1972 Ala d’Oro
By Paul Brodie
It all started innocently enough. I’ve always been fascinated by frames, and I wanted an Aermacchi racing frame. I knew the Trev Deeley Motorcycle Museum had a 1966 250 CRTT, so I got introduced to Trev and asked if I could borrow his racer, strip it down, and make a jig so I could produce my own frame. He agreed.
I used a 66H frame, cut off the rear, and fabricated from there. My plan was just to “have the frame”, (ha ha), but when it was finished, I immediately started to assemble parts, build wheels, etc. And then I decided to go racing, which was never part of the original plan!
For 1999, the engine was stock and consisted of 1972 crankcases, with 1973 head, barrel, carb and 5-speed transmission with the close ratio conversion. I decided to concentrate on suspension, bike setup, and my riding skills. I started with stock suspension, and hubs.
First came softer rear shock springs. Next was 35mm Betor forks mated to a Honda 450 front brake with Ferodo linings. What a difference!
Over the winter of ’99 the engine got worked on to improve performance. A cam, head work, bigger valves, larger carb, rod and piston. I also installed an XL175 Honda rear wheel, which saved 3.5 pounds! With these modifications, it’s definitely a lot faster (check out my Year 2000 Racing Diary).
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