The Gilera Dakota was a motorcycle built from 1986 to 1989 and the first model to carry the company’s new Bi4 engine. That water-cooled four-stroke single had a twin-cam, four-valve head driven by a toothed belt, and it made its debut on the Dakota at the Milan show of 1985.
Gilera Dakota at a glance
| Maker | Gilera, Arcore (Milan) |
|---|---|
| Production | 1986–1989 |
| Debut | Milan show, 1985 |
| Engine | Bi4 water-cooled four-stroke single |
| Valve gear | twin camshaft, four valves per cylinder, toothed belt |
| First capacity | 350 cm³ (1986) |
| Enlarged | 500 cm³ (1987) |
| Frame | open steel beam |
| Swingarm | pressed sheet steel |
| Suspension | Marzocchi |
| Wheels | wire-spoked |
based on one source (Italian Wikipedia), which describes the model briefly; the page is therefore shorter than most.
History of the Gilera Dakota
A new engine
In the 1980s Gilera designed a new water-cooled four-stroke single and called it the Bi4. It made its first appearance at the Milan show of 1985 on the Dakota. The engine had a twin-camshaft, four-valve head with the camshafts driven by a toothed belt, a layout that later became the basis of the larger Gilera singles.
Two capacities
The Dakota went on sale in 1986 with a capacity of 350 cm³, and the following year the range was joined by a version enlarged to 500 cm³. The chassis was an open steel beam frame matched to a swingarm pressed from sheet steel, with Marzocchi suspension and wire-spoked wheels.
What came next
The Bi4 engine family continued after the Dakota: the same design, enlarged and further developed, powered the RC 600 family from 1989, and it also appeared in the XRT models. The Dakota itself was replaced at the end of the 1980s by those machines.
Design and features
- Bi4 engine: the first water-cooled, belt-driven twin-cam four-valve single from Gilera.
- Two capacities: a 350 from 1986 and a 500 from 1987.
- Open steel beam frame: matched to a pressed-sheet swingarm.
- Marzocchi suspension and wire wheels: off-road oriented components.
- Starting point: the engine that later grew into the RC 600.
Gilera Dakota versions
- Dakota 350 (1986): the original version.
- Dakota 500 (1987): the enlarged model.
The engine developed from the Dakota is described in the article on the RC 600, and the later Gilera single with the same layout is the Nordwest. More models are in the Gilera collection.
Video: dakota
Video by GILERA 4T on YouTube.
Sources
- Gilera Dakota, Italian Wikipedia: production years, Bi4 engine, capacities, chassis
