(ANSA) - Treviso, March 13 - The founder of motorbike and scooter maker Aprilia, Ivano Beggio, has died aged 73, sources close to his family said Tuesday.

Aprilia grew out of a bicycle workshop Beggio worked in with his father.

The motorcycle company is now one of the brands owned by Piaggio. Having started as a manufacturer of bicycles it moved on to manufacture scooters and small-capacity motorcycles. In more recent times Aprilia has produced large sportbikes such as the 1,000 cc V-twin RSV Mille and the V4 RSV4. Aprilia has enjoyed considerable success in road-racing.

photo: Beggio after a 250 cc race in 1996