MASERATI MOTORCYCLE PRODUCTION 1953 to 1960
The company was now expanding fast: thanks largely to an intense advertising campaign in motor cycle, national and provincial magazines and journals, and the product range was extended to include the production of batteries, bulbs, distributor caps and contact sets for the car and motorcycle market.
In the early fifties the Orsi Family divided the various activities of the company amongst its members, with Adolfo retaining "Maserati Automobili", brother Marcello given the foundry business, "Fonderie di Modena" and sister Ida the spark plug factory, "Fabbrica Candele e Accumulatori Maserati". Due to a combination of a misunderstanding and an oversight on the Notary's part, Fabbrica Candele e Accumulatori Maserati retained the right to the use the Maserati name and the 'Trident' logo.
It was at this time that the home market showed signs of an increasing need for cheap motorised transport, especially on two wheels. With this in mind, Fabbrica Candele Accumulatori Maserati decided to enter the field of motorcycle manufacture.
Realising the high cost of developing a motorcycle from scratch, they decided to purchase an existing motorcycle manufacturer and turned their attentions to a small well established motorcycle manufacturer in Bologna by the name of Italmoto. In 1953, a deal with Dr Giuseppe Migliori, the major shareholder of Italmoto, was arrived at and Fabbrica Candele Accumulatori Maserati bought Italmoto. At their factory in Via Ferrarese 171, Bologna, Italmoto produced three motorcycles, two 125cc two-stroke machines and a four-stroke 160cc touring bike.
