Among the many new motorcycle manufacturers after World War-2, appeared Mi-Val ('Metalmecannica Italiana Valtrompia'), one of Italy's lesser-known brands. Mi-Val began in 1950 as a manufacturer of machine tools and built, mainly lightweight, motorcycles in Gardone Val Trompia by the Bolognese Ettore Minganti and other partners, including Pietro Beretta, the manufacturer of weapons.
The construction philosophy of Mi-Val was based on the production of economic and robust motorcycles, with two-stroke engines. The first motorcycle Mi-Val produced was the 125 T, a nearly perfect copy of DKW 125. The Mi-Val 125 T was a great success and sold in the order of one hundred thousand units.
The design of the Mi-Val 125 T motorcycle and the manufacture of most of the components occurred in the capital of Emilia. The engineer Adriano Amadori designed the engine and Carlo Ronzani designed the frame. Suspension was the work of Luigi Bonazzi and Augustus Bonori (Augustus Bonori made the pressed-metal forks and the fuel tanks). There were several upgrades to the ignition system, and they were later fitted with a four-speed gearbox.
Gardone Val Trompia was the place where they assembled the machines.
From 1950 to circa 1967, after they renamed the company in 'Company Industrial Minganti Valtrompia S.p.A', Mi-Val started to produced its own new engines, both two-strokes and four-strokes, some of the latter featuring twin overhead camshafts, and supplied power units to Norman for its Nippy III moped. Mi-Val also released its 125cc 2-stroke Turismo in November 1950.
Their commercial success convinced Ettore Minganti to seek more technical content, with the creation of new chassis and engines, as well as producing light motorcars and micro-cars, once again referring to German production. Mi-Val also built a three-wheeled Messerschmitt 'bubble car' under licence as the 'Mivalino' and using a 171cc 2-stroke engine. They presented the "Mivalino" at the XXXI Motosalone in Milan in 1953. Mi-Val began serious competition and a factory team was created, with riders Sergio Cremaschini, Ennio Longinotti, Giorgio Guerrini, Giampietro Martinelli and Franco Dall'Ara winning the gold medal at the Six Days of 1954 and 1956. In the second half of the same decade, the production of motorcycles equipped with a four-stroke engine began.
Specifications Mi-Val 200 TV
Engine: Single cylinder four-stroke OHV
Bore & stroke: 63 x 64 mm
Compression ratio: 7.0:1
Engine Capacity: 199cc
Maximum power: 7 h.p. (10 kW) @ 5,500 rpm
Valves per cylinder: 2
Carburettor: Dell'Orto UB 20 BS
Cooling system: Air cooled
Ignition type: Magnet flywheel
Electrical system: 45 W
Spark Plugs: Marelli CW 250 A candle
Lubrication: Wet sump forced circulation with mechanical gear pump
Transmission: Gear primary, chain final
Clutch: Cable operated with multiple wet disc in oil bath
Gearbox: 4-Speed foot-change
Starter: Kick-starter
Throttle: Cable operated
Frame type: Single cradle tubular and pressed steel
Front Suspension: Semi-hydraulic telescopic front fork
Rear Suspension: Swingarm with hydraulic shock absorber
Front Brake: Drum
Rear Brake: Drum
Front tyre: 2.00 x 19 in.
Rear tyre: 2.25 x 19 in.
Seat: Dual seat
Fuel tank capacity: 19 litre
Fuel consumption: 2.3 litre per 100 km
Top speed: 110 km/h (68.3 mph)
Source: Hessink's NL
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