500 VL Sei Giorni

Gilera achieved its first major international victory at the 1930 Six Day race in Grenoble, making its mark in the regularity, cross and speed races with Miro Maffeis and Rosolino Grana on two 500 VL bikes, and Luigi Gilera and Gino Zanchetta on the 500 VL sidecar. The next year at Merano the 500 VL replicated its victory and Gilera decided to put it into standard production until 1934, equipped with new accessories such as the rpm counter, speedometer and a larger-capacity battery. The “Sei Giorni” version of the 500cc, with side valves, differs from the model built in the 1920s for its intake valve (which was not parallel to the exhaust), the angled intake pipe and the hermetic protective caps on the valve shafts at an angle to the axle. Besides, it was equipped with the first elastic rear suspension on a Gilera.