Squadra Guzzista member Ziorido continues educating us on some of some of the historic models on which the legend of Moto Guzzi has been forged. Here, he follows up his excellent piece on the military Superalce with a look at the Galletto.

Can you imagine a company being brave enough to take on the might of Vespa and Lambretta in its own home market? Moto Guzzi had the balls to do this in 1950 with the Galletto. Guzzi's version however, was an amalgamation of a motorcycle and a scooter with amazing technical features, like a single sided swingarm!

Ziorido's Galletto

The Galletto was designed and built by the legendary Carlo Guzzi in 1950.Carlo’s design sought to combine the convenience of the scooter with the advantages of the motorcycle.

The Galletto would keep traditional Italian scooter characteristics such as being easy to ride, spare wheel, good weather protection, but Carlo would add to these good motorcycle traits, such as good performance and large wheels to prevent locking under braking and to aid stability in cornering.

In fact, Guzzi’s resulting scooter/motorcycle hybrid “Galletto” (Cockerell) is very convenient, easy to use, and has excellent braking and road holding…Guzzi traits indeed!

It has a willing,robust engine, flexible and tireless. It also has a spare tyre that, given the conditions of the roads of Italy then (and now!) where punctures were frequent, was a useful option.

Initially it was designed with a four-stroke engine of 150cc with three gear transmission. This version is now extremely rare, only 5 were made of which only 1 is known to have survived.

The full production model was sold with an engine capacity of 160cc. By the end of 1952 this had been increased to 175cc and by then married to a 4-speed transmission.

In 1954 the engine capacity was further increased to 192cc (this is the version I have). Finally, the latest evolution of Galletto came in 1961 with the application of greatly enhanced electrics and updates to the bodywork.

In its time the Galletto was a scooter for wealthy people and was very expensive compared to its main competitors (Vespa and Lambretta). It was the scooter of choice for lawyers or engineers but that doesn’t mean it did not enjoy success.
A major scoop for Moto Guzzi was also the fact that it won a tender to supply the Italian Postal Service with the Galetto, testament to its versatility and ruggedness.

It also won considerable favour as a mode of transport for members of the clergy who liked the weather protection, comfort and practicality offered by the all enclosing bodywork with leg shields.

My personal connection to Galletto? Well, difficult to find words because my English is not the best but... It has nothing to envy of a modern scooter.

It is practical, the suspensions works wonderfully, climbs hills superbly courtesy of the terrific pulling capabilities of the little motor, has a maximum speed of about 95km/h and can sustain it for long periods without missing a beat.

I once did a distance of 60 km on the highway at maximum speed! In my opinion this is impressive, considering that my example has been running for 50 years and has covered almost 90.000km! But perhaps the most fascinating aspect is the roar of the single cylinder Guzzi engine which allows you to relive the emotions of the past.

Technical Specification

Galletto: Engine: Displacement: Performance: Top speed: Ignition: Carburettor: Front Suspension: Rear Suspension: Tyre Front: Tyre Rear: Economy: Colours:

Single cylinder 4-stroke. 150, 160, 175, 192cc 6cv @ 5200 rpm 95 kph (192cc) Marelli, with flywheel Dell'Orto MA18 BS1 Telescopic Single side swingarm 2.75 x 17" 3.00x17" 2.6 litres per 100km Ivory, later grey, and red

Further views of Ziorido's Galletto