Uploaded October 2025 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
The Moto Guzzi Dondolino 500 is a racing motorcycle, produced by Moto Guzzi between 1945 and 1951. Evolution of the "Condor", the "Dondolino" represented the resumption of the sporting activity of the Moto Guzzi experience department, after the long suspension due to the Second World War. The qualities shown by the "Condor" and the appreciation obtained among private pilots had brought great prestige to Giulio Cesare Carcano who was commissioned to create the new version in the autumn of 1945. Although the country was devastated by mourning and seriously damaged by bombings, in many parts of Italy motorcycle races were organized and held on improvised city circuits, particularly in the coastal towns of Romagna, which were attended by crowds of spectators, eager to return to normal life. and fun. Mainly for those races and those pilots the "Dondolino" was designed which, thanks to its construction simplicity, could offer good performance, mechanical robustness, ease of maintenance and an affordable price. The interventions foreseen by Carcano were few and consisted in reinvigorating the engine, up to the modest power of 32 HP, in the general lightening of a few kilograms and in the functional improvement of the brakes. Aesthetically, the "Dondolino" differs from the "Condor" only in the large rear mudguard, designed to prevent the rider from splashing water during long distance races in the rain. The "Dondolino" replicated and indeed increased the success achieved by the "Condor", both on the racing fields and in the preferences of the drivers, such as Enrico Lorenzetti, Bruno Ruffo, Ferdinando Balzarotti, Bruno Francisci, Libero Liberati, Guido Leoni, Sergio Pinza and many others. The not very powerful but agile motorcycle managed to establish itself in competitions even after it went out of production. In the renamed and prestigious Milan-Taranto, resumed in 1950 after a ten-year interruption, Guido Leoni's victory was immediate and the "Dondolino" renewed its absolute primacy in the following three editions. The "Dondolino" was so named because of the characteristic swaying in a straight line at high speeds and to distinguish it from the other evolution of the Condor, the refined "Gambalunga", intended for the official riders of the Moto Guzzi racing team.
The Moto Guzzi Dondolino 500 is a racing motorcycle, produced by Moto Guzzi between 1945 and 1951. Evolution of the "Condor", the "Dondolino" represented the resumption of the sporting activity of the Moto Guzzi experience department, after the long suspension due to the Second World War. The qualities shown by the "Condor" and the appreciation obtained among private pilots had brought great prestige to Giulio Cesare Carcano who was commissioned to create the new version in the autumn of 1945. Although the country was devastated by mourning and seriously damaged by bombings, in many parts of Italy motorcycle races were organized and held on improvised city circuits, particularly in the coastal towns of Romagna, which were attended by crowds of spectators, eager to return to normal life. and fun. Mainly for those races and those pilots the "Dondolino" was designed which, thanks to its construction simplicity, could offer good performance, mechanical robustness, ease of maintenance and an affordable price. The interventions foreseen by Carcano were few and consisted in reinvigorating the engine, up to the modest power of 32 HP, in the general lightening of a few kilograms and in the functional improvement of the brakes. Aesthetically, the "Dondolino" differs from the "Condor" only in the large rear mudguard, designed to prevent the rider from splashing water during long distance races in the rain. The "Dondolino" replicated and indeed increased the success achieved by the "Condor", both on the racing fields and in the preferences of the drivers, such as Enrico Lorenzetti, Bruno Ruffo, Ferdinando Balzarotti, Bruno Francisci, Libero Liberati, Guido Leoni, Sergio Pinza and many others. The not very powerful but agile motorcycle managed to establish itself in competitions even after it went out of production. In the renamed and prestigious Milan-Taranto, resumed in 1950 after a ten-year interruption, Guido Leoni's victory was immediate and the "Dondolino" renewed its absolute primacy in the following three editions. The "Dondolino" was so named because of the characteristic swaying in a straight line at high speeds and to distinguish it from the other evolution of the Condor, the refined "Gambalunga", intended for the official riders of the Moto Guzzi racing team.
