1974 Sanglas 400 Electrico
Resolutely swimming against the tide of
the Spanish industry's tendency towards small-capacity bikes and off-roaders,
for nearly 40 years Talleres Sanglas, founded in 1942 near Barcelona,
specialized in four-stroke singles. Its first 350cc machine was the basis of
production right up to the disappearance of the marque, at the beginning of the
Eighties.
A Wider Range
After the launch in 1957 of a bored-out 500cc
version, Sanglas attempted to widen its range. In the Sixties the firm launched
a 300cc bike and -- u-ng the marque name "Rovena" - 250 and 350cc two-strokes,
followed in 1964 by Zundapp-engined 50 and 100cc machines. Despite its success,
production of these models ended in 1968, when Sanglas decided to concentrate
on four-stroke machines,
Single-Minded Obsession
Sanglas singles,
used by the Spanish police from 1956, had an excellent reputation for
reliability. In 1966 a new 400, available in three versions (one with electric
start), replaced the ageing 350 and 500cc models. Its commercial success led
Sanglas to launch a more sporty model, the 500S, developing 32hp and capable of
100mph. That was followed in 1978 by the 500S2 with alloy wheels and disk
brakes. Sanglas then threw itself into a grandiose project, the ultimate
expression of its obsession with the single, nothing less than the biggest
single of modern times, a four-valve 747cc machine whose twin overhead
camshafts were driven by a cogged belt. It was a bike which would have been ten
years ahead of its time, but fate decided otherwise and Sanglas, in financial
difficulties, was taken over by Yamaha.