Cagiva Alazzurra 650
Cagiva Alazzurra 650
. .Produced for just three years, the Cagiva Alazzurra was a rebadged Ducatistreet bike. Cagiva purchased Ducati in 1985, and was looking to grow theirmarket share in larger-displacment bikes. Instead of building one from scratch,they used a 650cc version of the Pantah engine for both the Alazzurra and theElefant.
MSRP wa $3,893, putting it slightly above the Japanese competition that wereproducing more power. But Cagiva was competing on the emotions of owning anexotic bike, and style.
The 650 V-Twin engine produced 55 horsepower (less than the competition) andthe bike weighed 424 pounds dry (also less than the competition). All of thattranslated to a 0-60mph time of 4.6 seconds.
Review
Here in the hallowed portals of Rathbone Place, WB?'s crusading editorial team generally pride themselves on their legendaryobjectivity, even the panic stricken pleading of the Ad dept in the face ofplummeting revenue cannot shake us from our resolve to maintain our unbiasedstandards. Trouble is, every now and then a test bike appears which plays on theprejudices and subjective facets of our various souls. With Willis and Kemp,Moto Guzzis seem to set their heart strings twanging, Schiller frequentlyprofesses to an unhealthy desire for Laverdas, Phillips lusts after bigKawasaki's, and Rev. and myself, while not fully fledged Ducatisti, arepretty besotted by the marque.
Now it's no secret that Ducati have been graduallyphasing out production of complete bikes throughout the year, and insteadproviding Cagiva with their V-twin engines. So when Three Cross Motorcycles rangto confirm that we could pick up their Cagiva 650 for an albeit brief test, Iwas tucking in my Damarts in readiness for a cold ride down to Three LeggedCross before the receiver was back in its place.
As the Pantah represented a move by Ducati away fromthe single minded, some would say, harsh performance and styling to be found inthe SS, towards a more civilised and practical motorcycle hopefully appealing toa wider market, so the Alazzurra (Blue Wing) can be seen as a creditable attemptto take on the increasingly exotic styling exercises from Japan. I really likedit.
The 650's lines seem to flow far better from theheadlamp to the shrouded tail lamp than the Pantah's ever did. The whole bikelooks more graceful yet manages to incorporate useful touches such as thegrabrails, tank cut-outs for the rider's knees to hug and the clock in theinstrument panel. As well as the timepiece there is a row of eight warninglights set along the bottom of the dash along with the tacho and smaller speedo.The switchgear has been revised, but I feel the indicator switch escaped as itis far too imprecise and only the Bee Emm-esque bleeper saves best compromisesaround for everyday riding plus the occasional bout of silliness. Relativelynarrow, flat bars, minimal distance between kneecaps and slightly swept backfootrests dictate a moderate lean forward possie without putting undue pressureon your wrists and arms at legal speeds, yet still allows you to disappearbehind the screen when you inevitably open up on some deserted road.
Not that I felt really able to, mind you, aftercertain threats had been made towards my puny frame should I exceed 5000 rpm(the bike having only just topped the 160 mile mark) I was very careful to staywithin limits for the first 200kms. Then, as the engine felt loose enough and inthe interests of pioneering journalism (without a thought for my health shouldthose lovely chaps from Three Cross subsequently take out a contract on me,) I,dear reader, opened her up. It was a revelation. At 5000rpm the cams reallystarted to perform and the bike hurled itself down the road to the accompanimentof a surprisingly lusty growl from the Silentiums in a display of relaxedaggression. Wishing to limit Three Cross's retribution to a Chinese burn and akick on the shin, I called a halt at 6500rpm yet still saw 140Rph(87mph) in top.Which would appear to indicate that the factory's claims of a 200Rph (125mph)top speed are not unreasonable. Trying to work out max. speed on paper did bringto light a difference in gearing. The pre-production models had a 15/37 pairingwhile on our test bike it was 15/41, so it would appear the internal gear ratioshave been altered to raise the gearbox speed as the bike's overall speed seemsequal. One of the plausible reasons we see for this was to make the gearbox'saction sweeter, in which case I dread to think what the earlier bikes were like,as, even allowing for its virgin state the Cagiva was extremely notchy,especially on downchanges.
It's no surprise that the Cagiva displayed the sameroadholding characteristics as the Pantah, sharing, as it does, basically thesame frame apart from a few mounting points and unaltered vital statistics ofwheelbase, rake and trail. Through the fast sweeping bends of the A31, thePantah's unimpeachable reputation for unerring accuracy shone through, yet onslower corners the more upright riding position and wider bars make the Cagivamore responsive should a manhole cover or bovine deposit hove into view.However, Cagiva's engineers haven't rested on their laurels as the suspensionshowed a marked improvement over the Pantah's. The rear Marzocchis have a softerinitial spring rate and the front forks have revised damping for improved lowspeed comfort, though, to be honest, I still found myself shaken about on roughroads and with that wooden feeling after 100 miles.
Overall the Alazzurra offers a distinct improvementon the Pantah yet it has its share of niggling problems. I know fuel warningsare fashionable, but when one comes on 100 miles before reserve I do wonder ifthey're justified. Though the mirrors were excellent they marred the bike'sflowing lines; I'm no designer but I feel they could've been better positioned.And the paint job is typical Italian, diving into the tank at the mere sight ofa petrol pump nozzle.
Against this you have the usual excellence ofPirellis and Brembos, an improvement in finish and an engine with a goodmechanical reputation with greater torque and brisker acceleration than itspredecessor.
I see no reason why, at a price only slightlygreater at £2899 the Cagiva shouldn't take over where the Pantah left off andensure that the Desmo V-twin lives on. Hooray.
Source Which Bike 1985