An Hystory of Work and Family
After few years in the construction department and few more years in the R&D (Research and Development) department of Lafranconi Silenziatori, Romano decided to set up his own business by investing the knowledge gained in a new personal project.
As many Italians artisan activity, the beginning was in a home garage transformed is a workshop. The first prototypes were born there, as well as the first experiments and experiences. A humble beginning that makes us very proud!
Romano was the first person to introduce stainless steel as material used for Moto Guzzi exhausts; before then, the original exhausts or the aftermarket spares parts were made of iron.
From the home workshop, we rented a small warehouse in downtown Mandello, it was 1993.
The demand increased year by year and also did the working hours for Romano, forcing him to many sleeplessness night for the production.
At the beginning of 2000, Antonella, Romano’s wife, entered in the company to help with the accounting and the world-wide shippings.
Thanks to Moto Guzzi motorcycle rally and to word of mouth, we were already international!
In 2013 Alex, Romano and Antonella’s son, joined the company. A young guy with a strong motivation and interest in his father job. An interest that, after few months, became a true passion!
New ideas, new processes and strong clashes with his father, but everyday something gets better and the company keeps going.
Along the years, we expanded more and more, we changed three headquarters and we gave a job to new people that became part of Mistral’s family. The company is all of us that work everyday and aim high for our clients!
The production includes homologated exhaust systems for road and racing use, furthermore, upon the customer’s request, it is possible to develop complete systems in a single example, built directly on the bike, exactly like a tailored suit.
The company is based in Mandello del Lario, a small town, nestled between Lake Como and the famous Mount Grigna, already known throughout history for its passion for motorcycling and home to numerous companies operating in the sector, including Moto Guzzi.
Research & Development
It starts with prototyping, it is the initial phase where you look at the bike, study the lines and try to grasp its soul. The exhaust must not be a simple object to install, it must be a perfectly integrated and complementary component of the bike. During this phase we think about the shape, the length, the internal volume (also in relation to the cylindrate), we check anything that might be an obstacle (central stand, side stand, platforms, bags, etc …) so that every detail is taken into consideration.
We then move onto the construction of the prototype, in the most artisanal and manual part of the process, here the first “ mannequin ” is created, and that is the part that will then be used for the technical tests on the dyno bench and on the road.
Through the use of our dyno bench we check its performance, this step is followed for the development of the exhausts for each bike in order to guarantee specific results every time. Therefore, these are not generic silencers, but each one is specially optimized for the bike on which it has to be installed.
The dyno bench allows us to see how the torque and power curve changes compared to the original system, if necessary to evaluate any performance improvement and guarantee the result for the customer.
Although our production is totally artisanal, technology has become an integral part both in the development of new exhaust systems and in the production itself. Some of our most recent silencers have been developed in 3D CAD even before being made in reality, the combination of thirty-year technical experience and modern technology is what ensures an excellent final result.
The dyno bench feedback has become even more fundamental with the advent of the EURO4 and EURO5 motorcycles, in fact it is necessary to guarantee compatibility with the original ECU mapping as well as having a profit, ensuring that the air / fuel ratio remains within the safe range for operation of the engine.
Sound is also an essential development target: different types of db-killers are tested in order to find the right relationship between sound quality, homologation limits and performance gain. Design is as important on the outside as it is on the inside.
Production
Once the development phase has been completed, the construction details, technical drawings, manufacturing processes are defined, the welding masks and any molds for the components are created, the silencer is now ready for approval tests and production .
We have dedicated a specific page of our website to provide more information on the homologation process and the certification of our company: HOMOLOGATIONS
The production is characterized by total craftsmanship:
welding, assembly and final finishing are operations carried out exclusively by hand in order to maintain the high quality that characterizes any Mistral product.
Replacing the exhaust is one of the first operations that are carried out to obtain weight reductions, better performance, different sounds and looks. If we combine all these features with continuous product improvement, Made in Italy artisan quality and over 30 years of experience, you get exactly what the customer is looking for for his bike!
