basis for Gilera's racing efforts, it also served as the inspiration for the first across-the-frame MV Agusta and, ultimately, Japanese designers who would eventually borrow from the design with well-documented success.
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