The Capriolo Page

I know very little about Capriolos, but here is all the information I do have. The Complete Illustrated Encyclopedia of the World's Motorcycles by Erwin Tragatsch (1977) provides the following bits of data. The Italian brand built four-stroke, OHV singles of 73cc, 100cc, and 125cc from 1948 through 1963. The early 73cc models had pressed steel frames, but all the later models had tubular frames with single front downtubes. All transmissions were in-unit four-speeds with right-side foot shifters. The company also built a few motorcycles with NSU two-stroke engines, a few with OHC engines, and a 150cc, OHV, flat twin (like a tiny BMW).

Joe Heald sent me four photos of his 100cc Capriolo Bontone, two in B&W and two in color. This action encouraged me to locate the miniscule other info I have on Capriolos and add it to Tiddlerosis. Here is what I know about the photos included below. Joe listed 1961 on one photo, but he indicated uncertainty about the year. We can assume his Bondone is a '61 model unless he (or another Capriolo fan) tells me otherwise. I have never seen the model name Bondone before, so I know nothing of the origin of that model name. Joe also sent the four other color photos, but he did not state the exact origin of these, so the years and displacements are not listed. Thank you, Joe, for these rare photos.

The next photos are of the Capriolo portion of a 1963 brochure from Cosmopolitan Motors that included several Parilla models, one Bianchi, and an MV Agusta scooter(!) on the same small B&W brochure. What you see here is a scan of the three Capriolo models and their specifications page, as offered in the U.S. market in 1963, apparently the last year for the brand.

The last two scans are from a Cycle World Road Impression published in October, 1963. As you can see, it was too little too late for Capriolo in the exploding U.S. market for tiddlers in 1963!

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06/01/06