Here is one that you just don't see very often, it is a Motobi scooter. Just like the scooter boom of today, back in the late 50's/early 60's it seems that every motorcycle manufacturer tried to dip their toe into the scooter waters. They saw the number of scooters that Vespa and Lambretta were selling, and wanted to get in on the action. However, virtually none of these motorcycle manufacturers were particularly successful (with the possible exception of the Moto Guzzi Galletto).
In the day, Motobi made some very fine motorcycles. Like many Italian manufacturers, they focused on small displacement lightweight bikes. It appears that they made two different models of scooters - the smaller "Picnic", which came in 75 and 125cc versions, and the Catria shown here. I assume this came with the same 175cc motor in Motobi's Catria motorcycle. I belive that the Catria motorcycle motor was four stroke. That would make this scooter quite fast as well as quiet, and give less vibration than at two stroke.
The scooter appears to have an earles fork set-up on the front, which would make braking quite a bit more stable than on a Vespa or Lambretta. I'm guessing that this scooter was aimed clearly at the Lambretta TV175 Series I. I'd sure be curios to ride this scooter to compare. With its motorcycle-derived motor, I'm sure it was smooth and powerful.
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