Polini S.p.A. is an Italian manufacturer of tuning parts for

motorcycle A motorcycle (motorbike, bike; uni (if one-wheeled); trike (if three-wheeled); quad (if four-wheeled)) is a lightweight private 1-to-2 passenger personal motor vehicle Steering, steered by a Motorcycle handlebar, handlebar from a saddle-style ...

moped A moped ( ) is a type of small motorcycle, generally having a less stringent licensing requirement than full motorcycles or automobiles. Historically, the term exclusively meant a similar vehicle with both bicycle pedals and a motorcycle eng ...

s, and scooters founded in 1945. Among other products, they produce

cylinders A cylinder () has traditionally been a three-dimensional solid, one of the most basic of curvilinear geometric shapes. In elementary geometry, it is considered a prism with a circle as its base. A cylinder may also be defined as an infinite ...

and variators for both

racing In sports, racing is a competition of speed, in which competitors try to complete a given task in the shortest amount of time. Typically this involves traversing some distance, but it can be any other task involving speed to reach a specific g ...

and road use. They also produce pocket bikes with 50cc up to 15 hp. The company was founded when the Italian soldier Battista Polini returned from his service in

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

and started making

bicycle A bicycle, also called a pedal cycle, bike, push-bike or cycle, is a human-powered transport, human-powered or motorized bicycle, motor-assisted, bicycle pedal, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, with two bicycle wheel, wheels attached to a ...

s, which sold very well. The first logo of the company was a

ram Ram, ram, or RAM most commonly refers to: * A male sheep * Random-access memory, computer memory * Ram Trucks, US, since 2009 ** List of vehicles named Dodge Ram, trucks and vans ** Ram Pickup, produced by Ram Trucks Ram, ram, or RAM may also ref ...

, which was the

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon f ...

of Battista's battalion. When the first

Vespa Vespa () is an Italian brand of scooters and mopeds manufactured by Piaggio. The name means wasp in Italian. The Vespa has evolved from a single model motor scooter manufactured in 1946 by Piaggio & Co. S.p.A. of Pontedera, Italy, to a ...

and

Lambretta Lambretta () was a brand of motor scooters, manufactured in Milan, Italy, by Innocenti. The name is derived from the word Lambrate, the suburb of Milan named after the river Lambro which flows through the area, and where the factory was locat ...

scooters emerged in the 1940s, manufacture of parts for these was started. Today, Polini is owned by Battista Polini's three sons Carlo, Franco, and Piero. Tuning parts are manufactured for all major brands of scooters and motorcycles. Polini also produces a line of miniature folding scooters called SkAtE. The company has also produced very small engines—notably the ''Polini Thor 250 / 250-DS'' water-cooled,

two-stroke engine A two-stroke (or two-stroke cycle) engine is a type of internal combustion engine that completes a Thermodynamic power cycle, power cycle with two strokes of the piston, one up and one down, in one revolution of the crankshaft in contrast to a f ...

—for use in

paramotors Powered paragliding, also known as paramotoring or PPG, is a form of ultralight aviation where the pilot wears a back-pack motor (a paramotor) which provides enough thrust to take off using a paraglider. It can be launched in still air, and ...

for

powered parachutes A powered parachute, often abbreviated PPC, and also called a motorized parachute or paraplane, is a type of aircraft that consists of a parafoil with a motor and wheels. The FAA defines a powered parachute as ''a powered aircraft a flexible or ...

, and in

ultralight aircraft Ultralight aviation (called microlight aviation in some countries) is the flying of lightweight, 1- or 2-seat fixed-wing aircraft. Some countries differentiate between weight-shift control and Aircraft flight control system, conventional three-a ...

. Though that line is apparently discontinued, the engines remain listed, on the menu of its website, as "Out of Stock Models," and remain available, used, and in wide use on active aircraft."Polini Thor 250-Thor 250 DS,"
Polini Motori,

Bergamo, Italy Bergamo ( , ; ) is a city in the Alps, alpine Lombardy region of northern Italy, approximately northeast of Milan, and about from the alpine lakes Lake Como, Como and Lake Iseo, Iseo and 70 km (43 mi) from Lake Garda, Garda and Lake ...

, retrieved December 10, 2022"Polni" (list of related articles)
''Cross Country'' magazine, retrieved December 10, 2022Wilson, Tom: ngine Theory: Direct vs. Geared,"August 19, 2016, ''Kitplanes,'' retrieved December 10, 2022"Which paramotor engine? These are the top 5 paramotor engine choices,"
''Paramotor Planet,'' retrieved December 10, 2022 Polini's main competitor is

Malossi Malossi S.p.A. is an Italian manufacturer of Engine tuning, tuning parts for mopeds and Scooter (motorcycle), scooters. It was founded by Armando Malossi in 1930. Originally the company specialised in tuning Dell'Orto carburettors for motorcycles ...

, which is also based in Italy.

References

External links

* {{Automotive industry in Italy Motorcycle manufacturers of Italy Auto parts suppliers of Italy Automotive motorsports and performance companies Manufacturing companies established in 1946 Italian companies established in 1946 Italian brands Companies based in Lombardy Scooter manufacturers Moped manufacturers Motorcycle parts manufacturers Motorcycle technology Minibikes Two-stroke gasoline engines Engine manufacturers of Italy

See also

References

External links