Italjet Motorcycles

Ossobuco by Italjet


Manufactured by Italjet in 1970

In 1970 Italjet launched the Ossobuco brand of mini-bikes, intended for export to the United States. These were extremely cheap, but of considerably higher quality than the competition machines which were frequently powered by pull-start mower engines.

They were apparently to be marketed by Clymer, to whom Tartarini wrote along these lines:

"Products where low cost is pursued are bad for builders and importers. An inexpensive item, in fact, it will always create annoyances of all kinds and also the clientele that is acquired is the poorest and at the same time the one that has the greatest demands. Furthermore, these minibikes that you define as 'built by a blacksmith' are not suited to the character and settings of the Italjet".

This was the first of this style of machine to be built in Italy. It had a tank/seat assembly constructed of polyurethane foam - the tank was a dummy, with the real fuel located within the central frame member. Some of the ideas for the Ossobuco were incorporated in the successful Italjet Pack and Packaway minibikes built some years later.
Source: informa.comune.bologna.it

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