Italian Motorcycles

Motorcycles Built in Italy (S)

Notes on some of the rarer Italian marques

This page lists brands for which limited information is available. For a more complete listing visit the Italian Index.

See also Obscure Italian Marques.


Saglietti
Manufactured 1923 - 1924
Giovanni Saglietti, Turin. An established bicycle producer who sponsored a racing team of some 10 cyclists in the mid-1920s.
A surviving example is fitted with a VIS engine by Gazzi, and a photograph exists of Giovanni and his wife with motorised bicycles from around 1950, indicating that the firm may also have produced these.
Source: amicidellemotobicisottocanna.blogspot.com


SAM Cyclecars 1923-1928


S.A.M.E.M.
Manufactured by Società Anonima Motocarri Elettrici Moretti, 1932-1955
Founder: Giovanni Moretti
Address: Torino. Bologna, Via G. Marconi 20 Bologna (offices from 1944)

Source: Museo del Patrimonio Industriale, Bologna


S.A.M.P.

Manufactured by Società Anonima Meccanica di Precisione, c.1936-1954

Address: Via P.A. Rappini 29, later Via Galliera 12 (office) e Via Ponte Romano 38 (workshop). Then in 1958, Via Stalingrado 79 (workshop) Bologna

Pre-war they manufactured quality gears of all kinds, and by 1939 were producing worm gears and a variety of other parts for cars, motorcycles and tractors.

Around 1952 they began building micromotors and in 1954 two models were offered of their Farfallino 48cc two-stroke.

Source: Museo del Patrimonio Industriale, Bologna


San Cristoforo 1949-1953


Sangiorgi
Manufactured by Giuseppe Sangiorgi
Address: Strada Mazzini 47, and from 1957, Via A. Albertazzi 24 (office) and San Lazzaro di Savena, Via Emilia Levante 201/11 (office), Bologna.
Sangiorgi was in business from 1919 to 1959, and built motorcycles from the postwar period to about 1953.

Source: Museo del Patrimonio Industriale, Bologna


Saturnia
Manufactured by Alfredo Bondi and Ernesto E. Masina in Bologna, 1927-1928
Later Alfredo built the Bondi motorcycle.

Source: Museo del Patrimonio Industriale, Bologna


Serafini
Manufactured by August Serafini in 1950.
A native of Bologna, Serafini built a SOHC Special 250 in Florence. He was well-known for his model aircraft engines.

Source: Museo del Patrimonio Industriale, Bologna


Siamoto

Manufactured 1996~2005

81030 Gricignano (Caserta), Zona Industriale Aversa

Several scooter models were listed in the 90s, all with 50cc Minarelli engines apart from the Scross. This was an offroad scooter fitted with mx tyres and suspension. It was powered by a two-stroke reed valve 49cc Franco Morini engine.

In later years they also produced the Siamoto Enduro 125, Geco 125 Custom, Geco 250 Custom and Supermotard 125.

Sources: en.everybodywiki.com, et al


Sidecaritalia

Via Dei Mille, 6

Cava Manara, Pavia

Builds custom sidecars of considerable quality. Their website displays fine examples of Moto Guzzi, BMW and others.

Source: sidecaritalia.com


Sillaro

Built by Giovanni Casadio of Castel San Pietro, Bologna

Casadio was the owner of a business which sold and repaired bicycles and motorcycles in the 1950s- 1960s.

Source: Museo del Patrimonio Industriale, Bologna


Silvani
Moped manufactured in Bologna in the 1950s, as evidenced by a photograph. Currently no further information is available.

Source: Museo del Patrimonio Industriale, Bologna


S.I.M.A.M. 1956-1958


Snark
The Snark Moped company of Carteret, New Jersey marketed a series of mopeds built by Italvelo & Italtelai. Powered by Minarelli and Franco Morini engines, models included Snark Satellite (1978), Bianchi Satellite and Bianchi Snark, and there were also Benelli mopeds.
The Satellite models, built by Italtelai, were also sold by Arciero and Pacer under their own brands.
Source: myronsmopeds.com


Soriano 2021

"The bike was developed by a small Italian engineering center in Galbiate (Lecco) at the time also in charge of its future production. To reveal the technical details is the person in charge of this project, the’engineer Cesare Brioschi which is the first to admit the many difficulties in facing such an important challenge and the problems associated with electric propulsion."

Source: motoreetto.it


Spaviero
1954-1955
The small company built motorcycles fitted with OHV 98cc parallel twin engines.
Source: Tragatsch p276


Stella

1924-1927

Built by Max Türkheimer, these were fitted with 173cc Blackburne engines.
An O.T.A.V. catalogue of 1907-08 mentions the Stella engine, implying that it was built by Türkheimer.
See also Astra
There several companies which used the Stella brand - see Stella Marques
Sources: wikipedia.nl, period advertising.


Rarer Italian Marques