page_title: Stelio Belletti
section_title: In the motorcycle industry
hierarchical_section_title: Stelio Belletti / Career / In the motorcycle industry
caption_attribution_description: Italiano: Linto 500 GP del 1969 conservata al Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum di Birmingham
context_page_description: Stelio Belletti is an Italian craftsman and entrepreneur and specialized in bicycle frame construction. He founded the brand Stelbel in 1973.
context_section_description: Towards the end of the 50s, while continuing to work in the aviation industry, the Belletti Workshop began to establish important relationships in the motorcycle racing industry, working closely with Eng. Lino Tonti, building motorcycle frames for racing competitions. Some of the first frames were built for Paton in Milan, who they continued to work with until 1973. Paton motorcycles with Belletti frames, or replicas of the same, are identified with the initials BL, as can be seen in the BL3-R model which is still in production today. Starting in the 60s, other important brands such as Linto, Puch Frigerio, and Guazzoni begin to commission the Belletti family to build prototypes and special motorcycle frames for racing. One of the most significant achievements within the motorcycle industry dates back to 1967. That year, Mike Hailwood was to take part in the World Championship with a Honda 500 GP, but after the initial testing carried out that winter, the road racer began to complain about the performance of the frame. In 1967, the engineers at the Japanese company had been focused on developing the engine (which turned out to be among the most powerful in the Championship) and consequently decided not to make any further changes to the chassis. Referred by specialist Giuseppe Pattoni, Hailwood approached Stelio and Antenore Belletti as a private customer and commissioned them to construct a new chassis for his Honda 500 GP. They completed the tubular-steel double cradle frame in just 16 days. The Honda 500 GP motorcycle equipped with the new Belletti frame was used for the first time at the Mototemporada Romagnola, in the Rimini stage on May 14, 1967. The road racer won the race, breaking the winning streak of racer Giacomo Agostini who rode a MV Agusta. The motorcycle was also used in the World Championship while testing the Hockenheim circuit, but Honda forbade the use of the motorcycle during the race and for all subsequent races. In 1968, they also began construction on a limited series of frames to equip the Gran Prix motorcycle Linto 500 GP; all the frames for this model were designed by Belletti’s friend, Lino Tonti, and built by Belletti. The Belletti workshop continued to work in the motorcycle industry until the early 70s.
caption: Linto 500GP 1969
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