Europe is becoming increasingly important for Harley-Davidson. The XR1200 seen being assembled above made its debut in Europe.

MV Agusta, a motorcycle group comprised of MV Agusta and Cagiva brands (Husqvarna, formerly part of the group, was sold to BMW in 2007), has been sold to Harley-Davidson for 70 million Euros. MV Agusta’s Group Chairman Claudio Castiglioni and Chief Designer Massimo Tamburini will continue in their respective roles, working together with a new leadership team appointed by Harley-Davidson.

Malaysian carmaker Proton once held 57.75% equity in MV Agusta Motors SpA, purchase for, ironically 70 million Euros in December 2004. This equity was then sold in March 2006 to GEVI SpA for 1 Euro. This greatly annoyed former Prime Minister of Malaysia, Dr. Mahatir Mohamed.

Harley-Davidson currently owns a sporting arm – Buell.

Here’s the official Harley-Davidson Press Release:

Milwaukee, Wis. (July 11, 2008) – Harley-Davidson, Inc. (NYSE: HOG) today announced the signing of a definitive agreement to purchase the Italian motorcycle maker MV Agusta Group (MVAG). Under the agreement, Harley-Davidson will acquire 100 percent of MV Agusta Group shares for total consideration of approximately 70 million euros ($109 million), which includes the satisfaction of existing bank debt for approximately 45 million euros ($70 million). In addition, the agreement provides for a contingent payment to Claudio Castiglioni in 2016, if certain financial targets are met. MV Agusta Group is privately held, with the Castiglioni family owning 95 percent of MVAG shares.

In addition, Harley-Davidson intends to finance a portion of the consideration by borrowing funds and its level of indebtedness may increase as a result, which may cause Harley-Davidson to incur additional interest expense and limit Harley-Davidson’s ability to obtain additional financing. It could also increase Harley-Davidson’s exposure to general adverse economic and industry conditions and adversely impact Harley-Davidson, Inc.’s earnings per share. Furthermore, Harley-Davidson may have challenges successfully integrating or profitably operating the business of MV Agusta Group.

SOURCE, SOURCE, SOURCE

The Cagiva Mito SP525 model was first seen at the 65° Motorcycle Exhibition, from 6th to 11th November 2007 in Milan. There the Mito SP525 was launched with great success amongst its fans, in the presence of MV Agusta Group President Claudio Castiglioni and also the famous Italian racing rider Giacomo Agostini.

Much has been said about the current Cagiva Mito, a Massimo Tamburini design which has remained little unchanged since 1994 when Tamburini restyled the then 4-year old (the original Cagiva Mito was launched in 1990) to look very similar to the Ducati 916 (Also a Tamburini design).

The new Cagiva Mito SP525 model represents the “racing” side of Cagiva brand, hence the SP525 model has been styled to look like the Cagiva 500 GP bike which John Kocinsky rode to third place in the World Championship. The SP525 with the 1 of ‘125′ replaced by a 5 in memory of the legendary, much loved Cagiva 500.

The Cagiva Mito 125cc, along with the Aprilia RS125 were both 2-stroke race replicas which changed the world of 2-stroke motorcycling in the 90s. Emissions and noise regulations slowly but surely killed off much of the growth potential of this segment. However, over the years Cagiva have been able to change what a being “two-stroke engine” means and to have been able to blend the new technology into the Mito SP525. The research and investments made by Cagiva mean that gone are the days when the words “twostroke” implied only great performance. The Cagiva 2-stroke is now also environmentally friendly.

Cagiva’s integrated ECS (Electronic Carburetion System) administers exactly the right amount of fuel (both the air/petrol and oil mix) and was developed in collaboration with Dell’Orto. The control unit also governs the ignition system. While keeping costs under control and ensuring that retail prices remain competitive. All this effort brings the two-stroke Mito 125cc 2-stroke engine up to EURO3 standards yet maintains the advantages that two-stroke engines can offer: Lightness, Performance and Low Running Costs.

Although looking terrific, I’d wonder if the current 125cc 2-stroke customer even remembers John Kocinsky, and if those who do remember Kocinsky would be in the market for a 2-stroke 125cc repli-racer?

バイカーブードゥー

In April 2007, Rediff News reported that Cagiva had tied up with Kinetic Engineering to build Cagiva singles in Pune, India. The primary player in this deal would the the 2-stroke, 125cc Cagiva Mito, as well as a 4-stroke version of the same. Previously Cagiva had exhibited a 60-horsepower 500cc Husqvarna-powered concept bike called the Cagiva Mito 500 at EICMA 2006. Apparently the idea for the Mito 500 seen here came from Giovanni Castiglioni, the son of MV Agusta Group President Claudio Castiglioni. Some parts may still come from Cagiva in Italy.

Kinetic’s position as a distributor and partner of Hyosung bikes in India have led many (SOURCE) to speculate that the 4-stroke Cagiva Mito to be built in India may be Hyosung-powered, using Hyosung’s 650 or 250 V-twins. However, the difficulties of shoehorning a V-twin into the space once occupied by a 125cc single has me thinking the Cagiva Mito 4-stroke will still be a big single.

I’ve been wanting Ducati to come up with a 500cc single for over a decade now ever since the Ducati Supermono was killed off and it looks like there’s finally an Italian single in the cooker, designed by Massimo Tamburini himself! Italian design and Indian production (think Tata 1-Lakh car frugality with lower procurement and manufacturing costs). Let’s keep our fingers crossed! The Cagiva distributor in Malaysia is Mofaz.

バイカーブードゥー

Europe is becoming increasingly important for Harley-Davidson. The XR1200 seen being assembled above made its debut in Europe.

MV Agusta, a motorcycle group comprised of MV Agusta and Cagiva brands (Husqvarna, formerly part of the group, was sold to BMW in 2007), has been sold to Harley-Davidson for 70 million Euros. MV Agusta’s Group Chairman Claudio Castiglioni and Chief Designer Massimo Tamburini will continue in their respective roles, working together with a new leadership team appointed by Harley-Davidson.

Malaysian carmaker Proton once held 57.75% equity in MV Agusta Motors SpA, purchase for, ironically 70 million Euros in December 2004. This equity was then sold in March 2006 to GEVI SpA for 1 Euro. This greatly annoyed former Prime Minister of Malaysia, Dr. Mahatir Mohamed.

Harley-Davidson currently owns a sporting arm – Buell.

Here’s the official Harley-Davidson Press Release:

Milwaukee, Wis. (July 11, 2008) – Harley-Davidson, Inc. (NYSE: HOG) today announced the signing of a definitive agreement to purchase the Italian motorcycle maker MV Agusta Group (MVAG). Under the agreement, Harley-Davidson will acquire 100 percent of MV Agusta Group shares for total consideration of approximately 70 million euros ($109 million), which includes the satisfaction of existing bank debt for approximately 45 million euros ($70 million). In addition, the agreement provides for a contingent payment to Claudio Castiglioni in 2016, if certain financial targets are met. MV Agusta Group is privately held, with the Castiglioni family owning 95 percent of MVAG shares.

In addition, Harley-Davidson intends to finance a portion of the consideration by borrowing funds and its level of indebtedness may increase as a result, which may cause Harley-Davidson to incur additional interest expense and limit Harley-Davidson’s ability to obtain additional financing. It could also increase Harley-Davidson’s exposure to general adverse economic and industry conditions and adversely impact Harley-Davidson, Inc.’s earnings per share. Furthermore, Harley-Davidson may have challenges successfully integrating or profitably operating the business of MV Agusta Group.

SOURCE, SOURCE, SOURCE

The Cagiva Mito SP525 model was first seen at the 65° Motorcycle Exhibition, from 6th to 11th November 2007 in Milan. There the Mito SP525 was launched with great success amongst its fans, in the presence of MV Agusta Group President Claudio Castiglioni and also the famous Italian racing rider Giacomo Agostini.

Much has been said about the current Cagiva Mito, a Massimo Tamburini design which has remained little unchanged since 1994 when Tamburini restyled the then 4-year old (the original Cagiva Mito was launched in 1990) to look very similar to the Ducati 916 (Also a Tamburini design).

The new Cagiva Mito SP525 model represents the “racing” side of Cagiva brand, hence the SP525 model has been styled to look like the Cagiva 500 GP bike which John Kocinsky rode to third place in the World Championship. The SP525 with the 1 of ‘125′ replaced by a 5 in memory of the legendary, much loved Cagiva 500.

The Cagiva Mito 125cc, along with the Aprilia RS125 were both 2-stroke race replicas which changed the world of 2-stroke motorcycling in the 90s. Emissions and noise regulations slowly but surely killed off much of the growth potential of this segment. However, over the years Cagiva have been able to change what a being “two-stroke engine” means and to have been able to blend the new technology into the Mito SP525. The research and investments made by Cagiva mean that gone are the days when the words “twostroke” implied only great performance. The Cagiva 2-stroke is now also environmentally friendly.

Cagiva’s integrated ECS (Electronic Carburetion System) administers exactly the right amount of fuel (both the air/petrol and oil mix) and was developed in collaboration with Dell’Orto. The control unit also governs the ignition system. While keeping costs under control and ensuring that retail prices remain competitive. All this effort brings the two-stroke Mito 125cc 2-stroke engine up to EURO3 standards yet maintains the advantages that two-stroke engines can offer: Lightness, Performance and Low Running Costs.

Although looking terrific, I’d wonder if the current 125cc 2-stroke customer even remembers John Kocinsky, and if those who do remember Kocinsky would be in the market for a 2-stroke 125cc repli-racer?

バイカーブードゥー

In April 2007, Rediff News reported that Cagiva had tied up with Kinetic Engineering to build Cagiva singles in Pune, India. The primary player in this deal would the the 2-stroke, 125cc Cagiva Mito, as well as a 4-stroke version of the same. Previously Cagiva had exhibited a 60-horsepower 500cc Husqvarna-powered concept bike called the Cagiva Mito 500 at EICMA 2006. Apparently the idea for the Mito 500 seen here came from Giovanni Castiglioni, the son of MV Agusta Group President Claudio Castiglioni. Some parts may still come from Cagiva in Italy.

Kinetic’s position as a distributor and partner of Hyosung bikes in India have led many (SOURCE) to speculate that the 4-stroke Cagiva Mito to be built in India may be Hyosung-powered, using Hyosung’s 650 or 250 V-twins. However, the difficulties of shoehorning a V-twin into the space once occupied by a 125cc single has me thinking the Cagiva Mito 4-stroke will still be a big single.

I’ve been wanting Ducati to come up with a 500cc single for over a decade now ever since the Ducati Supermono was killed off and it looks like there’s finally an Italian single in the cooker, designed by Massimo Tamburini himself! Italian design and Indian production (think Tata 1-Lakh car frugality with lower procurement and manufacturing costs). Let’s keep our fingers crossed! The Cagiva distributor in Malaysia is Mofaz.

バイカーブードゥー