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1957 Speedster |
1960 Super Speedster |
When Cosmopolitan Motors began selling Parillas in 1957, the Lusso Veloce model was changed to a more U.S. friendly name of the "Speedster". This model was the more tamer, street version of the Grand Sport production racer. The motor used a more mild "S" cam and the top speed was 15 MPH slower than the GS. For American riders, "Western bars" were added which made the riding position more upright. The first two years Cosmo sold Speedsters with the big round tank that the factory was using since 1954. In 1959-61, the tank used was the same as the GS tanks but with a different paint scheme. The Speedster, as with the GS, had its 175cc motor bumped up to 200cc for more power. These upgraded models were now called Super Speedsters by Cosmo. This model was dropped from Cosmo's model line-up in 1961 to make way for the 250cc bikes and their new frame design.
Speedster frame and motor:
To tell the difference between the Speedster frame and other high-cam frames, read the frames page. To compare high-cam engines, go to the motors page.
Stats (Super Speedster):CC: 200 / Output: 18HP @ 6800 RPM / Carburetion: Dell'Orto 25mm / Gas Tank: 2 1/4 Gallon / Gas Mileage: 80 MPG / Weight: 259 lbs. / Max Speed: 85 MPH
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Cosmo 1959 |
Trailer 1958 |
1958 |
Cosmo 1959 |
Colors and prices:
The very first 175cc imported to the USA for testing by Cycle magazine (1954) was black and cream. Later in 1957 when Cosmo started selling Speedsters, the color combinations were metallic blue & silver or metallic red and silver (or white). Prices were $519 in 1957 and the Super Speedster at $559 in late 1959.
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Today's Speedster outlook: [1]
Finding a Speedster to restore is nearly impossible. Only a handful survived their USA owners. Most, if not all Speedsters are rusted, missing parts, chopper-ized, or turned into an owner created experiment on wheels. Parts go missing because they were thrown out to convert them into race bikes, or stripped down to provide parts for other Parilla restorations. The sought after GS style gas tank found on later edition Speedsters were probably the first thing to be removed. Some Speedsters were turned into racers or GS clones in the last 20 years or so. The frame and serial number is what sets the genuine 50's GS off from the more average Speedster, so do your homework if you are buying a Parilla racer.
N.B. 1. Today refers to c.2007.
