page 8 never seen before - photo tour of visit the
1st Merlin factory
Up on the landing i go . I experiment with the flash on my new Nikon D4S.
The 1982 Merlin Cresta was a Merlin Dg3.50 with a long seat and ancillary fuel tank added. It was sold as a trial bike that could be ridden in trial.
The specification sheet for the Merlin Cresta
The centre photo beneath shows an interesting gas heat lamp. Well i thought it was interesting anyway.
This prototype below was created by Josep Paxau in 1985 as Merlins introduction to the world of Single shock suspension.
Merlin did not like this creation , nor this exact rear suspension set up.
Merlin did not like this creation , nor this exact rear suspension set up.
Merlin then foolishly ( in my opinion ) ignored this prototype and designed thier own mono shock system called the FIUS. "Forward Untergrated Uni Shock" which included by anyones standards some quite bizarre lumps of metal. Anyway .....we live and learn.
Here are some photos of the infamous aluminium rear suspension spine on the Merlin red and white FIUS.
Here are some photos of the infamous aluminium rear suspension spine on the Merlin red and white FIUS.
Merlin sold thousands and thousands of motorcycles and many of their models including this 1988 red FIUS were a popular models , especially in Spain. Many of these Merlin models sold to the home market only. The problem for Merlin arose when they saw how quickly the competition such as Beta were advancing. They called a meeting to discuss whether they should invest substantial sums to turn a fair basic operation and simply motorcycle in a model with a custom engine that could compete. The sums just didnt work out and the financiers and partners decided to sell Merlin for a nominal amount to GasGas partners which included but was not exclusive to Josep Pibernat and Narcis Casas . Mid way through 1988 Merlin was adsorbed into GasGas .
Despite there being an agreement to provide spares for the foreseeable future the Merlin spares production stopped and many items thrown away as they were merely an obstruction in the factory. GasGas looked to the future rather than catering for the past that had little to do with them.
The last few factory photos.
Its time to go now .
Thank you to Mr and Mrs Dichos for allowing Retrotrials.com access to attempt to record for posterity the history of the Catalan motorcycle industry.
Thank you to Mr and Mrs Dichos for allowing Retrotrials.com access to attempt to record for posterity the history of the Catalan motorcycle industry.
A great 1986 photo of Ignacio with his sisters , children, niece's and nephews as well as his father Don Paco .
Thank you to the USA Cagiva importer Mark Oldar for sending this over.
Thank you to the USA Cagiva importer Mark Oldar for sending this over.