VT 317

This was the first motorcycle built in 1909by Giuseppe Gilera; it marked the birth of the Gilera legend. The first single-cylinder machines built by Giuseppe Gilera borrowed their general structure directly from the bicycle. The frame was that of a velocipede, reinforced with larger diameter pipes and tyres that had a particularly large section for those years. The motorcycle did not have a clutch or a gearbox, and it was equipped with direct transmission from the crankshaft to the rear wheel by a leather belt. The VT 317 had starter pedals and a decidedly modern engine: two long-stroke overhead valves driven by rocker arms, with large fins on the cylinder and head. The small size and light weight of the VT 317 made it a brilliant motorcycle which could exceed 100 km/h.