Cagiva's Monster Musclebike

CAGIVA'S MONSTER MUSCLEBIKE

ROUNDUP

FORGET THE TANTALIZING MV Agusta F4 repliracer, Cagiva’s financial future rests with an unfaired musclebike powered by a Suzuki TL1000S engine. The yet-unnamed machine is set to debut at September’s Milan Show.

Cagiva USA’s Larry Ferracci has seen the bike, albeit in prototype form. “We’re talking 100-plus rear-wheel horsepower in a chassis that handles like a sportbike and has the stance of a musclebike,” he says. “It’s an aggressive-looking,

Ducati Monsteresque machine.

It’s to the M900

what the F4 is to the 916-the next evolution.”

Penned by 916 creator Massimo Tamburini and M900 designer Miguel Galluzzi, the bike’s styling is sparse. “What bodywork it has, it’s trick,” Ferracci says. “The design is a little more edgy than what’s currently available.”

Engine specs were not available at presstime, but a stock TL’s fuel-injected, dohc, liquidcooled, 996cc V-Twin produces 111 horsepower and 72 footpounds of torque at the rear wheel. That’s 35 bhp and 13 ft.lbs. more than II Monstro.

Handling, too, should surpass that of the M900, which remains fundamentally unchanged since its introduction in 1993. “Pre-tests say the bike handles better than most sportbikes,” Ferracci confirms. “It will be very fast, and it will handle very well.”

The frame will not be a twinspar aluminum unit, as the accompanying illustration, based on earlier info, suggests. “It’s definitely going to be a trellistype frame,” Ferracci says. “You will see a mating of ma-

terials similar to the F4-not that the bike is going to look like an F4.”

Based on its past Grand Prix efforts, Cagiva has a working relationship with many Japanese parts suppliers. As on the F4, frontline Showa suspension and Nissin brakes are expected.

There’s no guarantee that the bike will come to America, but Ferracci has high hopes. “I think the bike would sell excellent in the U.S.,” he says. “The price will be higher than the Gran Canyon’s, around $10,900.” -Matthew Miles