Our moment in time begins in 1922, at a small workshop on the outskirts of Turin, when Candido Viberti began producing his first cars. These met with the approval of Giovanni Ceirano, a pioneer of the Italian automotive industry and the founder of SCAT (Società Ceirano Automobili Torino).
In 1928 FIAT absorbed both SCAT and Viberti, at which point Viberti decided to establish his own Candido Viberti Company to develop his own ideas. Viberti agreed a deal with FIAT to take over the old SCAT site at Via Sant' Antonio in the heart of Borgo San Paolo, Turin. This had been the first real industrial complex for the construction of car bodies and industrial vehicles, covering an area of about 8,000m² and employing about 150 workers. Viberti decided to concentrate his manufacturing on the production of commercial vehicles: buses, fuel tankers, trailers, semi-trailers, special bodies, trolleybuses, and trucks, believing that the development of these kinds of vehicles would lead to success.
By 1932 Viberti was well established as a leading brand in this field and the plant entered a period of unprecedented prosperity and development. As a result, by 1935 it was becoming clear that a much bigger site was going to be needed.
The chosen site was the former Ansaldo automobile factory in Turin, which had stopped making cars in 1931. This was a much larger complex, nearly nine times the size of the old SCAT site with an area of 70,000m²; it was also located in Turin and could employ around 800 workers.
1932 was another milestone in Viberti’s history with the acquisition of SAIV, a Verona company specializing in the production of liquid tanks that had been founded in 1923. It was an acquisition that allowed Viberti to expand the product range. In 1937 Viberti began production of aviation fuel distribution trucks for airport runways and landing areas. In June 1940, Italy entered World War II on the side of the Axis powers, and the Ministero Della Guerra (Ministry of War) entrusted Viberti with the construction of huge numbers of trailers with special containers for the transport of liquids and fuels for the army, navy, and aviation, as well as the construction of other means of transport.
Viberti was employing over 1,750 workers in 1943 but the outbreak of war, was not all about increased orders. The factory sustained great losses from bombing and, according to the balance sheets, almost 60% of the entire industrial area was razed to the ground as a result of bomb attacks and other military action.
Italian industry bounced back well in the period of post-war recovery, and Viberti produced more new products, such as the three-axle articulated vehicle built in 1950, that helped the company to revive. Viberti continued to expand its manufacturing facilities in the post-war period, effectively doubling its pre-war factory areas to over 146,000m² and now employing about 2,000 people.
From 1952, Viberti began a number of acquisitions, such as Officina Carenzi (tankers) in Piacenza and Officine Adige (brakes) in Verona, which allowed the Turin group to increase its domestic market share and offer customers more products.
Viberti contracted a partnership with Victoria, one of the oldest German motor cycle manufacturers, in 1956 so that it could enter the flourishing 1950s’ two-wheeler market. Viberti would produce pressed-steel moped frames designed by the already established frame builder Bruno Müller, to take Victoria’s new M51 engine. The two companies agreed to sell their own-branded versions of the same machines, with Victoria advertising its new Avanti Sport model in the German motor cycle press as early as November 1956. The advert was only an artistic illustration, presumably to promote the new models for the next season, even before Viberti presented its commuter moped version as the ViVi (derived from Viberti–Victoria) at the Milan Cycle and Motor Cycle Show in December 1956.
The ViVi’s launch was bitterly protested against by Italian moped manufacturers who were still building machines with traditional tubular steel frames by brazed lug construction methods, compared to which, the lightweight ViVi’s pressed-steel frame was markedly cheaper to produce. Some suggested that the aggressive low pricing of ViVi was orchestrated by the FIAT Group (as the owners of Viberti) and demanded its expulsion from the show for unfair competition. The launch went ahead anyway, and so did the Viberti ViVi.
Viberti added other ViVi variants in 1957, as Turismo, Gran Turismo, Sport, Scooter, and three-wheel transport models, while Victoria started selling its own-branded moped version as the Tourist, and further presented an Avanti two-speed sports model. It seemed very likely that much of the Avanti press-work was produced by Viberti, as parts of the frame assembly appear distinctively Italian styled, and Viberti produced its own ViVi Sport styled versions using the same frame elements, but fitted with different tanks and toolboxes from those Victoria used on its Avanti Sports version.
Motor Cycling’s edition of 28th Feb 1957 announced that Dot Cycle & Motor Manufacturing Co Ltd (Devoid of Trouble) of Arundel Street in Manchester had finalized an agreement to import Italian ViVi machines, and included a picture of the Avanti Sport moped.
The April 1957 edition of Power & Pedal presented Dot’s brochure pictures of the two-speed moped, Road Racer (two-speed), and Scooterette, with respective prices, but Dot’s contribution to the ViVi was simply fitting a UK market compliant rear lamp, number plates, and Dot waterslide transfers on the tank.
Dot was clearly selling the ViVis in the early 1957 season, though Glass’s Guide didn’t catch up with their listing until 1958.
In 1958, Victoria merged with DKW and Express Werke AG to form the Zweirad Union, which maintained the Victoria name on its continuing Vicky mopeds and small motor scooters. The Victoria Avanti (in red) was also produced as the Express Carion (in red), and DKW Violetta (in blue).
Dot added the Grand Tourer moped and three-speed Road Racer to listings in 1959.
Viberti quoted its ViVi UK market models fitted the Victoria M51 engine as 38mm bore × 42mm stroke for 47.6cc, rated at 2.2bhp@6,000rpm with the compression ratio given as 8:1 with a two side-squish cylinder head and a 12mm Bing carburettor.
The two-speed bike we have is registered as a Dot ViVi, because that’s how they were recorded in Britain, though clearly built by Viberti as it wears all the Italian decals, Viberti mag cover, and still features the incriminating continental market rear lamp with no clear port to illuminate the number plate. From the deeply valanced rear mudguard and carrier arrangement it would appear to be the Italian market Gran Turismo model.
There are lots of interesting details about the bike, with so many parts being unexpectedly of Viberti origin, like the unique ViVi branded saddle, fuel cap, and handlebar grips. The rear suspension units are unusual and, despite being easily dismantled, are only listed in the ViVi parts list as complete units, so seem to be proprietary items. Most of their components are easily dismantled alloy castings, and the surprise is to discover an oil reservoir in the bottom leg, but it’s not damping! The central rod dips into the oil reservoir as the rear suspension compresses, to lubricate its moving parts. As a result, the rear shocks are still in as-new mechanical order after 65-years!
The headlamp nacelle has a small ‘mystery’ button on the right-hand side: it’s an engine cut-out, which is often how Italian manufacturers did things in those times, but despite being wired-up, it doesn’t seem to work. The CEV light switch also includes a horn button (which doesn’t work), and another cut-out button, which does work, proving its good to have a backup, especially since ViVi seems settled to ticking over like a good little moped…
While both hubs have been recently serviced and the linings seemed fine, both brakes were still felt to be under-performing in operation. Despite being back-pedal, the rear brake seemed poor in operation, probably due to lower leverage from the short pedal arms, while the front was simply just ineffective. Both brakes just seemed to need high levels of pressure to achieve results
Lights all work, but not the horn, though it had earlier seemed to test OK on the AC ‘trembler’.
Starting: turn on the fuel tap at the bottom left of the tank off–on–res. We push down the choke button on top of the carb, but this doesn’t seem to result in a start, so open the throttle wide to clear the choke—and it starts first spin!
Running quickly clears, so we try it up and down the drive, where it seems to respond well to throttle on the standard 13-tooth front sprocket. On our first run we clock 30mph through the flashing speed-check sign along the road, but misfiring issues quickly develop so we return to base to check it out.
The cylinder head has clearly been machined down on a lathe to significantly increase the compression ratio and, comparing this to a standard head, it looks as if 1mm has been removed from the face. From 8:1, this would now increase the compression to 10:1, so we may expect it to perform a little better than a standard machine. We fit new rings, a new main seal on the mag side, rewire the mag-set, fit a replacement HT coil and capacitor, convert the carb to the later type hinged float and needle, new gear throttle and clutch cables, and gear-up to a 14-tooth sprocket (7.7%) because we think it will cope with the drive increase. Presuming the ViVi might do 35mph in standard trim, the gear-up may suggest around 37.7mph at the same revs.
Turn on the off–on–res fuel tap, push down either pedal, and the motor starts straight away. Clutch in, and twist the left grip back towards you for first. Gear location is particularly smooth, quiet and easy due to the ball selection system, so you never get all the clonking and gear grinding location issues commonly associated with so many other makes of moped engines.
The motor torque easily handles the 14-tooth gear up, accelerates just as well in first, and still capably pulls up to speed in second from low revs. We still charge through the speed-check sign at 30mph, at which ViVi quite comfortably cruises within the urban limit. ViVi has no speedo, just a blanking plate in the headlamp nacelle so you can fit one if you want, but this bike has survived for 65 years without one, so why bother? Our pacer clocks us running at 30–35mph along the flat, with a best of 37 on a shallow downhill. The motor certainly revs well!
The suspension feels soft and bouncy, both front and rear, which certainly smooths out the bumps and jolts, but might induce more motion at speed than you would usually expect, since there’s no damping.
It seems to have been designed to navigate bumpy Italian roads and country tracks at lower speeds, but takes a little getting used to on modern tarmac roads.
The headlamp proves surprisingly effective on both beam and dip, and a closer look reveals why—it’s fitted with a Bosch BA20D 6V x 15/15W 20mm bulb!
The Express brand, which was started in 1884, was discontinued in 1959, while the Victoria Vicky III-N, IV two-speed & IV three-speed were de-listed from August 1959, to be succeeded by new Luxus models, which still used the same Victoria M51 engines, allowing continuity of ViVi production.
At Dot, the Grand Tourer seemed to become the De-Luxe three-speed moped for 1960, and the Road Racer (Avanti) two-speed was replaced by a three-speed (Avanti) Racer. In 1961 the Scooterette was de-listed, and the three-speed Racer at £94–6s–2d was joined by an even more expensive three-speed Monza Road Racer at £125–6s–10d.
Only the two-speed Dot ViVi moped remained listed for 1962, and that concluded at the end of the year. All models were based around versions of the 49cc Victoria engine.
A Victoria Avanti framed two-speed 50cc ViVi racer had been privately campaigned at British events by Trevor Burgess. It was taken over by Harold Cosgrove and co-rider Dave Clarke, who re-framed it, and came 18th of 40 in a Bemsee meeting at Silverstone, finished the Snetterton Enduro in 1960, and again in ’61.
Though only the two-speed ViVi moped continued on UK listings into 1962, when Dot somewhat optimistically entered a works team of three-speed ViVi racers in this first year of a new 50cc race at the Isle of Man—but they didn’t seem to have done their homework on real 50cc race performance and what they might be up against…
The race leading Suzuki-50 of Ernst Degner lapped the Dot ViVi of Dave Clarke on the second lap, and O P Caske on another Dot completed placed 25th (third untimed rider home = 27th), while a third Dot reportedly retired on the first lap.
Degner’s Suzuki was first, with an average lap speed of 75.12mph; the Dot’s average lap was less than 41.23mph (not officially recorded). Sorry, but that was seriously outclassed.
The Victoria Luxus continued to December 1962, when replaced by other standardised Zweirad Union branded products with proprietary Sachs engines, which were also sold with DKW badges. Fichtel & Sachs further bought out the German Hercules Company in 1963. These changes back in Germany ended the supply of Victoria engines to Viberti in 1963 as the remaining stocks were exhausted. With the unique design of the Victoria M51 engine meaning that no other motor could be readily adapted to fit the frame, that was the end of the line for the Viberti ViVi.
Following the end of the supply of engines by Victoria, the ViVi factory in Turin was closed down and its unwanted assets cleared. A new business was set up and transferred to Pontevico, in the province of Brescia, under a new company name of ‘Vi-Vi S.a.S.’, producing a new range of mopeds with Minarelli engines, also designed by Bruno Müller, as well as bicycles.
Sachs took control of the Zweirad Union in 1966. The DKW brand was merged with the German Hercules Company, while Victoria branded products finally disappeared within this rationalisation.
Dot was founded in the city of Salford near Manchester by Harry Reed, a pioneer racing motor cyclist and winner of the Isle of Man TT in 1908 on a Dot he built himself with a 680cc Peugeot twin engine, at an average 38.6mph. The brand then moved closer to the city centre in Deansgate in 1907, where the old premises still are today. By 1911 Reed was selling five Dot motor cycle models and one of the earliest slogans used by Dot for the advertisement was ‘Devoid of Trouble’. The company continued making motor cycles until 1932, but then built only tradesman’s three-wheelers up to 1949, when they returned to motor cycles again. Some road models were produced with Villiers 197 and Brockhouse 250cc engines, but the majority of manufacture was off-road competition trials and scramblers.
Factoring of Italian ViVi and Guazzoni models into the UK was done to augment the company cash flow.
The withdrawal of Villiers from motor cycle engine manufacture in 1968 was a major blow to British motor cycling and though Dot replaced some models with Sachs and Minarelli engines, they weren’t so popular, and motor cycle manufacture petered out in the mid 1970s. The Dot business technically continued at a minimal level, selling Armstrong suspension units, tyres, and trade parts, until fading out at the death of Burnard Scott Wade on 11th October 1984.
The 1908 TT was the only IoM TT race that Dot won.
Dot Motorcycles returned with a brand revival in 2021 using Kawasaki Z650 twin engines in specialist hand-built frames, manufacturing around 60 each year. The ‘Reed Racer’ is £21,000, the ‘Dot Demon’ street scrambler £18,500. There also seems to be a new ‘Warrior RD650’ expected, and suggestions of electric models, but most importantly … we’d like to know when Dot is going to make another moped?
