Gilera Saturno 500 Bialbero

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Gilera Saturno 500 Bialbero
Manufacturer
Production 1988 - 89
Engine
Four stroke, single cylinder, 4 valves
Compression ratio 9.8:1
Top Speed 177.3 km/h / 110 mph
Ignition CDI with rev limiter
Transmission Final Drive: Chain
Suspension Front: 40mm Marzocchi forks
Rear: Single Marzocchi shock preload adjustment.
Brakes Front: Single 300mm disc 1 piston caliper
Rear: Single 240mm disc 1 piston caliper
Front Tire 110/70 VR17
Rear Tire 140/70 VR17
Weight 157 kg / 346 lbs (dry),
Fuel Capacity 21 Liters / 5.5 US gal
Manuals Service Manual


It could reach a top speed of 177.3 km/h / 110 mph.

Engine[edit | edit source]

The engine was a Liquid cooled cooled Four stroke, single cylinder, 4 valves. The engine featured a 9.8:1 compression ratio.

Chassis[edit | edit source]

It came with a 110/70 VR17 front tire and a 140/70 VR17 rear tire. Stopping was achieved via Single 300mm disc 1 piston caliper in the front and a Single 240mm disc 1 piston caliper in the rear. The front suspension was a 40mm Marzocchi forks while the rear was equipped with a Single Marzocchi shock preload adjustment.. The Saturno 500 Bialbero was fitted with a 21 Liters / 5.5 US gal fuel tank. The bike weighed just 157 kg / 346 lbs.

Photos[edit | edit source]

Gilera Saturno 500 Bialbero Gilera Saturno 500 Bialbero Gilera Saturno 500 Bialbero Gilera Saturno 500 Bialbero

Overview[edit | edit source]

Gilera Saturno Bialbero 500









THE NUOVO SATURNO

In fact this prototype was then flown to Japan and displayed by the Itoh organization at the 'Mega-Show' which began in Tokyo on 20 December. The Nuovo (New) Saturno project was very much the work of the two men, Gilera engineer Sandro Colombo and the Japanese technician, N Hagiwara. The general idea was to recreate the Saturno concept, but in a modern guise.

TECHNICAL DETAILS

Using the 492cc Dakota engine, the Ital-Japanese pairing created a compact Café racer (it was also built with the smaller engine). Weighing in at 2961b (135kg) the Nuovo Saturno employed a one-off trellis steel-tube frame and an alloy swinging arm with eccentric adjustment for the final drive chain. No expense had been spared in selecting the best quality components; the footrests, rear brake and gear change levers were all in aluminum, as., was the kick-starter. The 300mm floating brake disc at the front was operated by a four-pot Brembo 'Gold-line' caliper, with a 240mm disc and dual piston caliper at the rear, while the Marvic cast alloy wheels each had three hollow spokes. Both wheels were 17in diameter with 110/70 front and 140/70 rear tires of VR rating. The 40mm front forks had 120mm of travel and were of conventional design. The rear end was taken care of by a single shock with 130mm travel. The shock was of the racing type with multi-adjustment. Other details of the machine included a half-fairing, clip-on handlebars, indicators, twin mirrors (fairing mounted), Japanese-style bar-end weights, a single seat and racing-style tank, a plastic chainguard and a rear hugger mudguard in the same material.


The exhaust system, finished overall in black, was a siamezed exhaust pipe exiting into a ,-single silencer. This was mounted just below the line of the seat base on the offside of the machine. In typical Café-racer fashion there were the bare minimum of fitments to the bike, typified by no centre stand, simply a side (jiffy) one. The finish of the whole machine was in Italian racing red. As the engine literally hung in the frame it was readily accessible, unlike the majority of modern sports bikes with their total enclosure. FOR GENERAL SALE Although everyone believed that the Saturno was a Japan-only bike, this proved to be wrong and by the end of 1988 it went on general sale. In the United Kingdom, Piaggio's representative at that time was the Heron Group, based in Crawley, West Sussex. Its subsidiary, Vespa UK, spent over two years deciding whether to actually import the Saturno (and other four-stroke Gileras). Then, in December 1990, a small batch of machines was imported, priced at £4,999. This, in the author's opinion, was too high a price (at that time a CBR600 Honda was less than £4,000!), but, even so, all the machines brought in were sold, leading the way to more Saturno imports and other models such as the XRT and its successors.


Source Gilera The complete story Mick Walker


Make Model Gilera Saturno Bialbero 500
Year 1988 - 89
Engine Type Four stroke, single cylinder, 4 valves
Displacement 492 cc / 30.0 cu-in
Bore X Stroke 92 x 74 mm
Cooling System Liquid cooled
Compression 9.8:1
Induction Dell'Orto PHM 40VS
Ignition CDI with rev limiter
Starting Electric
Max Power 44 hp / 32.1 kW @ 7000 rpm
Max Torque 4.7 kgf-m @ 6000 rpm
Transmission / Drive 5 Speed
Final Drive Chain
Front Suspension 40mm Marzocchi forks
Front Wheel Travel 120 mm / 4.7 in
Rear Suspension Single Marzocchi shock preload adjustment.
Rear Wheel Travel 130 mm / 5.1 in
Front Brakes Single 300mm disc 1 piston caliper
Rear Brakes Single 240mm disc 1 piston caliper
Front Tire 110/70 VR17
Rear Tire 140/70 VR17
Dry Weight 157 kg / 346 lbs
Fuel Capacity 21 Liters / 5.5 US gal
Consumption Average 20.3 km/lit
Braking 60 - 0 / 100 - 0 13.9 m / 38.8 m
Standing ¼ Mile 13.9 sec / 149.4 km/h
Top Speed 177.3 km/h / 110 mph
Road Test Motosprint