Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

EUROFILE BY ALAN CATHCART Take anumber Seven thousand. That's the number of genuine ordersall unsolicited - that Cagiva reports it has received for the first 200 handmade, individually numbered, J.i:mlted-production versions of the MY Agusta F4launched at the Milan Show last September. The Massimo Tamburini-designed ultrashort-stroke fuel-injected four-cylinder dream bike is by a large margin the hottest ticket ever on two wheels, with guaranteed places in the customer line already being ad vertised in Italian daily newspapers for up to 250 million lire (around $150,000) - a healthy premium over the retail selling price of 70 million lire. The combination of the legendary Italian marque's history and charisma coupled with Tamburini's stunning styling has created the ultimate two-wheeled wish object - and left 6800 hungry customers disappointed. However, with production of the 200 limited-edition F4s due to start in April (and road testing of the final preproduction version already under way), those unlucky in the allocation of the first batch of bikes (due out in August) can start thinking about putting their names down for the volume-produoion version of the F4. Manufacture of this is due to commence in Cagiva's new Cassinetta plant (formerly occupied by Whirl pool) in October, t6 essentially the same specifications as the first 200, with an annual production volume of 10,000 to 12,000 four-cylinder bikes of all models targeted by 2001. Prices for these second-series bikes (which will still bear the MY Agusta badge) will not, however, be nearly as expensive as rumors suggest, or as much as Cagiva could probably charge: 35 million lire is the projected retail tag in Italy - exactly half the amount asked for the first 200. At this price, the F4 will represent a serious commercial rival to the Ducati 916 - and that's exactly what Cagiva boss Claudio Castiglioni intends it should be, Cagiva has already received 7000 orders for the first 200 MV Agusta foureven if he is (notionally, at any rate) the largest single cylinder bikes. Not to worry, though - production-line versions will be shareholder in Oucati and still the company chairman: available later, and at half the price of the first, handmade batch. Fast By Adding interest to this fact is that, after having sold 51 Ferracci will campaign MVs In AMA Superbike racing in 1999. percent of Ducati stock to American finance house TPG and its merchant bank, Deutsche Morgen Grenfell, the Polen to the World Superbike title in 1991. Ferracci has, howevItalian daily newspaper n Sole - 24 Ore has claimed in print that er, been replaced as Ducati's lead team in U.S. racing this seaCastiglioni has formally activated his option to reacquire 2 person by the Vance & Hines operation starring Anthony Gobert cent of the Ducati shares when the company is floated on the against whom Mike Hale is campaigning an FBF Ducati for the New York Stock Exchange at the end of this year - a rumor the last time in 1998. Cagiva boss refuses to confirm or deny. If that turns out to be Eraldo Ferracci has long been close to the Castiglio~ family, the case, Ducati would once again be under Cagiva control and his son Larry has built the Fast By Ferracci operation into a albeit as a public company rather than a private one. There's no doubt that the success' of the F4 is the fuel of serious business. Their choice as Cagiva's new U.S. importers Cagiva's corporate revival, prompting the 50 billion lire ($30 makes a lot of sense - especially when you consider that Cagimillion) line of credit raised by the Italian finance house va's factory race team was disbanded after the marque pulled out of 500cc GP racing in 1994. So Cagiva will be depending on Mediocredito to underwrite the company's revival. The fortunes of Cagiva's motorcycle operations took a nose Ferracci to act as the factory R&D race operation in 1999, to dive in the past three years as resources were diverted to other hone the F4 into a superbike contender in U.S. races next year, parts of the Castiglioni family's stricken empire, including all as preparation for the MY Agusta marque's return to worldDucati. Cash turnover plummeted from 641 biIJion lire in 1995 level competition in the year 2000. It's basically the same plan - though with different players to 70 billion lire in 1997, when total production was just 8000 bikes. Now, with CZ disposed of and Ducati spun off separate- in World Endurance racing, where Ducati's attack on the prestily, Cagiva is on the upswing, with a projected 1998 turnover of gious Le Mans, Spa-Francorchamps and Bol d'Or 24-Hour races has long been confided to their French importers SIMA, headed 219 billion lire, based on a production volume of 32,000 bikes. But that's not all: So far, Cagiva's new MY hyperbike has by Marcel Seurat. But SIMA has just been dumped by the sold out 35 times over only because of its looks and the prestige Ducati factory as part of the TPG-Ied corporate reorganization, and tradition of the MY Agusta name, all without turning a under which the Italian company is focusing on owning its own wheel in public. Castiglioni plans to flesh ou t the bike's image distribution companies in all of Ducati's key markets. Seurat with sporting success, though, beginning in 1999, when Cagi- has retained his Cagiva importership, though, and aside from va's newly appointed North American importers will race an selling every Hu qvama Varese can build him, he is set to push MY Agusta team in the AMA Superbike Championship. the MY and Cagiva marques hard and with his customary Its name? Fast By Ferracci, the legendary Pennsylvania- panache. This will certainly include running the works MV based tuning house run by Eraldo Ferracci and his son Larry, Agusta team in the World Endurance series from 1999 onward, who put Ducati on the U.s. superbike map and took Doug including the high-profile French 24-Hour races. Michelin Man turns 100 With so many milestones being reached by various marques this. year (both Honda's and Ducati's 50th birthdays, BMW's 75th, Bimota's 25th, the Norton company's 100th, HarleY's 95th, etc.), 1998 looks set to be a party year. But there's one more birthday boy who has already started his year-long festivities: Mr. Bibendum. Michelin's trademark roly-poly man clocks up his 100th birthday in 1998, in recognition of which the French tire company has created three traveling roadshows in differen t parts of the world - one each in Europe, Asia and South America - to celebrate the anniversary. The 3000square-foot European exhibition kicked off at the Brussels Show in January, after which it is scheduled to travel to Italy, Spain, Germany and Hungary before winding up back home in France for a five-month stay at the Cite des Sciences exhibition hall at La Villette in Paris. For the first time ever, Michelin has dug into its vaults and archives to chronicle the company's role in expanding the horizons of its customers through greater mobility, aided by the convenience and safety of moredependable tires on 'two and four wheels alike.. Using Bibendum as the front man, the Michelin Expo aims to trace the development of personal transport over the past 100 years in lighthearted but instructive fashion, using an innovative series of historical displays, audio-visual presentations, technical demonstrations and video games. As usual, it sounds like Bibendum is doing things seriously without taking himself too seriously the theme of Michelin advertising using the roly-poly man down through the years. Hopefully, the exhibition will see Bibendum making his bike-riding debut aboard one of the new Voxan V-twins, which is produced by the company ~ JOHN KEOGH Design based (like Michelin) in Germont - ferrand, in which the French tire giant is a silent partner! Super Beemer Mter its existence was revealed in these pages several months ago, little has been heard of BMW's new Rll00s SportBoxer - until now. "Sneak" photos taken in Spain of one of the preproduction roadtest prototypes not only follow the pattern of the German factory's previous history of what appear to be controlled "leaks" aimed at preparing the marketplace for the new bike's arrival, but give a clear idea of its likely specifications. With its clip-on-type handlebars and twin exhaust silencers tucked, 916-style, up.under the seat - let alone the aggressively styled fairing with trademark BMW car-type kidney-shaped dual air intakes under the ellipsoidal-type headlamps - the new RllOOS is the most hard-edged Boxer sportbike yet to be built. This Ui underlined by the uprated chassis de'sign featured on the prototype, to accompany the enhanced performance of the fuel-injected eight-valve engine (redlined at 8500 rpm on the tach of the prototype caught on camera), which is expected to deliver about 100 bhp in production form. As on the R1200RS "SuperBrick," the Paralever swingarm no longer pivots directly on the engine of the new SportBoxer, but on a separate chassis which also supports the engine, now only a semistressed member rather than fully stressed, all with the intent of delivering a stiffer chassis package. In spite of the weight penalty this entails, the RllOOS looks to have been built with an eye to weight s~ving, while the Telelever front suspension has also been redesigned. While giving the visual impression of a set of upsidedown forks, the Telelever system has been retained, not onJy wi th a shock offering greater adjustment than before, but also a much stiffer lower link comprising the "bridge" of the fork. It was originally mooted that BMW would

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