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Presentation of the Gilera 850 prototype
Presentation of the Gilera 850 prototype
Square, practical, good
With a solid, large two-cylinder, scooter giant Piaggio wants to integrate into the motorcycle market. MOTORRAD was allowed to drive a first prototype.
Eva Breutel
05/13/2002
No, of course, the 850 two-cylinder engine that is in the prototype of a future one is not really square Gilera presents. But pretty angular. “It doesn’t stay that angular,” Gilera developer Fabrizio Comi hurries to reassure himself. “We are planning rounder cylinder head covers and a different clutch housing, after all, we are only just doing 20 percent of the development work.”
Despite the early stage, MOTORRAD is allowed to try out the new engine. For test purposes, it hangs in a chassis mix of Cagiva Raptor 650 and 1000. Models that are powered by Suzuki two-cylinder engines in series production. Gilera’s 90-degree V2 looks like a patient in the intensive care unit, jammed full of sensors and cables. They measure the pressure and temperature of coolants and lubricants. Our test drive also finds its way into Gilera’s test annals.
The measurement data provided by the prototype are evaluated in the so-called factory, a small but fine development center that Gilera’s parent company Piaggio set up in Velate, northeast of Milan. Inquisitive people are not welcome here, no company logo, no splendid entrance sign reveals that Piaggio is busy developing here. After all, the water-cooled two-cylinder breathes historic air, as the former Gilera plant, which was closed in 1993, is only five kilometers away.
The new V2 with its 839 cm³ (bore times stroke: 88 x 69 millimeters) thunders off resolutely. In the lower speed range, however, it reveals a small performance gap, and above 6000 rpm its speed decreases noticeably. After all, the engine, each with an overhead camshaft, is not intended for sports use, but rather as a drive for touring motorcycles, naked bikes and road enduros. And the new Gilera-V2 fits like a glove. The engine is characterized by full acceleration and good pulling power; from 60 km / h in the last gear it pulls quickly through to 160 km / h ?? then the test line is over. However, the V2 works a bit rough and the six-speed gearbox shifts imprecisely every now and then, especially in the lower gears.
But when only 20 percent of the development work has actually been completed, the motorcycle world can expect a strong, solid two-cylinder. “We haven’t yet matched a map,” says Fabrizio Comi, asking for understanding for small quirks. The Weber-Marelli injection with throttle valves with a diameter of 45 millimeters come directly from Piaggio’s X9 scooter, as do the valve diameters. “The inlet ducts in particular are different, they run dead straight like a racing motorcycle,” explains Comi. The Gilera team gets 83 hp at 7750 rpm on the rear wheel (87 hp on the crankshaft), plus a torque of 80 Newton meters at 6000 rpm, good for a top speed of 225 km / h. And that’s by no means all, because more engines are being built using the modular principle: On the day after the MOTORCYCLE taster tour, Gilera replaced the 850 engine in the rolling laboratory with a 920 with a 92 instead of 88 millimeter bore. On the test bench, it already made 95 hp at 8500 rpm (100 hp on the crankshaft) and achieved a torque of 84 Newton meters at 7000 rpm. An engine with a full 1000 cc is also under discussion.
And then? “Then we’ll conquer the motorcycle market,” grins Fabrizio Comi. Like his colleagues, the developer is delighted that Gilera is returning to the motorcycle scene after a ten-year absence. Group parent Piaggio, owned by a subsidiary of Deutsche Bank, is no longer satisfied with its role as the largest European scooter manufacturer and is planning a whole range of motorcycle models (see box). “Our advantage is that we produce very cheaply,” says Comi. After all, Piaggio operates the largest two-wheel engine plant in Europe in Tuscany and can use synergies effectively. “Our 850 is therefore likely to cost less than the current 600 two-cylinder.” The engine is also designed for convenient maintenance intervals of 10,000 kilometers. All two-wheelers appreciate a little comfort ?? Gilera learned that from colleagues from the scooter faction.
Big goals
The super sports car Gilera 600 with a four-cylinder engine from Suzuki is expected to arrive in late autumn; It is also currently being tested in Velate. If the deal with MV Agusta / Cagiva finally works (see MOTORRAD 8/2002), the 850 twin-cylinder and its 920 colleague will be converted into the current Cagiva Raptor 650 and 1000 as well as from spring 2003 the Cagiva Navigator built in. The models come on the market with slight visual changes under the brand name Gilera. Gilera is initially planning a sports tourer and a supermoto to develop its own products. In addition, the engine center in Pontedera is already working on a 650 and a 750 twin-cylinder with two camshafts, because, according to Fabrizio Comi, “we also want to bring a couple of sharper models.” An automatic transmission for the 850 engine is also being tested, and Piaggio / Gilera also plans to sell the new engines to other manufacturers. The first have already tested the 850 engine ?? with a positive result.
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