Time flies when you're having fun

I have been working on other projects, namely some VeloSolex and a 4-wheel project that is taking a whole lot of my time, so the Zanetti has not seen much love recently

But this week, two people sent me pictures of their Bicizetta - two yellow one. Dieter in northern Germany and Luke in Wisconsin. Here are a picture of each of these

Dieter's:

Luke's:

It's been a while...

I have not added new posts in almost a year - shame on me - but I was mostly working on my Solex fleet during the last 12 months. 

I plan on restarting the Bicizeta this year and ride it, so watch this space.

Meanwhile, I found on Ebay Italy a Go-Kart which looks factory made with a Zanetti Engine similar to that of the Bicizeta - I grabbed some pictures from the site - it looks like fun

Transmission Belt - Cinghia Dentata 124L

After some research and without actually opening my engine yet, I found out that the transmission belt type which is described as 'Cinghia Dentata 124 L' in the manual, means that this is a '124L' type of belt, and not 124 teeth. 

This belot is actually quite easy to find. I bought a Gates in 0.5" (inch) width, they are also available in 0.75" and 1" - extract of the original manual is below:

 

Here are some pictures of the belt I bought for a few US $, Send me pics of your Zanetti Bicizeta by sending me an email at zanettic50@gmail.com

Zanetti Bicizeta and Fox for sale in the US (Pennsylvania)

I was contacted by John, who has two New Old Stock Bicizeta for sale, a black one like mine and a Yellow one. Both look like they were stored and just out of the box, they are in great conditions

See the pictures sent by John, if you want to contact him to buy the bike: john0dd1@yahoo.com

Scooter et Cyclomoto - Mars 1969 - N 196

I have found a copy of the March 1969 french magazine 'Scooter et Cyclomoto' which includes a fairly thorough test of the Bicizeta. It includes all sorts of test, speed, braking, with two different users of different weight.. it's interesting to see how detailed the review is. I am including a scan of each page below

Original Ad

Today, i want to share an add for the Bicizeta that was advertising the moped when it came out - it is in Italian, but gives you an idea of how it was pitched. Click on the image for a full resolution 600dpi picture

The Argentinian brother

It appears that the Bicizeta was produced in Argentina under the name 'Pumita' in the city of Cordoba. I saw some pictures on some Argentinian website, including the below which was restored by Jorge Ferreiro in 2008

If you have information regarding those, please contact me!

I have not posted anything in a while now, I am however still on the lookout for information. There is no indication in the engine manual I have of the specification for the drive belt between the engine clutch and the roller. If you have any information, please send me an email!!

As usual and like Tony from Belgium a few weeks ago, send me pics of your Zanetti Bicizeta by sending me an email at zanettic50@gmail.com

Today, Thomas from Neumünster (close to Hamburg), Germany, was king to send me two picture of his newly acquired blue Bicizeta, and it's a beauty! It's a 1968 and I can't wait to hear from Thomas when it will be running!

Send me pics of your Zanetti Bicizeta by sending me an email at zanettic50@gmail.com

Bici's new shoes

As it seems impossible to locate the proper Pirelli Mini Motor tires that should be what was the original mount on the Bicizeta, I have opted for some Michelin, white walls ribbed type Y tires. They are the same size and originally made for the Velosolex 5000 which uses the same size tire. Which is perfect because I found some NOS and just received them. 

Send me pics of your Zanetti Bicizeta by sending me an email at zanettic50@gmail.com

Roller Transmission Belt

One person reached out to me to have the reference of the roller transmission belt. I actually do not have this information and would be interested in it myself. I am asking left and right but if you have the information, send me an email at zanettic50@gmail.com

Per the engine manual page 34, it says that it is a belt 124 L, but that's all I have, 124 teeth, but which size or reference?? The Book says F1.0352 but that must be a Zanetti internal reference.

Anyone?

Focus - Petcock

Update 2 - Found and received:

Update: The one received has the wrong thread size. It seems that the item I received is a 10mm x 1mm thread, where I would need a 12mm x 1mm thread. 

I did find an NOS, but at 50 Euro for the petcock, this is out of my league, and I can't afford that luxury, so I am back in the hunt!

If you have a Zanetti C50, I would like to know you and your bike - it was produced in such small quantities, it would be great to know where the bikes are today. Send me an email at zanettic50@gmail.com with some details, the engine number and some pictures!

The petcock or fuel line tap is broken on my Bicizeta - From taking it out and comparing with some of the pictures I could find on the web and pictures that were sent to me, it seems original but broken where the line comes out to the carburetor:

The picture is not really good, but as the gas tank has a line coming out, there is also a nut connecting both items with reverse screws.

It appears to be an OMG brand although mine does not have any casting on it. Send me pics of yours at zanettic50@gmail.com


I am looking for a replacement and a french website selling old motorcycle parts (http://www.macadam2roues.fr) seems to be carrying some similar, like this one:

Control me!

The controls on the Bicizeta - like most parts on this italian stalion -  is a CEV model 8052.  I have fortunately inherited of one in my bike, this one:

But just in case I have been looking for a spare, you never know! I just found one, here in the US, brand new in the box, so I jumped on in - and it was reasonably priced, a score!

Pedals - 2

Received, here it is!That will be a big improvement! They are slightly different, maybe a different batch or later production? They are New Old Stock and the correct model and brand..

Pedals

I am still trying to locate all the parts to get the bike going before I even attempt to restart it. On the one I bought, the pedals are in pretty bad shape, one is damaged, the other ones is almost completely gone.

After trying to find clues and roaming the various eBay sites around the world where the Bicizeta was sold (US, Germany, Italy, France...) to try to locate some similar. I think I found the original ones.

They should be from the Way (or Was) Assauto brand, and the model is the Stella Sport. White rounded rubber with yellow or orange Catalux branded reflectors. These stopped to be produced in 1971, so there are not too many around.

I just bought a pair from a guy in Italy, hopefully in a week or two, I should have those and will be able to compare.

Spark Plug

Just a quick note to show you the two spark plugs I found in Germany. One of them will find its way on my Bicizeta soon, the other will be part of the parts inventory, just in case!

Send me pics of yours at zanettic50@gmail.com

They are very short and I am eagerly waiting for the time I will be able to plug this baby on the engine..

You have a Zanetti C50?

If you have a Zanetti C50, I would like to know you and your bike - it was produced in such small quantities, it would be great to know where the bikes are today. Send me an email at zanettic50@gmail.com with some details, the engine number and some pictures!

The ultimate goal is to create a registry of the bikes and a chronology of production

Tail light

The taillight on the Bicizeta is a model CEV 9312 - there is two version of this tail light (Fanalino Posteriore in Italian), one with a clear base and one with a black base. The base is soft plastic that molds to the fender to act as gasket. The version on the Bicizeta is the clear one. I found one in Italy NOS here it is broken down:

This one will find its place on the bike shortly

Sparking interest

The bike I found did not seem to start. The first thing to look at will be the spark plug. After looking in the Engine characteristics in the manual, I found that the spark plug is very specific to this engine, it is a Bosch WK 175T1 - there does not seem to be any cross references in other brands. 

As seen on the picture, it is unusual in its shape, very short! I found one in Germany and in the UK. Bought a one from Germany and am awaiting for this baby to come here so that I can put it on the bike and try yet again to start it.

The complete engine specifics for the Zanetti C50 engine translated from Italian:

Specifications	Combustion engine with a 2-stroke cycle
	Bore	38mm
	Race	37mm
	Displacement	41.96cmc
	Cicle	other
	Compression ratio	7.64:1
	Maximum effective at 5500 RPM at 1 HP	2
	Counter-clockwise rotation
	Fuel consumption	410 gr/Hph
Distribution	Timing with cross lights
Ignition	Magnetic flywheel alternator with fan
	Internal High Voltage coil
	Bosch spark plugs WK 175T1 or equivalent	WK175T1
	Ignition Timing: Fixed	16° to 20°
	Clearance between the points	0.38-0.42

Bicizeta, the rare one!

I have a number of Solexes made in France which are popular mopeds with an engine sitting on the front fork and a roller getting the bike going. I had heard from the Bicizeta through a friend in the South or France who has one, but that was it.. until I saw one popping up on ebay right around the corner from me. So after a chat with the seller I purchased it for a very reasonable amount of money.

It is missing some parts and some are broken or torn and it will require work. The first bit missing is the tail light which I tracked and identified as an Italian CEV model 9312 with the beige rim (there is also a black version). I happily found one in Italy, New Old Stock (NOS) that I should receive soon. Right now it looks like that, not too pretty:

It should be this one: