1970 Derbi 50cc. Disc valve, water-cooled, single cylinder two-stroke. Top speed 170km/h (106mph)
T
here are probably several conflicting
opinions in answer to the question
‘Is bigger better?’ And it is not only
motorcycles that have become progressively
bigger in the past fifty years. More mature
readers will remember the original Mini,
Ford Escort, and a dozen other small or
medium sized cars that were just as fast
and capable as anything on the road now.
Do you really need a two and a half-litre,
and in many cases bigger vehicle, to go to a
super market, or pick up someone for a ride
home? The trend to make engines bigger is
also in stark contrast to the current concern
about climate change. Motorcycle engines
too have been getting bigger [check out
Triumph’s behemoth Rocket 3 in this issue
- Ed], but for different reasons. I rarely, if
ever, see large bikes at the supermarket, or
picking up people from institutions.
So where did the cubic capacity
escalation start? It used to be said that
what happens on the race track usually
ends up on the road. I’m sure a smaller
motor can be found somewhere in the
annals of history, but the first to give
the small engines the attention they
deserved on the race track were the
Derbi, and Suzuki factories. Kreidler
and Honda also joined in. So, in the 1962
Grand Prix calendar 50cc joined the
350cc, 250cc and 125cc classes. The 500cc
were the big boys. The 50’s continued
until 1983, and the following year the class
was increased to 80cc, which lasted only
until 1989, when the calendar was reduced
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