Cagiva/ Ducati/ Husqvarna
CAGIVA/ DUCATI/ HUSQVARNA
FOR THE CAGIVA/DUCATI/ Husqvarna combine, 1987 will be a year of consolidation and growth. Two years ago Cagiva bought Ducati; last year it acquired Husky. Now the results of those acquisitions, and Cagiva's aggressive expansion in the U.S., are starting to be felt.
This is most evident in the expanded street range. As of January, 1987, the firm will offer five different models: Elefant and Alazzurra 650s, with minor improvements; the all-new and wonderfully promising Ducati 750 Paso; a new Ducati 650
cruiser, known as the Indiana in Europe; and, most surprisingly, a racereplica Ducati 750 FI, quieted down and (if all goes well) certified for street-legality in 49 of the 50 states. Racing-only Ducati 750 Montjuichs will be available on special order.
On the dirt front, Cagiva and Husqvarna are not consolidating their model ranges, at least not this year. Despite the rumors that the motocross models from Husqvarna would be dropped, two Husky MXers return heavily revised for 1987—a 250 and a 430. Both will come with a White Power upside-down fork and
an Ohlins shock. Husky’s 510 fourstroke MXer, an already-released 1987 model, makes do with a standard Husky fork.
Essentially, the 430 MX engine is last year’s 400 Enduro/Cross-Country motor with a larger cylinder bore, a new pipe and revised cylinder porting. The 250 engine has an exhaust-control device, a Nikasil-lined cylinder with new porting, and a new graphite-coated, single-ring piston. The same basic 250cc engine is also used in the Husqvarna Enduro and Cross-Country models. Likewise, the 430 engine is standard in the Open-
class Enduro and Cross-Country. And all ’87 Enduro and Cross-Country models use Husqvarna forks.
Husky’s unique 430cc Automatic is back this year with minor changes to cylinder porting, and major changes intended to improve transmission reliability. Cagiva has been been pushing Husky’s NATO-ap-
proved military-model Automatics to governments around the world (contracts for tens of thousands of military Autos are rumored to have been signed), and the improvements made to the military design are being reflected in the civilian 430.
The selection of off-road bikes bearing the Cagiva name isn’t so
broad; a refined and improved 125 motocrosser, an enduro version of the 125, and an all-new 250 MX make up the entire lineup. But don’t let that fool you; the combined range of motorcycles, both street and dirt, bearing this company’s three brand names is one of the most diverse in the business.
