Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

black models, l5ut It aoes clean up nicely. The foam is firm and extends forward on the gas tank 10 make loading the front end in corners a little easier. The seat isn't as elaborate as some of the extended affairs on a few of the japanese scooters, but it gets the job done with little fuss. One thing about the seat that smaller riders won't like is its height. At 39.9 inches, it's way up there. In fact, the w hole motorcycle is big {or a 125. Not so good for 14-year-old hot shoes, but on the other side of the coin, if you're taller than average, you won't have to see your chiropractor after two long molOS on the Cagiva, which is the case with some of its competitors. The nicely shaped, but buttery, Tomaselli handlebars didn't win any bns during the Cagiva 's stay with us. They were bent rather badly in the aforementioned fender-destroying crash, which is understandable. Not so understandab.le was how easily the bars bent in two low-speed get-offs. A little stronger material please, Cagiva. While we're up front, the hard, diamond-pattern grips at the end of the handlebars should be replaced immediately with Ourys or something similar. till up front, the control cables bear some mentioning. When we picked up the WMX, the Cagiva service rep told us that the cables would need regular lubrication in order to work properly. Of course in the interests of bringing the mOIO-consumer all pertinent information in regards to product longevity (Should be read, "We were too lazy to break out the . cable luber. "), we didn't lube the cables at all. and after five or six dusty rides, the controls became balky. The frODt brake cable was affected the most, and as a result, the front brake lost a lot of its feel. A spriu of oil down the cables and everything was back 10 normal. Like all competitive motocross machines these days, the Cagiva is not a ride-it-hard-and-putit-a way-wet proposition. Regular maintenance is needed 10 get the best results. Even with its cable properly lubed, the Cagiva's front brake won't send japanese design teams back to their drawing boards in fear of being outbraked going into tight corners. For !'fovice- and Intermediate-level rider the brake is JUSt fine, but Expertlevel riders may require a little more stopping power. For them, Cagiva has a double-leading-shoe arrangement as an option. A magnesi um Marzocchi fork graces the front end of the Cagiva and it's nard 10 fault the action. On advisement from Cagiva, we installed the optional softer fork springs, using the stock oil settings and no air in the tubes. The ride was Cadillac-plush. We let a former Women's Motocross Champ ride the Cagiva after getting off her aftermarket-fork-kit-equipped bike, and she was impressed with how well the fork worked. The last we saw, she was talking with the Cagiva rep about getting a used pair of Marzocchis. For heavier or faster riders, the stock fork springs should work out fine. Rear suspension chores are handled by a single Ohlins shock attached to a nicely welded aluminum swingarm. Compared to the front, the action out back was a little harsh, especially for lighter riders. We backed off the rebound damping a few clicks, which helped on tight, low-speed tracks. On faster tracks, the stock settings were in the ball park. As with any top-flight motocrosser, some time must be spent balancing the suspension and finetuning the various settings for each track. With the suspension set up correctly•.the. Cagiva is a predtgablt;. C(") 00 (j) handler. It won't cut the heart out of a turn the way a Honda or Yamaha will, but it's no slouch in the cornering department. In the air. the Cagiva is pretty neutral feeling, with no tendency for the front end to c1imbor nose-dive. Berms can be tracked along with confidence if you take care to load the front end slightly. Although the Cagiva comes stock with Pirelli Sandcross tires, we changed to something a little more compatible with southern California's hard-baked terrain. Pirelli'sGaracross tires helped out a lot on the hard stuff. For sand or deep mud, though, the slOckers do a really good job. The power output of the Cagiva's water-cooled engine takes a little getting used to. One of our testers, who used to race 125s several years ago, jumped on the Italian speedster and proceeded to rev the whee out of it. Wrong technique. The WMX's powerband is strange in that it's pipey like most 125s, but doesn't like to be revved to the stratosphere in order to get around a race track quickly. You don't exactly short-shift it like an Open c1asser, just select the next cog a little sooner than normal on a 125. We installed a 51-tooth rear sprocket instead of the standard 49-toother, and the change helped smooth the power transition, making the bike easier to ride out of tight corners and quicker out of the starting gate. The sprocket is part of a spare parts kit that comes with eve,ry Cagiva molOcrosser. Included in the kit are one more rear sprocket and one front sprocket, a complete engine gasket set, extra piston ring and circlips, an airbox cover (or muddy or cold conditions, wrenches for adjusting the shock's preload, three extra main jets and a rebuild kit for the chain rollers, A nifty centerstand that doubles as a sidestand is also included with each bike, and a truly complete IOO-page shop manual is available for $12.95. While we're on the subject o( shifting, the six-speed gearbox doesn't like to be shifted under load. We soon learned to fan the clutch while keeping. pr.e5~ure under the folding-tip shift lever and were rewarded with clean, quick shifts every time. As per usual on a 125, you'll also have to fan the clutch while exiting low-speed turns 10 keep the engine revving in its powerband. The clutch didn't seem to mind the abuse; it went the entire test without so much as a cable adjustment. In fact, the whole engine was dead reliable. A high-quality pislOn man ufactured by the West German Mahle firm, a Nikosil bore and an all-needlebearing-equipped engine should make the Cagiva an exceptionally reliable motorcycle over the long run. It always started easily with a couple o( kicks, except for one time when we accidentally left the gas petcock turned on (or a (ew days. Once started, the Cagiva idled better than a lot of street bikes we've ridden lately. Bonus points to the Dellorto 36mm carburetor here. We'll take it point or twO away for the air £ilter arrangement, though. Although it's nOl nearly as complicated as Suzuki's convoluted split-box ar- rangment, it could be a little better thought out. The seat has to be taken off to find the dual-foam filter that resides in a plastic airbox cramped by the centrally located shock. It takes a practiced hand to make sure the filter is on securely. The bottom line, of course, is performance. Is the Cagiva good enough to blow away its Oriental competitors? In a word, no. The japanese companies have had 10 years to refine their bikes, and for 1984, they should be stronger than ever. What is impressive about the Cagiva ..:... basically a first-year e({ort - is that it is competitive with the Japanese iron. As factory development rider Ron Turner is graphically pointing out in southern California, and the Results section in Cycle News is bearing out, more and more Cagivas are winning at local molOcross races. In a sea o( lime green, (ire-engine red and two shades o( lemon yellow, the Ferrari-red Cagiva stands out as a viable alternative to the japanese racers. That's refreshing 10 see. • Specifications Engine Type Displacement Bore x stroke Compression ratio Starting system Ignition system Transmission Carburetor Water-cooled, two-stroke, single cylinder. 126cc. , , 66 X 61 mm. , 16.2:1. __ _ __ Primary kickatarter. __ .. _. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. Electronic. Six-speed. Dellorto PHBE36SS. Frame Type Front tire Rear tire _ _ _. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. Double credle. 3.00 x 21. _ 4.26 x 18. Dimensions Wheelbase _ 67.87 in. Seat height 39.98 in. Dry weight (claimed) , 202 lb•. Fuel capacity 2.16 gal. Oil capacity , .600cc. Suggested retail price ...................................•1960. . - 19.

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