1956 Moto Guzzi Zigolo for Sale
Moto Guzzi traditionally named their small-displacement bikes after small birds, in this case the bunting, a colorful little thing that looks like this:
It was launched in 1953 and featured a 98cc completely square 50mm x 50mm bore and stroke put a mere 4bhp through a three speed box, but it made up for a lack of outright power by being highly flexible, reliable, and economical, injecting a bit of style and class into the budget-minded small-bore class.
From the original eBay listing: 1956 Moto Guzzi Zigolo for Sale
It is un restored, unmolested, and as far as I can tell 100% original. It has been sponge cleaned. Ride or display. I have not started it. The brakes work (albeit not as you would expect from a modern bike), the throttle grip turns, and it turns over. The electrical wires are in place but disconnected in order to ship from Italy. I have not started it.
Tires are holding air, are not significantly dry rotted. I imagine the speedometer reading is wrong but it is titled and registered with that reading. It has been stored and parked in the US inside and under cover, mostly in a living room.
It has some of the patina and dings of a 57 year old motorcycle, but in good non abused condition. No seat tears (very minor, small tuft seen in photo, size of a 12 font O). Inside tank seems fine. It is a clean and rust free example with all the original bits, including an old satchel of tools. I have the grab cable for passenger, not seen in photos. This is the only part I am unclear if original from manufacturer.
The “Lusso” model like the one for sale was red, the standard model was a more subtle grey. Spares can be very difficult to find for these, and they’re certainly not capable of anything like modern, high-speed travel. But they’re charming and well-made, and would certainly be way more fun around town than a modern scooter…
There’s very little time left on this auction, with very little interest so far, which seems a shame. Move quickly if you’ve got room in your garage for this little survivor and the skills to get it back on the road where it belongs.
-tad
2 Responses
[…] 1956 Moto Guzzi Zigolo on the market traditional activity Bikes on the market […]
[…] 1956 Moto Guzzi Zigolo on the market basic recreation Bikes on the market […]