My Malanca

First I must congratulate you on a great and informative magazine. I have a collection of classic bikes from the ‘50s and ‘60s, which includes a little known 50cc 2 stroke Italian race bike. I was hoping a photo of the bike in your magazine may help dig up some info on this obscure machine from your readers. I know little of its history in Australia, only that it was probably raced in Victoria in the ‘60s. The large front brake, from a DKW brings me to this conclusion. My mate found the bike in a car wreckers yard in Wangaratta Victoria around 1978 and bought it back to WA. It was fairly complete except, for the missing seat. He restored the bike after contacting a chap in Italy who was quite knowledgeable on Italian bikes and he thought it was possibly a Malanca. I purchased the bike from him about 20 years ago and have had it since. The only info I found was about the engine, in a book on Italian racing bikes. Apparently It was a hot little two stroke motor for its day, producing 9 hp from a turbo ported (spiral inlet port) engine produced by Franco Morini and used by a number of small capacity Italian motorcycle manufacturers. The bike is in original as-found condition, other than the seat, and a new piston which I managed to find in Italy, many years ago. The frame number is IGM/4140/OM/S4/B/85891.