Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

needs were ever grea ter, to underpin production that was increasing all the time, thanks to our program of investment. We were a victim of our own success. That's the simple, truthful explanation of how our troubles came about. I will admit that 'we made many mistakes - no honest businessman doesn't - but they were mistakes born of a desire to succeed, in the cause of which we were not afraid to make sacrifices. For example, it pained me personally very much to withdraw Cagiva from 500cc GP racing - but this was a necessary economy, made more relevant by our decision to enter the superbike market one day with the F4. And Ducati's appetite for cash was eating up the profits we made from manufacturing Husqvarna and Cagiva products, to the point ' " will admit dlat we made many mistakes - no honest busill£SSllUlll doesn't - bllt they weTe mistakes bom of a desire to succeed... , , duction in 1996, when we produced just 4500 bikes against 8000' in our best year, 1994. But we have restarted production and, this year, we will build 10,000 bikes to try to catch up to the demand. These will be with the existing engine, but in December we will start production of that it starved' that side of our company our 1998 models, two of which will be of the capital to develop new models fitted with the new electric-start 610cc with the result that they began to suffer, engine with counterbalancer and proper too. oil system we launched at the IFMA Of course, Ducati was selling well Show in Cologne last year, and which but its success created more problems, you've just seen undergoing final prebecause of the extra cash flow needed to production R&D in our workshops. One maintain production at record levels, of these models will be slightly more the increased cost of money in the recesroad-oriented than any current Husqsion, and above all the limit on 'prices varna product, though nothing like the we could charge for our products, even KTM Dukerfor example. in a seller's market. However, we are also considering the We therefore made what I believe launch of a Cagiva Supermono using was the correct decision, to seek a finanthis new single-cylihder engine, which cial partner who would join with Cagiva we might also produce in road racing in creating a new company to manage fonn, as well as for the street. And for Ducati independently. I'm happy we've 1998, we will be producing a customer found the right partner in TPG - but not race replica of ky) MarteJ;ls' works happy when I readJn the press that MX racer, as well s intensifying our· Cagiva is shoved in a corner, is sidefactory involvement in off-road sport lined, is on the road to extinction. thi's year, we have two works riders in I repeat, Cagiva is the largest shareeach of the 125cc and Open 500cc World . holder in Ducati Motor, and will remain Motocross, and four in the World so - and is facing a bright future all its Enduro series. own. Next year, we'll Yes, but does the Cashave even more: tiglioni family still " ... It pcuned _ persuruu !Y very . . --', We're planning to own 100 percent of much to witJrdTaw Cagiva from SODa: bring Husqvarna back Cagiva Motor, and in a big way, on the thus the entire 49 per- GP racing - Intt this was a JItt£Ssary £COlIOlIIy.' , track as well as in the cent of Cagiva's shareshowroom. It's the holding in Ducati? Is Ducati of off-road racthere any truth to the ing, and we plan to capitalize 01\ that. rumors that you've sold all or part of Okay, let's look at Cagiva. What was the company to a third party such as your recent production record here at Fiat or Piaggio, or to a Swiss Bank, in Varese? order to payoff outstanding debts? The best year we had was 1989 or 1990, Alan, look - I give you my personal when we produced 32,000 bikes in this assurance that this is not the case, that factory, whereas in 1996 we built just my family's commitment to and 9wuer12,()()() Cagivas for the reasons we have ship of Cagiva Motor remains total. We already discussed relating to Ducati, have not disposed of or mortgaged any alongside the 4500 Husqvarnas, which part of Cagiva Motor to an outside entiare also entirely manufactured here. ty, and have no plans to do so. This year, 1997, we will build the same Forty-nine percent of Ducati Motor number of Cagivas, but the increased belongs now to the Castiglioni family, number of HVA motorcycles, making and will remain so in the foreseeable 22,000 bikes in all. future. You have my word on that. Husqvarna is our main priority, How about Husqvarna? There have because we have a good product and been rumors that you're planning the the market is hungry for them, whereas same kind of operation with HVA as for Cagiva we have several new models with Ducati, in terms of bringing in an under development that we must first outside investo~ to kickstart producget into production. Included in these tion. Any truth in that? are the Cagiva Grand Canyon 900 Categorically not. I won't deny we have launched at IFMA last year, which will had approaches on that basis - for Cagienter production in December for the va as well - but we didn't initiate them 1998 model year, still based on the Eleand we've responded negatively to fant chassis, but with a revised version them. We do not need, or want, to of the Ducati 9005S engine, which will repeat the Ducati operation with the debut at the"Milan Show in September. remaining companJes in Cagiva Motor. But before that, we will begin producWe did suffer a downturn m flYA pro- a 28 ery for manufacture of the engine scheduled for installation here at the existing factory later this year, already ordered and paid for; hence the need to move the assembly lines to our new factory, to make room for this. But when will production actually begin - and is the financing in place to . support such a costly venture as the manufacture of an all-new range of four-cylinder motorcycles? Once again, I'm glad you asked me that, because I know there are detractors who claim that Cagiva is bankrupt and can never afford to start production of the F4. This is untrue, quite apart from the fact that we've already incurred the greater part of the start-up costs - namely the development of the engine, the chassis design, and the styling, all of which have been completed to preproduction stage, and the acquisition of machinery for manufacture. Castiglioni considers Husqvarna the The R&D bikes, like the one you samDucati of the dirt world and has big plans pled,-have the definitive chassis and both in motocross and off-road fuel-injected engine, but are obviously comPetition: clothed in Ducati 916 bodywork for test purposes on public roads; the fact fuat the F4 is only 1 centimeter wider than a tion of the Cagiva Nl, the 125cc street Ducati V-twin shows how compact and bike using the Mito chassis in Naked revolutionary our four-cylinder in-line form 'which meets the new European engine is. And, in the hands of the team license laws, that we led by Andrea Goggi expect to give a major (Cagiv'a's young boost to motorcycle engine wizard, who " ...my family'S commi_ to sales. We will also put has replaced Riccardo and OWlIasJrip of Cagiva Motor the Cucciolo SOcc bigRosa - since departed . remaillS totlll. , , w heel scooter to BeneW - as the comlaunched two years pany's chief engineer), ago into production at we've also begun the end of the year in Italy, rather than work on the superbike race version, in the CZ factory in the Czech Republic, which revs to 15,500 rpm and already as was 'originally envisaged. We will produces competitive horsepower at maintain our majority interest in CZ, this early stage. but will use the factory to source We will start production of the street engines and components for Italy, with version of the F4 Superbike in April only the 125 Roadster produced there as . 1998, and will spend the rest of the year a complete bike. developing the race version, in order to Finally, as regards 1997 manufacture, go superbike racing in 1999, both at we will continue to build the 600 world level and in America. Canyon, as well as the Police and MiliThe United States will be a very tary bikes now in production here at important market for us with the fourVarese that are powered by the aircylinder range, which we will attack cooled T4 engine - but from December intensively at the end of 1998 for the onward, we will equip the Canyon with 1999 model year, by setting up our own the new Husqvarna water-cooled Cagiva USA dealer network, which may engine, which will transform it. perhaps be linked in some way with But the most important step [ can Ducati's distribution, but only indirectnow reveal to you is that we have built a ly. Japan and Europe are the other crunew factory on the other side of the lake cial markets which we will launch in at at Cassinetta, which we are now in the around the same time. process of equipping with the latest in We have also developed a 900cc verautomated machine tools. We will transsion of the engine, and in total we have fer our assembly line and R&D operaseven different four-cylinder models tions there in September, retaining·the planned for introduction in the next existing historic factory for engine prothree years - up to the year 2000 - using duction, and so allowing an eventual two different engine capacities to power expansion of production to encompass a range of bikes which will be absolutely the range of Cagiva four-cylinder bikes unique in terms of styling and perforwe have under development. mance, and which will include the N4 As of September, we will increase our work force to 500 from the present 350 here in Varese, and the total floor "We will be on the starring grid for the space at our three factories, incl uding 1999 Daytona 200, and for the first rmmd Cagiva Telaii, to 41,000 square meters. of the World S~"e Championship. " For a company that's supposed to be on the floor, I wouldn't say this is such a negligible production capacity, would naked Roadster and a sports tourer, you?!' both of which Tamburini has already Let's talk about those four-cylinders: I designed, know after seeing it and twisting the We are also projecting a 600cc Superthrottle that the F4 prototype is alive sport model which, in view of the F4 and well - but when will it enter proengine's compact size and light weight, duction? And what other models will will surely.set the benchmark for the supplement it? class, especially with fuel injection as We will launch the first member of our standard - but we won't be able to bring four-cylinder family at the Milan Show this on line till after the tuni of the cenin September - the F4 Superbike with tury. our own fuel-injected 750cc engine, and Let~s turn now to Cagiva's overseas tbe chassis and st}'Jing by Tamburini. manufacturing operations. How are We have fully automated CNC_maqunthese developing?

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