Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

Cagiva Raptor and V-Raptor Well, he is Argentine, after all: call it the tango technique of bike designl Galuzzi goes on to say that "these are the two basic themes of the Raptor family - but in the future, we'll produce different versions with different aesthetics every year, but always on the same mechanical and stylistic base. This means that, if you like first place. It looks like Cagiva - and Claudio Castiglioni - have snatched back the idea they bequeathed to Ducati eight years ago - and in doing so, raised the stakes. eN next year's V-Raptor design - or XRaptor, or Z-Raptor! - better than the SPECIFICATIONS ENGINE .....Four-stroke, four-valve, 996cc DOHC 90· V-twin Suzuki BORE x STROKE 98x66mm FUEL SYSlCM ..E1ectronic fuel injection COOLING liquid IGNITION Electric, transistorized STARTING Electric GEARS Six FRONT BRAKE Dual 298mm disc REAR BRAKE Single 220mm disc FRONT SUSPENSION Inverted telscopic hydraulic Marzocchi fork (43mm legs) REAR SUSPENSION ..Progressive with hydraulic single shock FRONT TIRE 120/70- J 7 REAR TIRE 180/55-17 WHEELBASE 57.6 in. GROUND CLEARANCE .5.6 in. SEAT HEIGHT 30.8 in. FUEL TANK CAPACITY .4.7 gal. CLAIMED DRY WEIGHT .422 Ibs. bike you already own, you'll be able to update it just by buying the styling package at truly affordable cost. So this is a genuinely multi-faceted motorcycle - in looks as well as performance. It will never look old or out of date because each year you can follow the latest fashion and update it if you want. Or maybe you prefer last The naked bike stripped: Cagiva's newest Italian offering is powered by a Japanese Suzuki engine. then to 57.6 inches. This cured the stability problem without compromising handling, partly because of the low CG. What you have now is a bike that, while undeniably bigger than the M900 Monster (so that even in Nguise you don't get the same minimalistic sensation of stripped-out simplicity), is almost as nimble-steering, definitely more planted in faster turns, and arguably better at changing direction in a series of switchback turns up some junior Alp. And braking hard into a turn even downhill doesn't remotely upset either Raptor, showing that Galluzzi and Albesiano have produced a balanced chassis package - as well as a light one. The base-model Raptor weighs in at a remarkable claimed 422 pounds dry (433 pounds for the V-Raptor), quite good for a 1000cc liquid-cooled DOHC eight-valve motorcycle, and only 20 pounds more than the ajrcooled desmodue M900 i.e. Light bikes stop more easily, and although you can squeeze hard enough on the big 320mm Brembos to lift the back wheel of the ground, that never happens in normal riding, not least because the pads fitted to the bike are aimed at delivering progressive feel rather than a snatchy stop. But the bikes do brake well, and the leverage of those wide bars allows you to turn in easily while stopping hard - something that's a must-do for serious street-rodding. The Sachs rear shock is fully adjustable, unlike the Marzocchi fork which you either take or leave, and which can bounce a little over a succession of bumps. It unless I'm mistaken, this is the first time the Japanese tire manufacturer has gone original equipment on a major Italian product. Gas it up hard in the bottom two gears, and you won't be wearing out the front tire much on either bike, however, the N-version likes to wheelie even more easily than the V -bike, because of the more upright riding stance and higher bar. The V-Raptor's fake intake ducts and headlamp fairing do give a modicum of protection at speed, and zapping along at ton-up speeds of 100 mph or more doesn't require you to hang on for grim death like on most other naked bikes. Jl f'/ormale is a bit more exposed to the breeze, but not a lot: both are easy bikes to ride fast for reasonably long distances without undue fatigue, thanks largely, says Galluzzi, to what may seem like a rather improbably effective aid, the vestigial wind deflector wrapped around the triangular instrument panel. Made in Japan to Cagiva's design, the dash incorporates a complete two-stage diagnostic function, enabling faults to be diagnosed very quickly, and also giving the rider a full range of data. But it does reduce wind blast, too; amazing. But high-speed point-to-point travel isn't the point of the Raptors. Instead, these are near-ideal multipurpose motorcycles, which are easy to ride around town or in traffic thanks to their light controls, fluid power delivery and extremely good turning circle - no problem in tight spaces yet they deliver seriously impressive performance at the twist of a wrist could do with a harder spring, or more rebound damping. Even on standard settings, I was impressed at the ride quality from the rear over frost-ravaged tarmac high in the hills - yet when you accelerate hard out of a turn, there's still good compliance by the standards of the class, thanks to the rising-rate link. The grip from the Bridgestone BT56 tires is also responsible, and when the road opens up. These are true sport cruisers that go a long way towards delivering the best of both worlds, and toward fulfilling Miguel Galluzzi's claim to take naked biking to a new level - and especially at those prices. "But this is only the start," he insists. "La donna e mobile [women change quickly], and my motorcycles will be no exception." 22 n APRIL 5, 2000' I: U Die e 'IN' S year's look when you buy this year's model - you can change it back again, too. La mota e mobile [motorcycles change quickly], also!" On any level, the Cagiva Raptors represent a new approach to naked bike design, delivered by the man who created the idea for such bikes in the Comparisons may be invidious, but in this case they're inevitable, and the reason for matching the Raptors against the Ducati Monster mash is to monitor the evolution of the species. For the fact is that both were designed by the same man, with Galluzzi inventing the Naked Roadster street-rod concept back in 1992 with the advent of the Monster, back when Cagiva owned Ducati. Added irony is provided by the fact that his original concept for the bike was with a desmoquattro otto valvole 888 engine fitted, rather than the 900SS desmodue power unit his bosses - including Claudio Castiglioni - insisted it be launched with, not only to lower costs but also thanks to a shortage of DOHC Superbike motors. and excess stock of the two-valve air-cooled version. So here. eight years on, is the Monster as she might have been, but still a product of the artistry of the man who created the concept in the first place - an artistry reflected in the numerous detail touches on both bikes, as well as their still-innovative broad concept. Raptors are birds of prey and, in a jurassic context, predatory dinosaurs - but there's nothing primeval about Galluzzi's latest creations. The V-Raptor looks ready to pounce on some unsuspecting quarry, a stance the designer feels is mission accomplished. "We cre- ated a new kind of motorcycle in Cagiva back at the start of the '90s, and it was only badged as a Ducati at the very last moment, mainly for export reasons," says Miguel. "We already had the Elefant in t/'le Cagiva range powered by the Ducati 900SS engine, so the Monster would have fit alongside that just fine. But then after we launched it, many people tried to copy the idea, but nobody got it right, which is why the Monster keeps on selling so well even today. eight years later - it was the top-selling motorcycle of any kind in Italy last year, for example. But now the time has come to move on, and the Raptor not only represents the evolution of the species, as the next level up for fans of the naked bike, but also the next level up in riding enjoyment and performance, in a modern context with a much more powerful engine. And in developing the V-Raptor, I wanted to give customers a choice between a more classical version that is an improved version of the Monster, full of powerful simplicity - and something completely different, a thrilling design that looks as if it is flying hard just standing still, which gives the impression of speed while there is no engine noise. In fact, it's possible for the owner to transform one version into the other in the course of an afternoon, by buying the extra V-Raptor parts at minimal cost - under $1000. The two bikes are identical underneath." This extends to sharing the same tubular steel space frame weighing just 33 pounds complete with subframe, with the stock, unmodified Suzuki engine acting as a fully stressed member, with Raptor designer Miguel Angel Galluzzi, who also designed the Ducati Monster, poses with the Cagivas. the relatively long ovalsection swingarm helping to throw more weight onto the front wheel in search of added grip and stability. This is always a problem on the L-twin Ducati. but here it's aided by the architecture of the Suzuki engine, whose front cylinder is rotated upwards 30 degrees from horizontal, thus allowing the crankshaft to be positioned further forward relative to the wheel axles than on a Ducati, without fouling the front wheel.

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