Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128403
The Italjet Takeover
Following the Chinese takeover of Benelli (which was
revealed in a recent edition of "Eurofile") and the Malaysian
acquisition of a controlling interest in MV Agusta a year ago,
now it's the tum of a third famous Italian brand to become
closely linked with a non-Japanese, continental Asian manufacturer: ltaljet.
After the small but avant-garde Italian scooter specialist
went into administration in 2003, ltaljet founder Leopoido
Tartarini brokered the sale of the tooling and manufacturing
rights for the greater part of his company's range of scooters
(seven models in all) to one of India's major two-wheel manufacturers: Kinetic Motors. Since then, Kinetic has gradually
restarted production of them at its factory in Pune.
But it's not Papa Tartarini who's responsible for ltaljet's
forthcoming comeback at the upcoming Milan Show; nor is it
India's Kinetic with which the born-again marque will be
linked. Instead, Leopoldo's son Massimo, who formerly
worked alongside him at Italjet (both in designing products
and running the company), and who now owns the ltaljet
name, has forged an alliance with Korea's leading manufacturer, Hyosung. The result will be seen in Milan - the first two
models produced under that alliance and launched under the
ltaljet name.
The models will use the DOHC 6sOcc, eight-valve, 90degree V-twin engine of the Hyosung Comet GT6s0 and its
tubular steel frame to form the basis for two quite different
Naked bike models designed by Massimo Tartarini - fitted
with Italian suspension, brakes, and Pirelli tire. One will be an
urban street scrambler with American short-track-type retro
styling and wire wheels; the other will be a more modernlooking street rod with cast wheels, an upside-down fork, and
a modicum of wind protection from minimalist bocIywork.
Both models will be built in the Hyosung factory in Changwon
City, South Korea. and then shipped to ltaljet's base on the
outskirts of Bologna for final completion before being sold
worldwide beginning in April of 2006 through Hyosung dealers under the ltaljet name.
"Hyosung's engineering is first-class, and its quality of manufacture is of a very high standard," says Massimo Tartarini.
"But what we at ltaljet can offer customers is the extra appeal
of Italian style, as well as a range of niche models alongside
Hyosung's own produet5, which allows them to cover all
areas of the market, but still at an affordable price. We're already working on
other models, and will launch these on a
regular basis in coming years."
In other words, this is the beginning of
a long-term alliance between the two
brands, which is also certain to embrace
the IOOOcc V-twin range of Hyosung models coming on line in 2007, by which time
both they and the current carbureted
6sOcc V-twin models will be fuel-injected,
in
order
to
make
It's Official: Vermeulen To Suzuki MotoGP
New Suzuki MotoGP man Chris Vermeulen
was finally able to talk about his new role and
how it transpired during a conversation at the
NEC Motorcycle Show in Birmingham,
England, last week. Despite appearing without any Suzuki branding in the couture
department, he appeared alongside John
Hopkins on the Suzuki stand.
Vermeulen confirmed several aspects of
his new deal, including the fact that he still
had a live offer on the table to ride for Honda
in MotoGP in 2006, but opted for the immediacy and long-term prospects of Suzuki.
"There was a Honda offer, yes, but basically they came across it too late," Vermeulen
said. "They wanted me to stay in World
Superbike - that's ideally what they wanted to
do - and I made it quite clear a little while ago
that I wanted to move on, for my career to
progress. They weren't happy about it. Then
I said that I had another offer and I was willing to leave, and I had agreed to things. Then
Honda said that they could put me into a
satellite team - which was going to be the
Camel tearn, basically, there was a good
the
entire
Hyosung/ltaljet range Euro 3-friendly. And with the expected
low prkes obtained via Far Eastern manufacture of what aesthetkaJly and clynamicaJly will be Euro-motorcycles, the new
6sOcc Hyosung-powered ltaljets may present a challenge to
Ducati's core product range of 620 desmodue models - especially the M620 Monster - in the same way that Moto Morini
is set to do at the top end of the capacity range with its range
of 87-degree V-twin models.
With all three marques located within throwing distance of
each other in Bologna, the Italian city looks set to have civil
war breaking out on its streets and highways.
From Hyosung's point of view, the link with ltaljet follows
in the tire tracks of the Korean company's alliance with
American marque Fischer (which is developing a Glynn Kerrstyled leading-edge sportbike powered by Hyosung motors,
one of them supercharged) in expanding its range of V-twin
models as it increasingly focuses on export sales to western
markets.
The triumvirate of new owners that took over Hyosung
two years ago - headed by the world's largest helmet manufacturer, HJC, a 35-year-old company with plants in Korea
and China that manufactured more than 2 million helmets in
2004 - is pumping in investment aimed at taking Hyosung
upscale in terms of product and volume, with production
scheduled to increase to 90,000 bikes in 2006, and to break
the IOO,ooo-unit barrier in 2007, says the company's CEO,
Andrew Shin.
An increasing proportion of these will be V-twins, with the
current 6sOcc roller-bearing range scheduled to be joined by
other models powered by the all-new 10000c plain-bearing
motor currently under development, as well as a range of
products employing an all-new "sOcc four-valve four-stroke
single motor currently under development. The plan is for
chance of that, it just wasn't 100-percent
sure. But I felt that this move to Suzuki would
be a better move for my future. I will be riding for a great team, a factory team that has
won championships in the past and hopefully
we will do it in the future."
Part of the Vermeulen's thinking was
this to power an ATV aimed at the U.S. market.
"But we will use this engine for a range of off-road motorcycle models, also," revealed Hyosung's chief engineer, N.C.
Heo. "This is a very important mar1