Bikes Rule!

BIKES RULE!

MILAN 2002

Motorcycles in, scooters out at the Milan Show

BRUNO DE PRATO

THE ITALIAN MOTORCYCLE INDUSTRY IS experiencing a bit of a shake-up. Sales of motorcycles are up 2.5 percent from the year 2000, but sales of scooters-traditionally a very important market in Italy-have nose-dived 33 percent.

Piaggio, the leading scooter manufacturer in Europe, has the resources to counter the situation. It lost sales, but increased its share of the market. The firm now owns 100 percent of Derbi and 20 percent of the Cagiva Group, but expects to own the latter outright by the end of 2002. After that, Ducati might be the next big game in the company’s sights.

Piaggio’s R&D department has been busy recently developing new products under the Güera banner. Shown at Milan was a scooter-based, 850cc, sohc,

90-degree V-Twin (see Roundup).

Also, Piaggio will put its flamingred, Suzuki GSX600R-powered Güera 600 Supersport into production for 2003. The bike was introduced this year because the Milan Show alternates with Munich, and the Italians didn’t want to introduce the bike in Germany. The 600 has lots going for it: Claimed dry weight is just 356 pounds, the twinspar aluminum chassis appears thoroughly developed and the engine breathes through a central, Honda RC51-style nostril in the fairing.

Aprilia, the second main player in Italy’s scooter market, is breathing a little harder than Piaggio. Rumors tell of a massive unsold inventory, especially of 50cc scooters, the segment most affected by the current crisis. But Aprilia has a solid financial footing.

Focal point of the Aprilia booth at Milan was the Blue Marlin, a prototype café-racer that looks as though it could easily reach production. One of the firm’s 130-horsepower, 998cc, 60-degree V-Twins is housed in a classic-looking chromoly doublecradle frame that shares the same wheelbase, rake and trail figures as the RSV Mille. No official weight figures were released, but a test rider disclosed that the prototype weighs a scant 341 pounds. It’s fitted with state-of-the-art components, including a racing-type Öhlins fork, Brembo Gold Series brakes and Pirelli Dragon Evo Corsa tires in 120/65-17 and 190/50-17 sizes.

There is not much new under the sun in Mandello del Lario, home of Moto Guzzi, the legendary marque now owned by Aprilia. A new version of the V11 Le Mans called the Tenni celebrates the achievements of one Omobono Tenni, the man who won so many races for Guzzi in the 1930s and ’40s. What separates the Tenni from the standard Le Mans is a matte-green-and-silver-gray paint job inspired by those old racers, with white oval numberplates on the sides of the fairing and a suede seat.

While the scooter market has taken a downturn, pure motorcycle makers such as Ducati are doing fine. They certainly don’t rest on their laurels in Bologna: Fresh from yet another all-conquering World Superbike season, the Ducati technical team has developed a further evolution of their celebrated 996R Testastretta engine, with the same 998cc displacement but a much more oversquare bore/stroke combination of 104 x 58.8mm. In its mandatory 150 civilian-units form, the new 998R is said to produce 139 bhp at 10,000 rpm, while in full racing trim it should produce in the region of 190 bhp at 11,500 rpm. Ducati Corse CEO Claudio Domenicali is very proud of “his” engine.

The Testastretta powerplant now becomes a regular production engine in the 998S, which replaces the previous 996SPS; similarly, the base 996 gives way to the 998. In the latter edition, the engine is said to produce 123 bhp at 9750 rpm. This motor should see duty in the S4 Monster and ST4s sport-tourer in no more than two years.

Ducati’s real show-shocker represents a serious attempt to define a new market sector.

It’s called the MultiStrada (literally “multiroads,” which gives the idea that the bike can negotiate any and all kinds of pavement), sort of a sportbike with tall suspension. It’s not an adventuretourer, by any means, since it rolls on 17-inch wheels shod with supersport radiais; instead, it’s a comfortable streetbike that offers a relaxed riding posture for long hauls, even two-up, with a wide, leverage-enhancing handlebar. Expect to see it as an early-release 2003 model.

The Luigi Mengoli-led technical team completely revised the tried-and-true air-cooled, sohc, two-valve desmo V-Twin, fitting it with a Testastretta-influenced, narrower-angle (56 degrees, down from 60) plain-bearing, twin-plug head. Displacement is up to 992cc, the extra cubes coming from the 94mm bore of the 944cc ST2 engine and a stroke increased from 68 to 71.5mm. While Ducati did not release any power figures, expect in the vicinity of 80 bhp at the rear wheel, with plenty of torque. The new engine is harnessed in a steel spaceframe that shares the tightly triangulated structure of Ducati’s other sportbikes and runs a singlesided swingarm. The wheelbase spans a generous 57 inches, while rake is set at a fairly sporty 24 degrees. Seat height is a tall 32.3 inches, dry weight is 429 pounds and the fuel tank holds 5.2 gallons.

Styling is by Pierre Terblanche, and as such is typically controversial, particularly the fairing, marked by an excess of sharp cuts. But as a whole, the bike is impressive.

Further proof that the Italian motorcycle market is on the upswing comes from perpetually cash-strapped Cagiva,

which is experiencing a bit of an upswing, particularly in its MV Agusta and Husqvama divisions.

The R&D department has been hard at work looking for the extra horsepower to justify the additional manufacturing and servicing complexity of the Agusta F4’s radial valves. And, bang!, they found it: The 750cc inline-Four now pumps out a claimed 146 bhp at 13,000 rpm, making it the most powerful three-quarter-liter production bike in the world. So equipped, the new top-of-the-line F4SPR sees its top-speed potential soar past the 180-mph mark. Other changes include plenty of carbon-fiber and top-flight running-gear that trimmed 9 pounds off the standard F4S’s weight, for a claimed dry weight of 414 pounds. Meanwhile, all rumors about the previously announced 900cc version are being denied.

Also new is a standard production version of the Brutale naked bike introduced last year. Called the S (as in “strada”), it retains the same mechanical specifications as the limited-production Oro, but gained a few pounds (from 394 to 407) due to a less expensive execution. Power remains a solid 127 bhp at 12,500 rpm. Price drops from $30,000 to a more affordable $15K, give or take.

Husqvama remains the most vital marque within the Cagiva Group, with production in excess of 15,000 units per year. The Swedish-bom brand debuted a new generation of four-stroke Singles in 250, 400 and 450cc displacements, in TC motocross, TE enduro and SMR supermotard versions. These utilize a completely new cylinder head with chain-driven dohc and finger-type cam followers actuating four valves set at a narrow 25-degree included angle, plus hydraulic clutch actuation and electric start. All the engines are highly oversquare, allowing

the TC 250 MXer to rev to 13,000 rpm. The TC 250 is also said to be very lightweight, tipping the scales at just 9 pounds heavier than Husky’s own two-stroke CR 250.

It must be said that the scooter market has always had its ups and downs, even in the old days, when a Vespa was a natural alternative to a car. The great euphoria that was triggered by the recent round of models led many to believe that the scooter was here to stay. Not true. Scooters are yesterday’s news. Bikes are here to stay.