Aermacchi · 1951–1953
Aermacchi Cigno 125: history and buying advice
Half scooter, half motorcycle: with the Cigno, Aermacchi started building two-wheelers in 1951.
History
After the MB1 three-wheeler, the Aermacchi aircraft factory in Varese came up with a two-wheeler. Lino Tonti designed it, and at the end of 1950 it was shown at the Milan show. His wife thought it looked like a swan, and so it was named Cigno (swan).
The Cigno was a cross between a scooter and a motorcycle. It had a legshield like a scooter, but big 17-inch wheels. The horizontal two-stroke engine, gearbox and drive pivoted together and moved with the rear wheel. The two exhaust pipes doubled as the rear swingarm. Behind the legshield was a toolbox you could raise as a dummy tank; it then looked more like a motorcycle.
The Cigno was sold from 1951 to 1953. Then came the Monsone and the Ghibli, which built on the same idea.
Key data
| Engine | Single-cylinder two-stroke, horizontal, air-cooled, 123 cc (52 × 58 mm) |
|---|---|
| Power | 4.5 hp at 4500 rpm |
| Gears | 3, with hand change on the handlebar |
| Suspension | front: leading-link fork with one shock; rear: the whole engine moves with the wheel |
| Tyres | 3.00 × 17 |
| Weight | c. 70 kg |
| Top speed | c. 80 km/h |
| Designer | Lino Tonti |
| Production Cigno 125N | 1951–1955; number: c. 1700; frame numbers from: 125001 |
| Production source | With thanks to the late Jaap de Jong, Aermacchi de gevleugelde (1912–1972), Weesp 2003. The author himself warns that not all data are certain. |
What to check when buying
- Parts for these early two-strokes are rare. Above all check that the bike is complete; missing body parts are almost impossible to find.
- Compare the frame number with the papers. The old Italian numbering is not always clear; if in doubt ask the Aermacchi club for help.
- Turn the engine over with the kick-starter: it must have compression and turn freely, without a scraping sound.
- A premix two-stroke: ask which mixing ratio the owner used and whether the bike stood for a long time.
- Check the rubbers and pivots of the rear suspension: the whole engine hangs from them.
SourcesMoto Collection F-M. Dumas: Cigno (French)Cybermotorcycle: Aermacchi scooters (English)Aermacchimoto.com: model list (Italian)Wikipedia: Lino Tonti (English)