Italjet Goes Big

ITALJET GOES BIG

Italian scooter-maker Italjet is set to re-enter the motorcycle market with a rakish streetfighter powered by a 900cc Triumph Triple.

The design is the work of company founder Leopoldo Tartarini, whose portfolio includes such works of art as the original

Ducati 750SS and Darmah 900 Sport.

The new bike will be called the Grifón, in homage to the Triumph Bonneville-powered 650cc Twin that the Bologna-based company produced in the 1960s. Grifón is the Italian word for Griffin, a mythical beast with the head and wings of an eagle and the body of a lion.

Tartarini has pledged silence until his creation is unveiled at this fall’s Milan Show, but details gleaned from eyewitnesses who have seen his illustrations led to the artist’s conception shown here.