In those days, Paioli was already producing mudguards, shock absorbers and petrol taps for motorcycles, but the burgeoning market made it clear that there was plenty of room for growth in the field of front suspensions, which had to adapt to the new generation of motorcycles presented by all companies.

So, in the early 70s, Maria Giovanna Gnudi and Luciano Santovito, the company's current Chairwoman and Managing Director, decided to specifically handle this product area, and as a result, Paioli Meccanica was created from a division of the original company (established in 1911).
The declared aim of the two proprietors was to start producing "Ceriani type" forks as soon as possible. These forks were then considered the best in the world.

The first recognition came from Ducati and Cagiva, later followed by Peugeot and Motobecane, who decided to use Paioli Meccanica products as their standard equipment.
At that time, the chief problem for motorcycle manufacturers was to obtain reliable delivery lead-times for the selected components.
Competing companies produced many products that were very similar to each other and, in this situation, attention to high-tech and styling aspects was not considered central.

The turn-around
The first significant change in company policy happened in the early 80s, when the entire European industry had to face increasing Japanese competition, with its very high quality standard.
Consequently, producers began to focus increasingly on technological research, although the main aim was still creating products that were, above all, economically competitive, and of sufficient overall quality to face competition.
1986 marked another important step ahead: quality on its own was not enough, technology became increasingly sophisticated and the public began to consider overall design as increasingly important. Paioli Meccanica reacted to stimuli from the outside world and set up the Paioli Research and Development centre in Tradate, near Varese.
From the early 90s, the company began to devote more and more effort to creating original products, with the technological, construction and design characteristics sufficient to convince motorbike manufacturers to use them. That meant changing more and more incisively the existing trend whereby parts available on the market were "simply" installed en masse. With this new commercial logic, Paioli Meccanica succeeded in presenting new types of fork, decidedly more advanced compared to the past: there was an on-going increase in parts, which were assembled to each other and not built as a single piece, whereas, as far as the engine was concerned, the innovative "cartridge" system soon replaced the classic piston pump solutions.

The synergies
This was an important technology improvement calling for in-depth design and construction know-how in the more sophisticated models, and, at the time, the company did not yet have this know-how.
So Paioli Meccanica decided to drastically cut-down "industrial learning" time, by seeking partners who could provide design skills, construction experience and knowledge of the materials, all of which would have needed too much time and money to acquire directly.
So, after long, complex negotiations, at the end of March 1994, a technical and commercial co-operation agreement was reached with Kayaba, on of the world's leading suspension producers.
Today, Paioli Meccanica is ready to face the global motorcycle market, with products suitable for all segments, thanks to its wealth of experience and commercial success acquired in its first twenty years of activity.

Today
Today, Paioli Meccanica has a highly defined, technologically advanced identity, able to guarantee:

- On-going research;
- Uniform production;
- Original styling solutions.

This is an extremely important set of elements, giving life, among other things, to a product anyone can easily recognise at first sight.
And that's not all: Paioli Meccanica is a reliable, invaluable partner, from the early design stages through to final industrialisation of the vehicle: in fact, out Technical Department is on hand at any time to assist the managers of a complete project, providing all possible help in creating parts that are both central to the functioning of the vehicle and crucial in defining final styling.
People buying a motorcycle are motivated not only by reasons they consider rational but also by a strong element of passion.
As a result, it is essential for a componentry producer to know how to cooperate with the motorcycle producer by supplying a comprehensive consulting service, and this must happen even ahead of a technical valid product with an up-to-date look.
So we are looking to provide consultation aimed at creating a final product that meets the client's requirements, anticipates his/her wishes, and also satisfies his/her less evident passionate aspects.
Paioli Meccanica is seeking to actively play a leading role in the world of production and believes it is ready to do this in the right way.