Gilera 202 needs work (lots.....)
Posted: Fri Jan 05, 2018 1:00 am
Following on from this thread:
http://gileraclub.de/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=8552
I decided to start a separate thread on each of these bikes as otherwise it's going to get confusing. It will take time, but I intend restoring the 202 to 'original' condition...or reasonably close. The question is...what is 'original' for this particular 202 ?....and that is where I am going to be needing help from more knowledgable people (like here......). Gilera's of any type are rare here in Australia, so obtaining parts is going to be an issue and probably not cheap.
[apologies in advance, but this is going to be a bit long winded.....]
In any event, this is the 202 in question:
engine #201-658
frame # 201-341
Since the 202 was in production from 1964 through to 1970 (or so I believe) these low numbers might suggest this particular 202 was made in 1964 or 1965 (??...maybe?)
Obviously there are many parts that are not correct, and perhaps it should look more like this:
or this....
...or something else (see below).
Notice the difference between the tank and seat particularly of these 202's. Presumably these are production changes over the years, but I'd be interested to know what people here think.
Anyway, after taking delivery of the 202 (and the 150) I have found something that makes this particular bike even more of a mystery. On one of the rear shocks is this sticker:
....so it would appear this particular 202 was originally delivered in the USA, probably California, and then somehow found its way to Australia. I had thought that Gilera's were only sold through Sears in the USA, but a Google search has now shown that Gilera's were sold as such through a small dealer network in the USA. In fact, I found this Gilera USA sales poster:
Notice at the bottom that the 202 was an available model and came in three versions - Super Sport, Scrambler and Extra (interestingly, the 'Super Sport' in the poster looks very much like one of the 202's I've posted above).
This is where it gets really interesting in terms of the 'silver' 202 (first pic). If you look closely at the front wheel you can see that the rim is identical in form to the rear rim, only narrower (but same diameter - 17"). The front and rear rims are from the same manufacturer/era, although I can find no manufacturers markings. The front drum brake is also 'small', which is actually typical for dirt bikes of the era (you don't want or need the braking power of a large - road bike - drum brake on a dirt bike). Actually if you look at the 'Sei Giorni' (Six Days Trials) model you can see that it also has a 'small' front drum brake, which is typical.
So is it possible that the 202 I have was originally a USA spec 202 Scrambler model ?? This is pure speculation, of course, but does anyone have a photo of that particular model.
Any comments, help, advice will be greatly appreciated.
Again, sorry for the long post.
http://gileraclub.de/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=8552
I decided to start a separate thread on each of these bikes as otherwise it's going to get confusing. It will take time, but I intend restoring the 202 to 'original' condition...or reasonably close. The question is...what is 'original' for this particular 202 ?....and that is where I am going to be needing help from more knowledgable people (like here......). Gilera's of any type are rare here in Australia, so obtaining parts is going to be an issue and probably not cheap.
[apologies in advance, but this is going to be a bit long winded.....]
In any event, this is the 202 in question:
engine #201-658
frame # 201-341
Since the 202 was in production from 1964 through to 1970 (or so I believe) these low numbers might suggest this particular 202 was made in 1964 or 1965 (??...maybe?)
Obviously there are many parts that are not correct, and perhaps it should look more like this:
or this....
...or something else (see below).
Notice the difference between the tank and seat particularly of these 202's. Presumably these are production changes over the years, but I'd be interested to know what people here think.
Anyway, after taking delivery of the 202 (and the 150) I have found something that makes this particular bike even more of a mystery. On one of the rear shocks is this sticker:
....so it would appear this particular 202 was originally delivered in the USA, probably California, and then somehow found its way to Australia. I had thought that Gilera's were only sold through Sears in the USA, but a Google search has now shown that Gilera's were sold as such through a small dealer network in the USA. In fact, I found this Gilera USA sales poster:
Notice at the bottom that the 202 was an available model and came in three versions - Super Sport, Scrambler and Extra (interestingly, the 'Super Sport' in the poster looks very much like one of the 202's I've posted above).
This is where it gets really interesting in terms of the 'silver' 202 (first pic). If you look closely at the front wheel you can see that the rim is identical in form to the rear rim, only narrower (but same diameter - 17"). The front and rear rims are from the same manufacturer/era, although I can find no manufacturers markings. The front drum brake is also 'small', which is actually typical for dirt bikes of the era (you don't want or need the braking power of a large - road bike - drum brake on a dirt bike). Actually if you look at the 'Sei Giorni' (Six Days Trials) model you can see that it also has a 'small' front drum brake, which is typical.
So is it possible that the 202 I have was originally a USA spec 202 Scrambler model ?? This is pure speculation, of course, but does anyone have a photo of that particular model.
Any comments, help, advice will be greatly appreciated.
Again, sorry for the long post.