In the United States and Canada, off-road motorcycling - and particularly the newly imported sport of motocross to which the light-weight and powerful Ossa was well suited - enjoyed a surging popularity.

In addition to their suitability for racing, in terms of power-to-weight, Ossa motorcycles gained a reputation for reliability on and off the race track.

Their first success came at the 1967 24 Hours of Montjuich on the streets of Barcelona.

Against all the major Spanish factories, Ossa motorcycles finished a surprising first and second.

Inspired by this success, the factory decided to compete abroad in order to make inroads into the international market.

Herreros death affected the Ossa team so much that they withdrew from road racing competitions altogether.

Andrews won the grueling Scottish Six Days Trial three consecutive years between 1970 and 1972 for the Ossa factory.

Ironically, the motorcycle boom that created a new market and allowed the European makers to reap great financial rewards, was also the seed of their own demise, and that of the numerous smaller firms, such as Ossa.

With so many choices for both buyers and dealers, sales and service networks were not sustainable, and attempts to improve manufacturing by investing in new factories back home put Ossa, like virtually every other European firm, deep into the red.

The arrival of cheaper Japanese motorcycles into the local economy as well as a crippling employee strike in 1977 spurred the downfall of the Ossa company.

By 1984 Ossa was under the control of a labor cooperative, and the following year its name was changed to Ossamoto.

Nonetheless, as a Vintage make, the Ossa still enjoys a significant following among home hobbyists and amateur racers.

Produced in France in the 1970s, the SPQ was an air-cooled 250 cc road racing motorcycle with a light frame and an OSSA engine.

The SPQ excelled in French hillclimbing and criterium races in the decade, but was no match for the Yamaha TD2 in circuit competition.

The Yankee, also known as Ossa Yankee, had a 500 cc air-cooled Ossa twin-cylinder two-stroke engine, designed by Eduard Gir.

This bike took part in the 24 hours of Montjuich races in 1972 and 1973.

Only one was built as a road racing prototype and another as a street bike.

This bike survives at the Bassella Motorcycle Museum, Alt Urgell.

Ossa; An Innovative, Young Company Gives the Big Boys a Lesson.

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Ossa Motorcycle Serial Numbers