Draft:Hiro (motorcycles)
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| Company type | Privately held company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Motorcycle |
| Founder | Andrea Mosconi |
| Headquarters | , |
| Products | Motorcycles |
Hiro (Hiro S.a.S) was an Italian combustion engine manufacturer based in Origgio (Province of Varese) that was active between 1973 and 1986. Founded by Andrea Mosconi, a small manufacturer that had started by producing motocross motorcycles under the brand Eurocross, the company produced mainly 125, 175, 250 and 350 cc two-stroke engines for motocross, enduro and road, as well as a 320 cc trials engine and a sport aviation engine, for hang gliding, of 23 cc.[1][2]
History
[edit]Motocross rider Andrea Mosconi was very confident in the future of ZF Sachs motocross engines, but he was not satisfied with the models the German manufacturer was supplying him with at the time and decided to change them to proprietary brand Aermacchi 125cc engines at the time of Harley-Davidson.[1] Between 1969 and 1970 he mounted these engines on his competition motorcycles, which he called "Eurocross 125",[2] until Aermacchi stopped supplying 125 cc models.
In 1973, Mosconi founded Hiro Motori S.a.s.[1][2] in Origgio and began marketing motorcycles with its own engines under the Hiro brand. These were probably the first motocross engines that could be started with an inserted gear. The company soon specialized in supplying 125cc and 250cc motocross engines for other brands including TGM (Hiro's first customer, as early as 1974), Ancillotti, Aprilia, MAV and GKD. Later, Hiro also manufactured 49 and 80 cc engines for mopeds and light motorcycles.[1]
The Hiro engines were all two-strokes, up to 6 speeds with dry clutch. There were air-cooled and others water-cooled. The 125 cc delivered from 26 to 30 HP, while the 250, which had a displacement of 246 cc, delivered from 36.5 to 38.[1]
The first notable results of the brand in competition appeared in 1976 thanks to Ivan Alborghetti, one of the best Italian motocross riders of the time.[1] In 1977, the company launched two new engine versions for enduro (175 cc) and trial (350 cc), models that were mass-produced during 1978.[1] Hiro merged with Aprilia in 1976 but production continued until 1986, when it ceased for good.[2][1]
The Hiro trials
[edit]
Although Hiro particularly stood out in motocross and enduro, the brand also played a prominent role in the trials mode. Among his best-known creations are the 350 cc "Miller" with a 6-speed gearbox and a power of 18 hp at 6,500 rpm,[1] a model developed by Sammy Miller around 1978, or the engines of Armstrong trial two-strokes of the early 1980s, with riders such as Steve Saunders and John Lampkin achieving success in the FIM Trial World and British Trials championships.
At the end of his collaboration with Honda, Sammy Miller decided to dedicate himself to his own designs and in 1978 he partnered with Andrea Mosconi to create a trial model. The Hiro engine provided high performance[3] and Miller intended to mass produce this model and market it under his own name, "Miller". The Irish tested the prototype in the United Kingdom during 1979, but finally, despite obtaining several successes in competition, the Miller did not get to be put into production.[4]
A few years later, in 1981, the small Italian manufacturer based in Pesaro Trans AMA fitted the Hiro engine created by Sammy Miller to their new trials model, named "Maltry" after motorcycle frame specialist Renè Maltry. The Trans AMA was developed in close collaboration with Sammy Miller himself.[5]
Manufacturers of Hiro engines
[edit]
These are manufacturers who assembled Hiro engines:
- Accossato
- Alfer
- Ancillotti
- Aprilia
- Armstrong-CCM
- Barbiero
- Cagiva
- GKD
- Moto Gori
- Intramotor Gloria
- MAV
- Mazzilli
- Scarab
- TGM
- Trans Ama
References
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