Derbi is a manufacturer of motorcycles, scooters, mopeds and recreational all-terrain vehicles produced by Nacional Motor S.A.U., a Spanish subsidiary of Piaggio & Co. SpA.

History

Derbi's origins began with a little

bicycle A bicycle, also called a pedal cycle, bike or cycle, is a human-powered or motor-powered assisted, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A is called a cyclist, or bicyclist. Bic ...

workshop in the village of Mollet near Barcelona, founded in 1922 by Simeó Rabasa i Singla (1901–1988). The focus remained the repair and hire of bicycles until May 1944 when Rabasa formed a limited liability company named Bicycletas Rabasa with the aim of moving into manufacturing bicycles. The venture proved very successful and in 1946, supported by its profits, work began on a motorised version. More moped than motorcycle, this first model, the 48cc SRS included plunger rear suspension, and a motorcycle type gas tank and exhaust system. The SRS proved so successful it prompted a change in the company's direction, and on November 7, 1950, the company changed its name to the Nacional Motor SA. Just prior to this, at that summer's Barcelona Trade Fair, the company unveiled its first real motorcycle, the Derbi 250. Derbi RAN 50cc 1972 front

First win in 1968 with Barry Smith at TT race, Derbi successfully competed in

Grand Prix motorcycle racing Grand Prix motorcycle racing is the premier class of motorcycle road racing events held on road circuits sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM). Independent motorcycle racing events have been held since the start ...

, winning 50cc world championships in

1969 This year is notable for Apollo 11's first landing on the moon. Events January * January 4 – The Government of Spain hands over Ifni to Morocco. * January 5 **Ariana Afghan Airlines Flight 701 crashes into a house on its approach to ...

1970 Events January * January 1 – Unix time epoch reached at 00:00:00 UTC. * January 5 – The 7.1 Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity scale, Mercalli intensity of X (''Extrem ...

and

1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, me ...

. When the 50cc class was increased to an 80cc displacement in

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeast A ...

, Derbi would claim four consecutive world championships between

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. **Spain and Portugal ente ...

and

1989 File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress Street Viaduct, Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxo ...

, before the class was discontinued in Grand Prix competition. The firm also experienced racing success in 125cc Grand Prix competitions, winning world championships in

1971 * The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses ( February 25, July 22 and August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 10, and August 6). The world population increased by 2.1% this year, the highest increase in history. Events Ja ...

1988 File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Australian ...

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

and

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

. The Derbi RSA 125 earned 405 points in the constructor's championship in the 125cc class. The 405 points in 2010 are second only to

Aprilia Aprilia is an Italian motorcycle manufacturer founded immediately after World War II in Noale, Italy, by Alberto Beggio. The company started as a manufacturer of bicycles and moved on to manufacture scooters and small-capacity motorcycles. ...

which earned 410 points in 2007.

Modern history

Unlike Ossa, Bultaco, and Montesa, Derbi successfully met the challenges that followed the

Spanish transition to democracy Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

and Spain's entry into the European Community. Simeó Rabasa i Singla died in 1988 but the company remained independent until 2001, when it was bought out by the Piaggio group.

The Derbi name

The name Derbi is an acknowledgement of the company's history, and is an amalgamation from the Catalan-phrase ''Derivats de BIcicletes'' (derivatives of bicycles).

Past Models

Pedal Mopeds *Derbi Variant SL *Derbi Variant SLE *Derbi Variant TT *Derbi Variant Sport *Derbi DS50, step through scooter *Derbi Diablo C4, enduro styling *Derbi Diablo C5, enduro styling (using the Variant engine and transmission) *Derbi RD50, enduro styling (using the Variant engine and transmission) *Derbi Laguna, road styling (some models using the Variant engine and transmission) *Derbi Laguna Sport Road * Derbi GPR 125 2T * Derbi T 250 6V Scooters * Derbi Manhattan * Derbi Hunter * Derbi Predator * Derbi Paddock

Current Models

Road * Derbi GPR 50 * Derbi GPR 50 Nude * Derbi GPR 125 4T 4V * Derbi Cross City 125 * Derbi Etx 150 *

Derbi Stx 150 Derbi is a manufacturer of motorcycles, scooters, mopeds and recreational all-terrain vehicles produced by Nacional Motor S.A.U., a Spanish subsidiary of Piaggio & Co. SpA. History Derbi's origins began with a little bicycle workshop in th ...

* Derbi Mulhacén 125 * Derbi Mulhacén Café 125 Supermoto * Derbi Senda 50 * Derbi Senda X-Race/X-Treme 50 * Derbi Senda 125 4T SM * Derbi Mulhacén 659 * Derbi Terra Adventure 125 Scooters * Atlantis * Boulevard * GP1 *Bullet

References

External links

* {{125cc/Moto3 World Constructors' Champions Moped manufacturers Motorcycle manufacturers of Spain Piaggio Group Spanish brands