42 :OLD BIKE AUSTRALASIA
Marzocchi 40mm front forks with 120mm of
movement sat at the front, using one leg for
compression damping and the other for rebound,
with a single vertically-mounted multi-adjustable
Marzocchi rear shock operated via a linkage and
giving 130mm of rear wheel travel. A single Brembo
300mm with four-piston caliper gripped the front,
with a 240mm disc and two-piston calliper at the
rear. The wheels were Marvic cast-alloy with the
three spokes being hollow. 17 inch wheels were
used front and rear, with tyres of 110/70 and 140/70
section respectively. No centre stand was fitted, only
a side stand and weight was quoted at 136kg.
Around 1,000 units, split approximately 400/600
between 500cc and 350cc, went to Japan, with the
Bialbero (Dual cam) moniker on the rear of the seat,
finished in either all-red, or black with white frame
and red wheels. After deliberating for nearly two
years, a small number was also exported to UK,
where despite the hefty 5,000 pounds price tag
(25% higher than a Honda CBR600), they had little
trouble finding owners.
In keeping with the café racer theme were clip-on
handlebars, a bikini fairing containing an instrument
cluster of speedo, tacho and temperature gauge, a
single seat with a racing style tail and mock racing
number plates. Two different exhaust systems
were available; a black-painted twin-pipe from
the two exhaust ports which became a single
megaphone style silencer, or two separate
chromed pipes each with megaphone
silencers. The latter specification was
marketed as the TT Special in Japan.
In Australia, Geoff Radcliffe lusted after a Bialbero,
but the enormous price of nearly AU$8,000 turned
him off. But after waiting nearly 25 years, Geoff did
get his hands on one, via an importer in Queensland
who brought in a small number of used machines
from Japan. “When this was made, Gilera had the
most up to date 500 single in the
world, that’s why
I wanted one,” says Geoff.
“There were a couple brought
into Australia in 1988 to have
them qualified for Australian
Design Rules, but they were too
expensive.” Geoff’s Saturno isstandard except for the rear shock, which was
replaced with a more modern remote-reservoir
type. “This is not like, say a Yamaha XT600,”
Geoff adds, “You’ve got to rev it. There’s not much
happening below 4,000. I believe there are now
about ten in Australia and Bob Wright Motorcycles
in England does a lot of Gilera stuff and has plenty
of parts for these.” On one of Geoff’s first runs, the
water pump packed up and these were unobtain-
able for a while, but are now being made by a
firm in Germany.
Geoff had the Saturno running again for the 2017
Bathurst Easter Rally, and during a lunch stop in the
quaint village of Hill End, offered me the keys. TheGILERA SATURNO BIALBERO
One pipe exits either side of the engine.Owner Geoff Radcliffe enjoying a fang
on the open roads near Bathurst.