The Moto Rumi organisation was formed at the beginning of the twentieth century and originally supplied cast components to the textile machinery industry. At the outbreak of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, Rumi became involved in the manufacture of armaments, miniature submarines and torpedoes. After the end of the war in 1950, Rumi decided to get involved in the manufacture of lightweight motorcycles. It was also decided to base the powerplant on the horizontal twin

two stroke A two-stroke (or two-stroke cycle) engine is a type of internal combustion engine that completes a power cycle with two strokes (up and down movements) of the piston during one power cycle, this power cycle being completed in one revolution of t ...

unit of 125 cc capacity. In 1952, with the popularity of scooters, Rumi started manufacturing the Squirrel or Scoiottolo – a cast aluminum monocoque body with tubular swinging arm

rear suspension Suspension is the system of tires, tire air, springs, shock absorbers and linkages that connects a vehicle to its wheels and allows relative motion between the two. Suspension systems must support both road holding/ handling and ride q ...

and teleforks with 14 inch wheels and three gears. Subsequent models had a four speed gearbox and

electric starter A starter (also self-starter, cranking motor, or starter motor) is a device used to rotate (crank) an internal-combustion engine so as to initiate the engine's operation under its own power. Starters can be electric, pneumatic, or hydraulic. ...

and were reputed to be the fastest scooters then in production.

1952

In 1952, Rumi was producing the "sports" and "super sport" motorcycle models (single and twin carburettor versions respectively). The "super sport" was superseded by the "Competizione" or "Gobbetto", a pure factory racer.

1954

1954 brought the production of the Formichino or Little Ant scooter, which was reputedly designed by Ing Salvatti. A "Competizione" won the Italian National Championship in 1954. The entire body (with exception of the front forks, crash rails and legshields) was produced in cast aluminium, with the front and rear castings bolted to the engine to form a monocoque which resulted in a light and rigid construction. The rear swinging arm, chaincase and silencer box were also constructed in cast aluminium. These models originally HAD 8 inch wheels, but by 1958 they reverted to 10 inch which gave a better stability and

ground clearance Ride height or ground clearance is the amount of space between the base of an automobile tire and the lowest point of the automobile (typically the axle); or, more properly, to the shortest distance between a flat, level surface, and the lowest p ...

.Italian Motorcycles, Mick Walker, 1991, Motorbooks International, Osceola Wisconsin.

1955

During 1955, the "Competizione" was superseded by the "Junior Corsa" and "Junior Gentleman".

1958

In 1958, Rumi also produced a sports version called the "Tipo Sport" which had a 22 mm carburettor, larger exhaust pipes and a higher

compression ratio The compression ratio is the ratio between the volume of the cylinder and combustion chamber in an internal combustion engine at their maximum and minimum values. A fundamental specification for such engines, it is measured two ways: the stati ...

1957/58

In 1957/58 and 1960, Rumi won the famous Bol d'Or 24-hour races at Montlhery in France and subsequently Rumi produced the Bol d'Or scooter named after the race. In the UK, it sported dropped handlebars, chrome plated aluminium cylinders and twin carburettors but the French version favoured the Bol d'or with a single 22 mm carburettor.

Liquidation

During the 1960s, Rumi went into liquidation and Donnino Rumi went back to being a sculptor and artist.

References

MotoRumi Forum
Defunct motor vehicle manufacturers of Italy Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1950 Italian companies established in 1950 {{Motorcycle-racing-stub