The Polini XP is the road-legal branch of Polini’s pocket-bike range. In 2006 the company homologated the XP4 Street 125, a supermotard-style pitbike of 120.7 cc actual displacement, the first minimoto from an Italian manufacturer approved for road use.
Polini XP at a glance
| Maker | Polini Motori, Alzano Lombardo (BG), Italy |
|---|---|
| Model | XP4 Street 125 |
| Year | 2006 |
| Significance | first minimoto homologated for road use by an Italian maker |
| Engine displacement | 120.7 cc actual |
| Type | supermotard-style pitbike |
| Off-road version | XP4 Off Road 125, road-legal, 2007 |
| 50 cc version | Street 50, presented at the end of 2007 |
| Class | pitbike / minimoto |
| Road use | approved, unlike most minimoto |
The Italian Polini article documents only the XP4 Street 125, the XP4 Off Road 125 and the 50 cc Street. No further published data on the XP line was found.
History of the Polini XP
Most minimoto are built for closed circuits and private ground and have no permit for road circulation. Only some machines of the pitbike category have been homologated, first in Germany with a 50 cc street model, the Insanity 749, and then in Italy. Polini was the maker that opened that door for Italian manufacturers.
In 2006 the company homologated the Polini XP4 “Street” 125, a supermotard-style pitbike with an actual displacement of 120.7 cc. It was the first minimoto from an Italian brand approved for road use. In 2007 the range gained the XP4 “Off Road” 125, also road-legal, and at the end of the same year Polini presented the Street version in 50 cc.
The XP models sit inside a much larger business. Polini Motori was founded in 1945 in Alzano Lombardo by Battista Polini, began with bicycles and parts for Vespa and Lambretta scooters, and became one of the best-known names in scooter tuning, a historic rival of Malossi. Its most famous product line is the Evolution cylinder series, followed by Big Evolution with a larger bore; both are intended for circuit competition, while the company also sells road-legal exhausts and replacement parts.
Design and features
- Road homologation: the point that separates the XP4 from most minimoto.
- Supermotard style: a pitbike layout with 125-class displacement.
- Two uses: a Street version and an Off Road version, both road-legal.
- Small-capacity option: a 50 cc Street added at the end of 2007.
Polini XP versions
- XP4 Street 125 (2006): 120.7 cc supermotard pitbike, the first Italian road-legal minimoto.
- XP4 Off Road 125 (2007): the road-legal off-road version.
- Street 50 (late 2007): the 50 cc version of the Street.
Track-only Polini pocket bikes are the Polini 910, the Polini X and the Polini minimoto. More in the Polini collection.
Sources
- Polini, Italian Wikipedia: XP4 Street and Off Road, 50 cc Street, company history
- Minimoto, Italian Wikipedia: road homologation of pitbikes
- Polini, English Wikipedia: company history and products
