UPDATE 3/16/17 – Mark has lowered his asking to $2,200. Also, he wanted us to mention that the title is missing, so it will be sold on a bill of sale only.
FROM 2/27/17 – I won’t pretend to be an expert on Gilera Motorcycles. I know that it is an old Italian brand that’s been building bikes since the early 1900s and that over the years they have actually built some fast bikes. They also built lots of small low displacement motorcycles and this Giubileo is one of those. With a 98cc engine, it won’t be a rocket, but it’s small and light enough to still be fun to ride! Reader Mark S found it in a storage unit and dusted it off. It will need some work, but could be a fun bike to zip around town on after a tune up! It’s currently in Memphis, Tennessee and he is asking $2,750 $2,200. If you are interested in making him an offer or taking a closer look, be sure to use the form below to message him!
From Mark – OK here we go… the bike is in good ‘storage unit’ condition. Always stored dry and indoors. The paint is all there, but is pretty dull. The engine turns and has compression, but it hasn’t been started in 5 years.
As long as the engine still has good compression, it really shouldn’t be too difficult to get it running again. I would recommend doing a full tune up and a flush of the fuel system before trying to start it up. Thankfully, these are very easy engines to work on. And it looks to be complete, so you won’t have to worry about brushing up on your Italian just to track down parts!
I’m actually surprised at just how nice this bike actually looks. The odometer is showing 31,297, which I assume are kilometers, so someone actually put some miles on it. As Mark says, the paint is dull, but I think with some polishing you could have it looking almost like new! Event he seat could be used as is (you might want to put new foam in it though). If I were to buy, I think I would just detail it, get it running, replace the tires and enjoy it. With a name like Jubilee (Giubileo), this bike has to be fun! So if you are looking for a fun, but easy project, be sure to message Mark and let us know if you get it.
I want to thank Mark for listing his motorcycle with us! We always enjoy featuring two wheeled finds, so if you happen to have a bike sitting in your barn, storage unit or shed that needs a new home, we would love to hear about it.
Nice! I hope someone restores it. Shows it off and gets enjoyed by many. However it has some iconic lines and a trend for some time now is hipster clothing and accy shops, coffee bars or bars or restaurants buying bikes like this to lend ambiance and style to their marketing. Heck, last year at my local Sears store up on the walls was a picture of a Triumph engine with someone using Craftsman tools working on it. (Which is funny if you understand Whitworth, BSF and CEI). So hope it finds a good home. Nice to see some motorcycles on BF.
Just a 98cc? I thought they were closer to 150-200 cc. I never thought they got this small. It would definitely be an interesting conversation piece. People would be wondering what company made these and when. I remember seeing larger Gilera bikes back in the 60s but they died out as quickly as they came in….
I have seen much larger versions and there is a active Italian bike scene in the Calif bay area with a good show coming up in San Jose at the end of March.
(British bike clubmans show at the fairgrounds but there is a Japanese bike show and Italian bike show going on in adjacent buildings same day)
A basic search shows other examples of these and an Italian Kijjii site has multiple other examples for sale.
http://www.kijiji.it/motori/moto-e-scooter/gilera-moto/gilera+giubileo/
But shipping might be expensive. Euro to Dollar is pretty close right now so this one is a bit high in direct comparison but how many are here in US? But there are some as cheap as 800 Euro,, and as high as 8000 Euro.
I don’t know anything about working on motorcycles, but a former girlfriend had a Italjet from when she was a kid. The thing had sit in her parent’s garage for about 15 years. After soaking the carb, and a new spark plug, the little thing fired right up!
When you say you know nothing about working on motorcycles, all I can say is, gee, Robert Pirsig has got a book just for you!
A former girlfriend had an Italian Italjet from when she was a kid. I flushed the fuel tank and lines, soaked the carb for a day, and put in a new spark plug. The little thing fired up pretty fast.I like the style of these, to me they’re look similar to what the Japanese were doing.
Overpriced – seriously!
Truthfully, in this unrestored condition it’s overpriced by at least $2,000. There is nothing significant about this little 4 stroke and being rare does not make it sky high valuable. Somewhat later Gilera 4 stroke 106 and 124 cc Sears badged bikes are highly collectible.
BTW, the seat foam is around 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Flipping it over reveals numerous long and short springs that actually provide a comfortable ride.
2 stroke. 31k on a little bike is impressive!
I can’t let a bike, any bike, go by without a comment. While I don’t care for small bikes, you got to love the Italian styling. Riding a small bike, to me, is like paddling a canoe with one person. You still get there, but it helps to have more power. I had a friend with a Cimatti 150. Similar styling, ate my Honda 50 for lunch, but smoked profusely. And anyone that has ridden a small bike 31K kilometers ( almost 20K miles) knows, it is a lot.( actually surprised the speedo made it that far) Tis’ no highway bike, so someone did a lot of city driving. Not sure of the interest in this, but one thing is clear, you never know what is in those storage sheds.
i have lowered the price and would be open to interesting trades
thanks
m