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Cagiva brand to be revived by H-D

Started by bluemoco, January 06, 2009, 12:49:01 PM

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bluemoco

January 06, 2009, 12:49:01 PM Last Edit: January 06, 2009, 01:43:30 PM by bluemoco v2.0
According to SoloMoto, H-D is planning to revive the Cagiva brand.   You'll recall that Harley acquired the rights to the Cagiva name when they bought MV Agusta a few months ago.  You may also recall that Cagiva was Ducati's parent company from 1985-1996, when Ducati was sold to the Texas Pacific Group.

This likely means the reintroduction of the Elefant and other classic Cagiva models.   It also appears that they're planning to install the Rotax mill from the 1125 into a Cagiva Raptor.  More superbikes are likely to follow.  [thumbsup]



"I'm the guy who does his job. You must be the other guy." - Donnie Wahlberg in "The Departed"

"America is all about speed.  Hot, nasty, badass speed." --Eleanor Roosevelt, 1936

ducatiz

#1
January 06, 2009, 05:26:49 PM
I heard the rumor about reviving the Elefant, but they will not do it right.

People forget that the Elefant had a Ducati engine -- and when they stopped using it, they changed the name. 

What made the Elefant a Dakar Rally contender was the engine as much as it was any other part of the design.

At least they could put a vtwin (L-twin?) in the new Elefant.

Cagiva never made their own engines though.  They always built bikes around other people's engines.  The later bikes after the Ducati engines all have Suzuki cases.  The Navigator and Raptor for example both use the TL1000, which is a 90 deg Vtwin after all.

I could stand to see the Elefant with one of those nifty Rotax parallels that BMW is using (The 800cc model).  It would give BMW a run for their money for their new adv bike.

'tizzzzz

(who still loves his '86 Elefant 650...)

ps.. the Elefant photo is a Lucky Strike version bifaro model.  The older ones are much cooler.
Check out my oil filter forensics thread!                     Offended? Click here
"Yelling out of cars, turning your speakers out the window to blast your music onto the street, setting off M-80 firecrackers, firing automatic weapons into the airâ€"these are all well and good. But none of them create a merry atmosphere of insouciance and bonhomie quite like a revving motorcycle.

erkishhorde

#2
January 07, 2009, 07:02:59 AM
Iono, what an Elefant is but I love my Cagiva Duc.   [thumbsup]

Girls dig the elephant.  ;D
ErkZ NOT in SLO w/ his '95 m900!
The end is in sight! Gotta buckle down and get to work!

ducatiz

#3
January 07, 2009, 08:01:56 AM
Check out my oil filter forensics thread!                     Offended? Click here
"Yelling out of cars, turning your speakers out the window to blast your music onto the street, setting off M-80 firecrackers, firing automatic weapons into the airâ€"these are all well and good. But none of them create a merry atmosphere of insouciance and bonhomie quite like a revving motorcycle.

Jarvicious

#4
January 07, 2009, 06:37:17 PM
I don't know much about the old Cagivas, but the name "Elefant" doesn't really give me a sense of the bike being light and nimble.  I guess in that case HD should just change their name to Elefant. 
We're liberated by the hearts that imprison us.  We're taken hostage by the ones that we break.

ducatiz

#5
January 07, 2009, 06:41:05 PM
Quote from: Jarvicious on January 07, 2009, 06:37:17 PM
I don't know much about the old Cagivas, but the name "Elefant" doesn't really give me a sense of the bike being light and nimble.  I guess in that case HD should just change their name to Elefant. 

google "dumbo development" there is a cult following for the Elefants.  they were ground-breaking enduro bikes, which is pretty much why every dual sport/enduro is reminiscent of them (i.e. the KLR or the GS800).

They really had some very original design features which everyone copied right away.  The super long forks, for instance and the vertical gas tank.  Off road bikes until around 1980 all had fairly conventional frames with somewhat conventional length forks.  Cagiva redesigned the frame so the yoke was very high and voila, you can put longer forks on (for length of travel).   

The name may not tickle you, but "Elefant" has a huge following.  Even Ducati has one in their bike museum in Bologna (since Cagiva used the Pantah and later Desmodue engine in them).  They are quite wonderful bikes.
Check out my oil filter forensics thread!                     Offended? Click here
"Yelling out of cars, turning your speakers out the window to blast your music onto the street, setting off M-80 firecrackers, firing automatic weapons into the airâ€"these are all well and good. But none of them create a merry atmosphere of insouciance and bonhomie quite like a revving motorcycle.

cyrus buelton

#6
January 07, 2009, 07:02:08 PM
So quit making us drool, Tizz'


Let's see yours
No Longer the most hated DMF Member.

By joining others Hate Clubs, it boosts my self-esteem.

1999 M750 (joint ownership)
2004 S4r (mineeee)
2008 KLR650 (wifey's bike, but I steal it)

ducatiz

#7
January 08, 2009, 04:48:55 AM
Quote from: cyrus buelton on January 07, 2009, 07:02:08 PM
So quit making us drool, Tizz'


Let's see yours

my 1986 Elefant 650





Check out my oil filter forensics thread!                     Offended? Click here
"Yelling out of cars, turning your speakers out the window to blast your music onto the street, setting off M-80 firecrackers, firing automatic weapons into the airâ€"these are all well and good. But none of them create a merry atmosphere of insouciance and bonhomie quite like a revving motorcycle.

Langanobob

#8
January 08, 2009, 06:12:35 AM
Quote(who still loves his '86 Elefant 650...)

Hey, I have one too - an '86 version also.  From your pics yours looks cleaner than mine.  I inadvertently  used mine for a belt life test.  When I got it at 14,000  miles I thought it had new belts so I didn't change them 'til  25k, when I found out from the original owner that they were never changed.  Still looked perfect but I sure was lucky.  Fun bike to ride.

ducatiz

#9
January 08, 2009, 05:41:34 PM
Quote from: Langanobob on January 08, 2009, 06:12:35 AM
Hey, I have one too - an '86 version also.  From your pics yours looks cleaner than mine.  I inadvertently  used mine for a belt life test.  When I got it at 14,000  miles I thought it had new belts so I didn't change them 'til  25k, when I found out from the original owner that they were never changed.  Still looked perfect but I sure was lucky.  Fun bike to ride.

i picked mine up from a guy who collected italian bikes with only 3000 miles on the clock -- it still had an original factory oil filter on it (he bought 3 from the dealer when he bought it).  swapped out the belts, flushed the engine, swapped the horrible motoplatt coils for dynas and vroom vroom. 

i cored the lafranconi muffler too, much happier wide open.  my forks need rebuilding and i am planning to repaint the tank and the sub frame (the elefant's frame is in 3 pieces for unknowing -- tail subframe, engine support and the main cradle)
Check out my oil filter forensics thread!                     Offended? Click here
"Yelling out of cars, turning your speakers out the window to blast your music onto the street, setting off M-80 firecrackers, firing automatic weapons into the airâ€"these are all well and good. But none of them create a merry atmosphere of insouciance and bonhomie quite like a revving motorcycle.
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