MopedDB

Ossa

Year		Event		Edit
2015		With the bankruptcy of GasGas, production of Ossa motorcycles must also be discontinued.
2014		Ossa Factory merges with Spanish competitor GasGas. The aim is to consolidate production in Girona.
2010		The Ossa TR 280i, a revolutionary trial bike with electronic fuel injection and an inverted cylinder, is launched.
2009		A group of investors led by businessman Jordi Cuxart acquires the Ossa naming rights. The new company operates under the name Ossa Factory.
1985		Despite the cooperative's efforts and technical innovations (such as the presentation of a prototype 250 cm³ water-cooled engine), Ossa does not have sufficient capital. Production is finally discontinued. The trademark rights are suspended.
1982		The merger with Bultaco was unable to halt the decline. Ossa becomes insolvent. The factory in Barcelona was taken over by the remaining workers, who continued to run the company as a cooperative under the name Maquinaria y Elementos de Transporte, S.A.L. (METSAL). Trial models (such as the TR 80 "Yellow Orange") continued to be produced in small quantities in order to keep the brand alive.
1979		A consortium is formed, with Ossa and Bultaco merging to pool resources and obtain government loans. The brands retain their names, but administration and parts of development are merged.
1974		Der französische KTM Importeur, Marcel Seurat übernimmt auch den Import der spanischen Marke Ossa für Frankreich.
1972		Ossa gewinnt erneut die Trial Europameisterschaft.
1972		France Inter 250ccm Cross Jacky Vernier, der Schwiegersohn des Ossa Importeurs und BPS Mitinhabers Marcel Seurat mit Platz 3 in der Meisterschaft um damit vor einer BPS. Es gibt in diesem Jahr einen BPS Prototyp mit Ossa-Motor.
1971		Ossa gewinnt die Trial Europameisterschaft.
1967		Mick Andrews kommt zu Ossa und entwickelt die Ossa Plonker.
1952		Ossa tritt mit einem Debüt bei der ISDT 1952 in Österreich in den Wettbewerb ein.
1949		Ossa in Spanien beginnt die Motorradproduktion mit einer 125-ccm-Zweitaktmaschine, die über eine Teleskopgabel und eine Hinterradschwinge verfügt. Ein Konzept, das den meisten Wettbewerbern weit voraus ist. Die 125A wird zum kommerziellen Erfolg und die Gewinne werden in die Entwicklung investiert.

Foundet:1949

The name Ossa is an acronym for Orpheo Sincronic Sociedad Anónima, a company in which Ricardo Soriano and Manuel Giró were involved in the 1930s.

Motorcycle production began in 1949 with a 125cc two-stroke machine that featured telescopic forks and a swingarm—a concept that was far ahead of most of its competitors. The 125A was a commercial success and the profits were invested in development. New models were launched, including a 50cc Ossita moped, another success story.

Ossa entered the competition with its debut at the 1952 ISDT in Austria.

In 1957, the 125A was replaced by the 125B with a pressed steel frame, hydraulic suspension at the front and rear, and a more powerful engine. This was followed by the 125C with a tubular frame. The following year saw the launch of the company's only four-stroke model, the 175GT with a Morini engine.

Ossa had gained a new star in 1954 with the hiring of Sandro Colombo, who was known for his previous work at Gilera. Colombo had developed an engine for Ossa that was constantly evolving and became the main focus for the company's new models. The engines were installed in the 160T and GT, and the displacement was increased to 175, 230, and 250 cm³ for a series of new models. The 250 engine powered the machine that won the 1967 24-hour race at Montjuïc. A series of impressive competition results followed.

Off-road models were developed and Mick Andrews joined Ossa in 1967. Riding his Ossa Plonker, he dominated the trial championships in the early 1970s and won the European Trial Championship in 1971 and 1972. Ossa released a machine in his honor, the Ossa MAR - the Mick Andrews Replica, which was produced until the late 1970s. Andrews also won the Scottish Six Days Trial three years in a row - in 1970, 1971, and 1972. Ossa was also very successful in the United States, where a model called the Ossa DMR—the Dick Mann Replica—was released. An interesting machine from this period is the Yankee 500, an American motorcycle powered by a newly developed Ossa twin-cylinder engine for road racing.

The Ossa motocross series of the 1970s was very well received, and the Phantom models of the 70s regularly appeared in the results of all levels of competition in Europe and the United States.

Closed: 1985

1. The merger (1979)

Background: At the end of the 1970s, the three major Spanish brands (Bultaco, OSSA, and Montesa) found themselves in a crisis due to massive strikes, outdated production methods, and the entry of Japanese manufacturers into the market.
The merger: In 1979, the Spanish government, with the involvement of the Ministry of Industry, ordered technological and economic cooperation. A consortium was formed in which OSSA and Bultaco merged in order to pool resources and obtain government loans.
Status: Although the brands retained their names, administration and parts of development were merged.

2. The crisis and the workers' cooperative (1982)

Economic collapse: The merger could not stop the decline. Bultaco effectively ceased production in 1979/80. OSSA became insolvent in 1982.
Foundation of the cooperative: The factory in Barcelona was taken over by the remaining workers, who continued to run the company as a cooperative under the name Maquinaria y Elementos de Transporte, S.A.L. (METSAL).
Models: During this phase, mainly trial models (such as the TR 80 "Yellow Orange") continued to be produced in small quantities in order to keep the brand alive.

3. Final closure (1985)

Production halt: Despite the cooperative's efforts and technical innovations (such as the presentation of a prototype 250 cm³ water-cooled machine), there was insufficient capital.
Discontinuation: Production was finally discontinued in 1985. The trademark rights were suspended for over two decades.

4. The modern revival (2009–2014)

Reestablishment: In 2009, a group of investors led by businessman Jordi Cuxart acquired the naming rights. The new company operated under the name Ossa Factory.
Innovative model: In 2010, the Ossa TR 280i was launched, a revolutionary trial bike with electronic fuel injection and an inverted cylinder.
GasGas merger (2014): In January 2014, Ossa Factory merged with its Spanish competitor GasGas. The aim was to consolidate production in Girona.
Another end: Shortly afterwards, GasGas itself ran into serious financial difficulties and filed for bankruptcy in 2015, leading to the production of Ossa motorcycles being discontinued once again.

Last edited: 1/16/2026 · Jürgen Wißler