Sertum Web Page

Personally I have met only 5 persons who knew the Sertum Brand, nearly the totality of the other persons no knew the existence of one factory of motorcycles with this name..... for more Italian!!!!! (... as the memory of the Italians is short!!!!!!) Then some historical signals of this brand seem right.

The Mechanical Industries FAUSTO ALBERTI - joint-stock corporation - are born to Milan in 1922 for the production of mechanical tools, and in general to produce machinery for precision mechanical industry. In 1931 it comes opened an Unit Motorcycles Department with the Sertum brand that realizes, beginning from their original designs and plans, one first series based on rigid, tubular frame, with engine 175cc, vertical head, 4 strokes, side valves distribution, three speed with hand gearshift and front fork based on deformable parallelogram. A production meets the approval of the market and therefore begins, in the newest plants in Certosa avenue of Milan, the production, in the years succeeded, on great scale (in order to that years) of several models of 120cc - 2 strokes, three speed, with innovative technical solutions for that years (printed chassis), 175cc - 4 strokes, side valves, three speed, 250cc - 4 strokes, side valves, head valves, and head valves with head camshaft with three and four speed with pedal gearshift and 500cc twin-cylinder and single cylinder, side valves and head valves, with four speed with pedal gearshift, and also three-wheeler vans and side-cars motorcycles. To leave from 1939, consolidated an important share of the market, also thanks to military supplies, that until then were of exclusive appanage of Guzzi and Gilera, the Sertum is distinguished with numerous gold medals in the international contests of regularity - glorious the Six Days International - of Germany, Czechoslovakia, and England. The Sertum, whose Latin name indicates the crown of bay (the "serto") of the war-winner, in the post-war period has continued the modernized production of only two single models and prepared new one, to be launch in years '50, but, for lack of financings, it has not been able to realize, closing definitively the factories in 1952. A synthetic description of the Sertum and its motorcycles, draft from an ENCYCLOPEDIA of the MOTORCYCLES (obviously in Italian....) you see it here.

It was the beginning of February, 1970 (... trust me my friends, it was absolutely freezing cold!!!!) and I was a little over twenty years old. At that time I had a super-tuned Gilera Giubileo 98 with which in my spare time I used to run around forests and mountains near the town where I come from, Lecco, in the north of Italy. One day, on my way back home from an off-road trip, I found a motorcycle with an engraved name that was completely new to me. This motorbike was on its own leaning against a wall between vineyards along a track in the countryside. Hence, it was exposed to the merciless weather ... hot sun, pouring rain, snow, wind ... every day of the year!!!!. It must have been there for at least 4-5 years, perhaps even more, and it was a beautiful heap of rust.... but I loved it immediately because of its tank: it was rusted, but it also was so vintage looking.... so narrow.... drop shaped � so different from any other tank ....it continue

During winter of 2003, when at last my job leaves some time and breath for me, I decide to re-assemble it again. However by all this years I forgot in what real condition was the bike after more than ten years of honored service : indeed was reappeared the main part of rust that I removed in 1970, and therefore I began with enthusiasm to restore it an second time!!!!!!....this web, further a tribute to the Sertum brand, (....or also only to MY Sertum...), it would like to be a complete report of this restoration.

During first steps of this second restoration, I have tried to document the most possible on the Sertum brand, trying on Internet and in any other place (reviews, several encyclopedias and announcements), trying all the possible regarding news the brand. An interesting list of internet links on the Sertum finds it here

Also I have written a letter to MOTOCICLISMO D'EPOCA (Old and Vintage Motorcycles Reviews) and here you can finds my letter (obviously in Italian....) and here the answer of the Review (...again in Italian)...... for the report the indication of the writing of Mr. Franco dall'Aglio mechanic from the Medicina (prov. of Bologna) as expert restorer of Sertum does not correspond to truth, because, asked for, these literally "was mad" with the review because they had not listened it at all and, if never, it were a restorer of Gilera, but for sure not of Sertum... and concerning my phone call, he could not makes other than send a good luck to me for a good job!!!!!!!

The circulation documents and license, you can see here, reports the model "500 Sertum" and the construction year 1950. From a careful reading of the news brought back in the Encyclopedia of the Motorcycles, and also from some contained information in the answer of the writing of Motorcycles Review, and also considering official construction year, the mechanical features of the engine and of the chassis, is the cowould carry to identify the bike as a �hybrid�, realized by the factory, just before closing, using an original engine and an original chassis, but modified for the front and rear telescopic suspensions.

Furthermore, always through Internet, I am successful to get two handbook: the first one is the "Price list Pieces of Reciprocation" of Sertum 500 twin-cylinders, Rigid and Elastic Chassis - you see here; the second one is the "Instructions for the Dismantling and the Assembly and the Overhaul" of 500 Sertum MCM single-seater and two-seater (Military Model) - you see here. The first one has been much profit in order to "deep watch" to analyze the particular of several mechanical detalis, the second, even if it is of a different model (monocylinder), has been most useful for the detailed lists of wear and overhaul of several mechanical parts.

The great part of this second restoration, begun in November 2003, is lasted until May 2004, with a tail of job for the exhaust pipes, than it has been concluded to first of October 2004 (if you are curious to see now why it has employed so much time for restoration of the exhaust pipes, you see here ). All the restoration has engaged to me for approximately 700 hours of effective job. In order to begin was find a place to me enough easy where to prepare the workshop. I had to construct the bench for the motorcycle, substantially constituted from a sturdy one desk, adjustable in height, equipped with pulley in order to lift up the heavier things (the engine), and that it was possible hermetic close it with plastic curtains for the more "dirty" workings: sand-blasting, grinder polishing, cleaning with iron brushes mounted on the grinder, welding and spray paint job. This bench I have realized it with of the building lumber, column of 10 cm and tables of 5 cm. and a piece of steel tube in order to slide the pulley with one wheel. The main equipments were (..e are still today), one air compressor the 10 atm from 25 liters with all accessories (gun in order to paint to spray, gun for the sand-blasting, etc), one lathe with mandrel to 3 and 4 jaws of 140 mm of center height and 300 mm between centers with automatic screwcutting for all the metric thread, and relative tools, one vertical miller, self-made, using old little precision lathe mounted on a plate of cast iron with over a cross-plate and with the relative tools, one double discs grinder, one vertical column press drill, one tape saw for metal, one electronic welder, and naturally many equipment hand tools like drills, electrical grinder, gas tube, and the special extracting tools that I had constructed in 1970, open and ring wrenches, special wrenches, shaped by grinder that had conserved from 1970 and one torque (dynamometric) wrench. The space of the workshop I have gained in the cellar that it is to the level of the garages, and in forecast to prepare those equipment, and to put the motorcycle within, I have replace the door of wood with one steel door with security lock (in fact.... some "gentlemen" had already visited once!!!). Moreover in my cellar pass the pipes of the system of heating of the mansion and therefore during the winter, even if in Rome it is not never too much rigid, results enough comfortable, and more in the garage there is also a washbasin with the water for the washing hands (you remember yourselves that... for a complete restoration of a Sertum... wants at least two tins of soap!!!!!.......absolutely fundamental!!!!!).

here you can makes an idea of the used equipment and as the workshop is arranged.

here you can see the various steps and the various works for full overhaul of the single motorcycle components.

here you can see, after the finishing of the restoration of the single items, the various steps and the work to re-assemble the motorcycle.

In these last times I am dedicating myself to bureaucracy to regulate the documents of property and the circulation of the motorcycle; The first step has been the registration of the motorcycle to the Italian Historical Registry FMI, registration made through the MotoClub " MOTO D'EPOCA " of Rome. Nothing of transcendental, a form with many questions about the technical characteristics of the motorcycle, photocopy of the License of circulation, six pictures of "Mrs. Maestrale", a payment of few Euro; .....just after few weeks, arrives from the FMI to my house, by mail, the Certificate of Registration and few weeks later, also the Plate of Registrations to be exposed on the motorcycle; concerning the further steps, regardind many different state transportation offices, to complete the regularity of the documentation, i think is better to avoid to you the tedium of the this kind of activities, expecially because is closely related to Italian Officies, and Italian obligations, and so the interest for that should be only for italian peoples. So, I need only show you the results of the regulation of License of circulation and the mark down of vehicle of Historical interest ....that allow now the legal circulation.

If you have any question or comment, please send me to bob_colombo@libero.it mail-box.