Ossa (motorcycle) facts for kids
 |
|
| Private | |
| Industry |
|
| Founded | Barcelona, Spain (1924) |
| Defunct | 2015 |
| Headquarters |
Barcelona
,
Spain
|
|
Area served
|
Worldwide |
|
Key people
|
Manuel Giró, Eduardo Giró |
_motorcycle_20120213.jpg)
Ossa was a Spanish company that made motorcycles. It was active from 1924 to 1982, and then again from 2010 to 2015. Manuel Giró, an inventor from Barcelona, started the company. Ossa was famous for its light bikes with two-stroke engines. These bikes were great for observed trials, motocross, and enduro racing.
The company was first called Orpheo Sincronic Sociedad Anónima (O.S.S.A.). Later, its name changed to Maquinaria Cinematográfica, S.A.. The Ossa brand came back in 2010 when a group bought its name. It made motorcycles until 2014. Then, the company joined with another Spanish motorcycle maker called Gas Gas. But in 2015, Gas Gas was bought by the Torrot Group, and Ossa was not part of that deal. So, Ossa closed down again.
Contents
History of Ossa
How Ossa Started
The original Ossa company began in 1924. It made movie projectors for cinemas in Spain. The company's logo looks like a four-leaf clover, but it's actually part of a film projector.
Before World War II, Manuel Giró was a national champion in sidecar racing. After the war, Ossa got new technology for two-stroke engines from a German factory. In 1949, Ossa started making many two-stroke motorcycles.
Ossa made the most motorcycles in the 1960s. It sold many bikes to other European countries and also to North America. In the United States and Canada, off-road motorcycling became very popular. Ossa bikes were light and powerful, which made them good for motocross. People knew Ossa motorcycles for being strong and reliable, both in races and for everyday use.
Racing Adventures
The Ossa company loved motorcycle sport. They supported road racing, motocross, enduro, and observed trials. Their first big win was in 1967 at the 24 Hours of Montjuich race in Barcelona. Ossa motorcycles finished first and second, which was a big surprise. They won again in 1969. After these wins, Ossa decided to race in other countries to become famous around the world.
The Special Race Bike
Ossa had early success in 250cc Grand Prix motorcycle racing. Eduardo Giró, Manuel's son, designed a very special frame for their race bike. It was unique for its time. Eduardo wanted a bike that was light and easy to handle. This would help make up for its engine not being as powerful as other bikes.
The motorcycle's frame was made of light metals like magnesium and aluminum. It was built as one piece, which included the fuel tank. This design made the bike about 20 kilograms (44 pounds) lighter than Japanese bikes. The strong frame and light weight helped the Ossa bike turn corners and stop very well. This meant it could go faster around bends.
Even though Ossa's 249cc engine had less power than the Yamaha bikes, Spanish rider Santiago Herrero was very competitive. He used the Ossa's light weight and great handling to race well, especially on twisty tracks.
A Sad End to Grand Prix Racing
Santiago Herrero won the Spanish 250cc national championship in 1967 and 1968. Then, Ossa and Herrero started racing in the world championships. In 1968, they finished seventh overall. Herrero even got third place at the last race of the season in Italy.
In 1969, the FIM changed the rules for racing. This was to lower costs. 125cc and 250cc bikes could only have two cylinders and six gears. Because of this, big factories like Yamaha and Suzuki stopped racing.
The 1969 season was even better for Ossa. Herrero won three races and was leading the 250cc world championship. But in the last race in Yugoslavia, he crashed and lost his chance to win the championship. He finished third in the world. Ossa and Herrero won the Spanish 250cc national championship for the third year in a row.
In 1970, Herrero won his fourth 250cc Grand Prix race. But sadly, he died after crashing during the 1970 Isle of Man TT race. Herrero's death made the Ossa team very sad. They decided to stop competing in road racing after that.
Off-Road Triumphs
After leaving Grand Prix racing, Ossa focused on Observed Trials racing. They competed in Europe and the United States against other Spanish brands like Bultaco and Montesa. Ossa hired a British rider named Mick Andrews. He helped design and ride their trials bike.
Ossa and Andrews won the European Trials Championship in 1971 and 1972. This championship was the start of the FIM World Championship. Andrews also won the tough Scottish Six Days Trial three times in a row, from 1970 to 1972, for Ossa.
The Company's Later Years
Even with success in racing, Ossa had problems selling bikes in the important American market. They didn't have many dealers. The motorcycle boom of the 1960s brought many new companies. This made it hard for smaller companies like Ossa to keep up. They spent a lot of money building new factories, which put them in debt.
In the 1970s, the Spanish government changed the country's economy to be more like a free-market economy. Cheaper Japanese motorcycles started coming into Spain. Also, a big employee strike in 1977 hurt the Ossa company. By 1984, Ossa was run by its workers. The next year, its name changed to Ossamoto. Even today, old Ossa motorcycles are popular with people who like to fix up bikes and race them for fun.
Ossa Comes Back!
In 2010, a group of Spanish business people bought the rights to the Ossa name. They started making Ossa motorcycles again. The new company made trials and enduro bikes. Their factory team raced in the 2011 FIM Trials world championship. Their rider, Jeroni Fajardo, finished fifth.
In 2014, Ossa joined with the motorcycle company Gas Gas. But in 2015, Gas Gas was bought by a Spanish company called Torrot. Ossa was not part of this deal and closed down again. Gas Gas was later bought by KTM in 2019.
In 2017, the owners of Ossa announced they would launch an electric bicycle. They also said they might make motorcycles again in the future.
Special Ossa Bikes
- Ossa SPQ: This was a 250cc road racing motorcycle made in France in the 1970s. It had a light frame and an Ossa engine. The SPQ was good at French hillclimbing and short races, but not as good as the Yamaha TD2 on bigger tracks.
- Yankee 500: This was a large off-road motorcycle made in New York, USA. It was also called "Ossa Yankee". It had a 500cc Ossa twin-cylinder engine, designed by Eduard Giró.
- Ossa BYRA 1000: This was a very powerful 977cc four-cylinder road racing motorcycle. It was built in Barcelona by an engineer named Fernando Batlló. Its engine was made from two Yankee engines. This bike raced in the 24 hours of Montjuich in 1972 and 1973. Only one racing prototype and one street bike were ever built. This special bike is now in the Bassella Motorcycle Museum.
Ossa Motorcycle Models
Street Bikes
|
|
Off-Road Bikes
|
Images for kids
-
Ossa SPQ
-
A 1972 Yankee 500 Z with a 500 cc Ossa engine
See Also
In Spanish: OSSA para niños Yankee (motorcycle)
