Documents – Articles – History
June 24, 1946 – 2026
On June 24, 1946, the Motom brand was founded.
Eighty years later, on the very same day, the first magazine entirely dedicated to its history was launched.
A new publication dedicated to the history, technology, documents, people, and events that made Motom one of the most original Italian brands of the postwar era.
This is the first volume.
The first in a series of publications dedicated to preserving and recounting the history of Motom.
Volume 0 is dedicated to the founding of the Motom brand in 1946.
DAS MOTOM Volume 0 Waiting List
Reservations for DAS MOTOM Volume 0 are currently closed. Join the waiting list and we will contact you if a reserved copy becomes available due to cancellation or non-collection, or to keep you informed about future publications.
Volume 0 – The Birth of Motom
- 60 pages
- Bilingual Italian/German magazine
- Professional Layout
- Numbered certificate included
- Limited edition of 200 copies
- Numbered copies assigned in the order in which reservations were made
- Estimated cover price: €19.90 Including Italy, €7 EU, €12 outside the EU (possibly less)
- Free shipping for those who book now
- Expected publication date: September 2026
Reserve your copy for free
Reservations are free and do not require any immediate payment.
Its sole purpose is to reserve a numbered copy of Volume 0 and to allow me to gauge the actual level of interest in the project.
Once the magazine is ready, you’ll receive an email with a link to make the payment online and confirm shipping.
To thank those who have supported the project from the very beginning, shipping will be included in the price for all copies pre-ordered through this page.
In this issue:
• 1946 — Eighty Years of Motom
: From the registration of the Motom trademark in 1946 to the origins of the name Motomic. A journey through historical documents, linguistic curiosities, and a question that has accompanied the brand for eighty years: Is it pronounced “Motom” or “Motòm”?
• What kind of oil should you use in a Motom?
One of the most hotly debated topics among enthusiasts. Mineral or synthetic oil? SAE 30 or multigrade? A technical analysis based on practical experience and historical documentation.
• What Is Motom Club
? The origins of the project, the Motom Archive, the website, and the goals of an initiative dedicated to preserving and sharing the brand’s history.
• Motom Club Zurich
: A story that spans generations, borders, and thousands of kilometers.
- The Founding of the Zurich Motorcycle Club
- Interview with Massimo Prata
- From Zurich to the 1000 Miglia: Experiencing the Motom on Today’s Roads
• Motom SS48 Italy and Switzerland
: Two Countries, One Motom. A photographic and technical comparison between the Italian and Swiss versions of the famous SS48.
• Looking Ahead to the 2026
Milan-Taranto: The riders, the motorcycles, and the expectations of the historic motorcycle enthusiasts as they prepare to take on the most prestigious event on the historic motorcycle racing circuit.
• Archive
Photos: Rare images, documents, and details from private collections that shed light on little-known aspects of Motom’s history.
Over 50 pages of documents, photographs, technical insights, and stories dedicated to the world of Motom.
Not just a magazine, but the first piece of a library dedicated to Motom.
Why Volume 0?
A book series usually starts with Volume 1.
DAS MOTOM starts with Volume 0.
It’s not a mistake.
It’s a deliberate choice.
This issue marks the starting point—a pilot project, a trial run—to see if there really is a community willing to support a magazine dedicated to Motom history.
That is why the first issue is not called Volume 1.
Volume 1 will only be published if this idea is embraced, supported, and deemed worthy of continuing.
Volume 0 exists because I believed in this idea.
Volume 1 will only exist if we all believe in it together.
Why DAS?
Simple.
I chose the name DAS because in Italian it stands for “Documents – Archive – History,” three words that capture the essence of this project.
But there’s also another reason. In German, “das” is the neuter definite article. It’s a linguistic coincidence that I liked right from the start, and one that makes the name short, catchy, and easily recognizable even beyond Italy’s borders.
Why a print magazine?
We live in an age when almost everything is posted online and is often forgotten within a few days.
And yet some stories deserve something more.
The vintage photographs, original documents, testimonies, and research compiled in these pages are part of a heritage that deserves to be preserved for future generations.
For this reason, DAS MOTOM will be published exclusively in print.
Not a small-batch, artisanal print run, but a true collector’s magazine, with a high-quality cover and editorial design meant to stand the test of time.
The goal is not to produce large quantities, but to create something that can be preserved, consulted, and passed down through the generations.
Why a bilingual magazine?
From the very first months of Motom Club’s operation, one thing became very clear: about 30% of visitors come from German-speaking countries, particularly Switzerland.
For this reason, DAS MOTOM will be published in two languages: Italian and German.
This is not simply a translation, but an effort to build a bridge between the communities that have helped preserve the brand’s history over the years.
The goal is to create a publication that can be read, kept, and consulted both in Italy and in German-speaking countries.
A project with a long-term vision
Volume 0 will be a limited experimental run of 200 numbered copies.
We don’t know how many volumes will follow or where this project will lead.
We know, however, that every printed copy serves as a record of our time.
Each volume will be identified by official ISBN and ISSN codes so that it can be cataloged, archived, and preserved as a published work.
Copies reserved through Motom Club will be given priority in the assignment of sequential numbers and will include free shipping.
Um das Projekt auch für Motom-Freunde zugänglich zu machen, die Motom Club nicht über soziale Medien oder den Newsletter verfolgen, wurde ein Teil der Auflage von Anfang an für den Online-Vertrieb reserviert.
Etwa einen Monat nach dem Versand der vorbestellten Exemplare wird DAS MOTOM auch über Amazon und andere Vertriebskanäle erhältlich sein. Der höhere Preis dient dazu, die Vertriebskosten der Plattformen abzudecken.
Hinweis: Die für den späteren Online-Vertrieb reservierten Exemplare wurden bereits bei der Berechnung der verfügbaren Stückzahl berücksichtigt und sind nicht im Kontingent der vorbestellbaren Exemplare enthalten.
Preserving Motom’s Legacy
DAS MOTOM was created not only as a collector’s magazine, but also as a historical record intended to remain accessible over time.
Two copies of each volume will be submitted for legal deposit to the national libraries responsible for preserving Italian publications.
In addition, a copy will be donated to museums and organizations that preserve and promote Motom’s history.
In a hundred or two hundred years, someone may look through these pages in a library, an archive, or a museum.
They could be digitized along with thousands of other historical publications.
And perhaps one of our descendants will read with curiosity the story of a passion that developed in the 2000s for a motorcycle built eighty years earlier.
If that happens, DAS MOTOM will have achieved its goal.
An Invitation to Participate
DAS MOTOM is an open project.
If you have vintage photographs, documents, advertisements, booklets, family stories, or simply a story worth telling, you can help this initiative grow.
Much of the information we know today exists only because someone decided to preserve it rather than let it be lost.
I told you so
When I founded Motom Club, I wrote that it wouldn’t be just another club.
Not an association.
Not just another social media group.
Not a sloppy, amateurish website.
Someone believed me right away (and even bought me a beer!)
Some people were skeptical.
Someone probably still is.
That’s fine.
But I had also promised that I would present something that had never been seen before in the world of Motom.
DAS MOTOM is that promise.
1946 → Motom
is founded 2026 → DAS MOTOM is founded
Eighty years separate these two dates.
One marked the beginning of a story.
The other one wants to help preserve it.
Welcome to Volume 0.