Book review- la Mobylette Universelle - National Autocycle and ...

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Another BMG Mosquito autocycle has surfaced in the UK. These machines are scarce enough
in their native Italy as they were only made for one year, 1952, with an estimated 18,000
manufactured. It was superseded in 1954 by the Velo-Mosquito with the direct roller-drive 49cc 38B
clip-on engine and a much more modern pressed-steel frame. The BMG (Bici-Mosquito- Garelli)
autocycle was always sold as a complete bike, the engine was a 50cc version of the 38cc Mosquito
clip-on with an alloy cover over the old “bacon-slicer” fl ywheel. The frame tube acted as the fuel
tank (the fi ller is under the saddle) and it had girder front forks and rear suspension via a coil-spring,
with the entire engine/rear wheel & frame unit pivoting at the bottom bracket-pedals axis.
BMG Mosquitos weighed 36kg, had 26” x 1¾ wheels, drum brakes, were good for 45kph and
consumed 1.3 litres of petroil per 100kms. They were actually made by Industria Meccanica
Napoletana and Metalmeccanica Meridionale in Naples and were sold through Mosquito agents all
over Europe with full approval from Garelli.
Guy Bolton found his at a small local autojumble at Kettleburgh, Suffolk, “.. how it ended up
there I really don’t know” he says, though it seems to have been advertised on Peter Smith’s
www.autocycles.co.uk website in 2005. As with most Mosquitos the ignition coil inside the drive-
roller is kaput so the live feed for the lights has been adapted to generate sparks, though the problem
then is either ignition or lights, but not both together! Other known BMG’s in the UK; DB has a
very original one found in Switzerland 45 years ago and there is another, a fully restored one with
non-original transfers, which is often seen at the Stafford Classic Bike Show and claims to be the
only one in Britain! Anybody know the whereabouts of any others?
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