After the futuristic Chimera, Aermacchi decided to put the horizontal four-stroke engine in an ordinary motorcycle: without big panels and with two rear shocks. So the Ala range was born (‘ala’ means wing, a nod to Aermacchi’s aircraft building). The 175s were called Ala Bianca and Ala Rossa, the 250s Ala Azzurra (touring) and Ala Verde (sport).

Sources differ on the first year. Cycle World (1971) gives 1957 for a 250 cc ‘Turismo’; AM Klassiek gives 1959 for the introduction of the Ala Azzurra and Ala Verde. Motorrad & Reisen has datasheets from 1961 to 1965 and gives production until 1966.

The Ala Azzurra was the quietest version of the 250: lower compression and less power than the Ala Verde. According to Cybermotorcycle it also served as the basis for the Wisconsin, the first Aermacchi-Harley-Davidson. Later the Ala Blu 250 used the Ala Azzurra engine.

Cycle World described the touring pair Ala Bianca (175) and Ala Azzurra (250) as bikes with an ordinary swingarm and a simple tubular frame, good for about 100 and 120 km/h. The Classic MotorCycle calls the Ala Azzurra the most mildly tuned of the road models, after the Ala Verde and Ala Rossa.

What does that mean for you as a buyer? The Ala Azzurra is not a racer, but a light, economical tourer with a low centre of gravity. The low compression makes the engine less highly stressed than those of its sporty brothers. If you are looking for an affordable way into the world of the horizontal Aermacchi single for relaxed touring, this is a good choice, provided the bike is complete and healthy.

The Ala Azzurra was changed slightly over the years. Motorrad & Reisen, for example, gives a different rear tyre for 1965 (2.50-17 instead of 3.00-17). We did not find extensive factory lists of changes per year.

Related models: the sportier Ala Verde, the Wisconsin (export version) and the later Ala Blu.

Because the Ala Azzurra, Ala Verde and Wisconsin share the same basis, many bikes have had parts swapped or have been ‘upgraded’ to Ala Verde or even Ala d’Oro replicas. A real, original Ala Azzurra is therefore rarer than you might think.

The kick-starter is on the left, which takes some getting used to. Starting works best with a fixed routine.

The 6-volt lighting is weak by today’s standards.

Work on the crankshaft and the centre of the crankcase needs special tools.

With hard use some oil may leak at the clutch mechanism.

The engine shares a lot with the Ala Verde, Wisconsin and Sprint. So mechanical parts can reasonably be found through Aermacchi specialists, clubs and autojumbles. Typical Ala Azzurra parts, such as paint, badges and some panels, are harder.

We found no reliable price data for the Ala Azzurra itself. In 2018 AM Klassiek gave about €5,000 to €10,000 for the related Ala Verde; a touring model will not automatically be above that. Treat this as a rough indication.