1910 Frera

[wyatt emp]

Anyone have any information on 1910 Ferea motorcycle singles? How fast would they go and what was the transmition system?

[Buzz Kanter]

Some man has been trying to sell one without a piston and who knows what else on ebay for more than a month. He loweres his price, then raises his price, and then lowers it agian without a single bid.

[wyatt emp]

That's the one I am looking at. Don't know anything about Italian bikes so just trying to determine if it is something I would want. As you said it has no bids so I am thinking there is something wrong with it. Big concern is no piston and there dosn't seem to be any type of clutch or transmition????? He tells me one sold for over $35,000 at auction, so why dosn't he sell it there?

[rwm]

i was gonna hit with the same thing buzz said.but hay if you like wine why not buy it.

[wyatt emp]

Ther's the rub. I do like the bike but do not know what is missing so hoping there is someone out there that knows about these bikes. I know it needs a piston, and I do not see any type of tansmition or clutch system. Is it missing, have to shut it down to stop and then re-start to go, or what. Control cables are also missing. I assume the two handle bar levers are the throttle on the right and compression release on the left? Just don't want to end up with a rather expinsive paper weight. If I can't ride it I don't want it.........

[rwm]

i would hold off on that bike.it looks cool.but could just be a bunch of stuff put together. why would it have a magneto made in the usa.?you will need to find an italian bike forum and ask them.you won't get much info on the european bikes here.that is not a shot at anybody just the way it is.when you find a forum use google translate to help. i used it for a french motor i have it helped alot

[Buzz Kanter]

It does look pretty cool and I was considering it but had too many reservations about a bike this old that I know nothing about.

If he sold one for $35,000 a few years ago perhaps he should contact that buyer and give him a hald price deal.

The fact that it has been up on ebay so many times and not sold says something. But it does look cool!

[stagelines]

I came across the documentation pasted below during a google search.

What strikes me as unusual is the misalignment of the leather belt. It looks like the frame is tweaked. Check out the bike in photo with all of the cars in the background.

36. Former Frera factories: The Motorcycle Museum and its Library
The former Frera factories in via Zara were built in 1905 by Corrado Frera to host his
company by the same name, founded in Milan in 1897. Today it has been rebuilt by the
Municipal administration to host the Civic Library and the Motorcycle Museum.
The building that for nearly thirty years was a mechanics workshop where hundreds of
motorbikes were assembled, today has a beautiful liberty-style orange façade. Excellent
models that won countless sport competitions in the beginning of the century, worthy of
becoming part of not only Italian history, luckily, thanks to donations of collectors are
exposed in this Museum.
It was built on land sold by the church, as the farmers of the area wanted to keep their own
lands to cultivate. The Frera industry gave work to more than one thousand people and
transformed the economy of Tradate from only agricultural into an industrial centre.
With the crisis of the thirties the decline of the factory began and finally it had to close in
1936. After being occupied by various other factories, in 1987 the Municipality bought the
building and wanted to turn it into an important cultural space.
Today it is a municipal library, one of the biggest in Lombardy, with more than sixty
thousand volumes that can be viewed in light spacious rooms and can host different
customers in reserved areas. It also has a periodical library that allows the public to have
more than hundred Italian and foreign headings available.
On the upper floor it is possible to visit the Motorcycle Museum divided into two areas, one
bigger, of the Frera models, and another those of their competition.

[wyatt emp]

That is what I was thinking in general. Way too many questions about the bike to drop $10,000 on, so unless he will come WAY down on price, and he said he already turned down $8,000 so he won't, I believe I will pass. Realy want an early V-Twin anyway. In fact think about trading my 1910 Harley for one.......

[bilp]

It's not a worry about not having the piston. It would be cast iron, of course, but many's the 'modern' alloy piston that I've modified to run in a Veteran motor. It's not a difficult job at all. The important measurement is the crown height from centre of gudgeon pin. Pins can be bushed, one way or the other, and there's bound to be a modern alloy piston that would do the job. I have just fitted pairs of 'modern' Indian made Royal Enfield piston rings in my 1925 Indian Scout with great success.
Transmission would be by 28 degree vee Belt and speed - probably 40mph with 30 being comfortable. My 1908 Triumph can get along at 55mph on solo gearing.