Friends, Beryl apparently was a spokeswoman/endorser for these things but they were made in Italy. So the double "l" is not pronounced like a "y" as would be the case in Spanish. In the '60s I saw quite a few Ballila brakes that seemed to be equal in quality to Universal, although the finish was not quite as good. But around '75 I bought a cheap Italian bike whose Ballilas were of such astoundingly poor quality that it's no wonder they became defunct. I believe Ballila means "hunter" in Italian. In any event, at one time it was sort of a byword for sport/speed versions of various machines; e.g. the Fiat "Ballila" sports car. (There also was a Fascist youth organization called Ballila but that's a different story altogether, I suppose.) Best regards, Fred Rednor - Arlington, Virginia