Aprilia are founded right after second wold war when Cavaliere Alberto Beggio started a production of bikes in Noale outside Venice. In 1962 the company became a Ltd and in 1968 the son Ivano Beggio parted in the management. Very soon his interest turned towards motorcycles and with a few friends he made the first "Aprilia motorcycle" a 50cubic in gold and blue. It payed some attension and the first "mopeds" was named "Colibri", "Daniela" and "Packi", but the model most to Ivano´s sole was the crossbike "Scarabeo" which was made in different 50 and 125 cubics versions between 1970 and ´79. In 1974 Ivano became maneger, this was also the year for the first "geniue" motorcross racer, driven by Maurizio Sgarzani in ther junior class. With this as background they made the RC125 wich was on display in Milan. In 1976 and 1977 Aprilia won the italian championchip in motocross. All this was with engines from "Sachs", "Hiro" and "Rotax". In 1985 they joint road-race, even here the results didn´t wait, after two years Loris Reggiani got the first victory in the 250 class at the San Marino GP. Toalty it ended with 13 driver championships and nine factory titels.
I 1989 not many bikes over 250 cubic left the factory of the 18.000 produced. Between´89 and ´91 there was invested 60milliarder Lire, the cause was development of 25 new models and 5 new engines including two V-twins with 5 valve cylinderheads and capacity on 250 to 750cubic. Beside the factory in Noale Aprilia have 3 factorys producing sunglasses, accessories and parts to motorcycle production.
Todays model program is different scooter models, RS125, RS250, Pegaso650, and a row of Mille models - including Tuono and the CappaNor.
In the latest year Aprilia bought a few other italian motorcycle factorys, naming Laverda and Moto Guzzi in 2000.

I know a little to Aprilia because my wife had a RS125 for some years, I sneaked me a ride when I needed to polish my knee pads.

"Laverda Machine Agricole" is established in 1873, producing farming machinery, which they still do. After world war 2 there were a lack of transportation and Moto Laverda were established by Francesco Laverda in 1947 in the city of Breganze. The first model "Laverda 75" war shown in 1950. Untikl the mid sixties only small bikes were produced, but in ´66 the 650 arrived with 52 hp and a top speed of180km/h, after a few years the 750 cubics shown up and became the great breake through on the motorcycle front. In 1973 investments in a new factory were made, almost at the same time as the tree cylinders 1000s see daylight. And in 1975 the two cylinder 500 with eight valves came.
Laverda has made several different untraditional constructions, most known is the V6 engine, designed by Giulio Alfieri (who also made the Maserati V12 formel 1 engine). The era almost ends with the SFC1000 presended in 1985. After that finacial problems almost brings the factory to a halt in 10 years. In those years different solutions has been tryed, but in the year 2000 Aprilia takes over and today the Laverda brand is on a few motorcycles from the concern.
I have a colleague who have a few Laverdas in his apartment - he also have a engine on a centrepiece in the livingroom instead of a TV.

Moto Guzzi´s history goes all the way back to 1919, where the first thoughts to a 500 cubic one cylinder engine with 4 valves and overhead camshaft runs through the head of Carlo Guzzi. This bike dèbuted in the run Milano-Naples in 1921, and the first victory came in Targa Florio same year, after this it triumphed for some years. It is the backbone of both thei Arione (prewar model) and the Falcone model (postwar model).
In 1934 the famous 500 twin came (it looks much like todays Ducati engines), but the war came and Guzzi made different vehicles both with wheels and belts. After the war there was need of small bikes so they made the Zigolo and the Galletto - just to mention a few.
In 1955 the notorious 8 cylinder 500 cubic V-engine came, at once it conquered the racetracks. Those bikes we know today are ancestors to the V7 which came in 1967. That engine has breed all from V35 to Le Mans and California. But the lack of new thinging ended up in fincial problems all the way through the nineteens, several solutions were tryed both with Deuche Bank and KTM it all ended in 2000 by the sale to Aprilia.
Today lives the models like California, Jackel (a naked California), V11 (evolved Le Mans).
I had a Guzzi for12 years, meening That I know a little about it. In my transverse time I made the the danish Guzzi club magazine "Targa Florio", for some years and was in the committee.

Moto Morini was established in 1946 by Alfonso Morini and have residence in Bolonga. They have from start made light allterrain motorcycles with twostroke engines on125 and 175 cubic, which was very populair at that time. In 1963 they won a GP on a fourstroke 250 cubic dohc with Tarquinoi Provini as driver, he rode with great succes. A driver like Giacomo Agustini also started on Morini, before he went to MV.
In 1973 came the Morini we know todays, meening the 72 degree V-engine, which started as 350 cubic, but also is made as both 250 and 500.
All in all over 85.000 bikes were made with this engine. After a half hearted try to make a 500 cubic turbo model, the company was sold to Cagiva i 1987.
The first model after the takeover was a bike in Massimo Tamburini design, the Dart - a fully inclosed bike. But it was the "custom" bike Excalibur which made the money. When Cagiva sold Ducati to TPG, Morini was part of the bargin. Morini was only a "brand" at that time, because bikes with Morini on the tank was not made. The name was sold again in 1999 - to a italian company by the name "Motori Franco Morini", and yes Franco is cusin to Alfonso.
In the end of 2004 a big twin with Morini on the tank was shown at different exhibitions, so time will show…, and so it did in the spring of 2006 where they started the sale of the beautiful 1200 started.