Italjet, an Italian company founded in 1959 by Leopoldo Tartarini, has been building motorcycles and scooters, first as ItalMZ, using engines sourced from MZ in East Germany until a 50cc Minarelli-powered Cafe Racer made it big and he renamed his company ‘Italjet’.

In 1965 Tartarini produced a twin-cylinder Italjet Grifo 500, powered by a Triumph engine in a frame of his own making. However the word ‘Grifo’ was already taken so he added an -n and the name became ‘Grifon‘. 1967 saw the production of a larger, Triumph Bonneville powered Grifon 650, equipped with Marzocchi forks and Grimeca brakes. 600 units were sold worldwide.

Italjet produced Ducati powered bikes and 125cc Bucaneers, powered by Yamaha. In fact apart from a GP racer, the company has always used outsourced engines from Triumph, Minarelli, MZ, Franco Morini, Yamaha, Piaggio, etc.

In 1999 Italjet displayed a new Grifon 900, powered by a Triumph T300 3-cylinder engine. However, the cost of the bike made it uncompetitive. In 2003 Italjet entered bankruptcy. However, the iconic Italjet Dragster scooter and the Italjet name were acquired by Tartarini’s eldest son, Massimo.

ITALJET GRIFON ‘BAZOOKA’ CONCEPT

The Hyosung GT650 based Grifon 650 shown here was unveiled a year or two back. It’s basically a GT650 fitted with a new tank, seat, wire wheels, brakes, fork and exhaust system. Street-tracker style handlebars are fitted. The ‘Bazooka’ concept Grifon 650 has alloy wheels and clip on handlebars instead, for that ‘Cafe Racer’ look.

Although it does seem a bit superficial, being basically a dress-up kit for a Hyosung GT650, I believe this is a really fantastic bike, though being Korean-based, the visual appeal is very exciting. Sadly, however, financial issues may mean this splendid bike may never see the light of day. I’d REALLY love to have one. If you feel strongly that this bike should be made, as I do, please contact Mr. Steve S. Kang at Hyosung! Tell him you NEED this Italjet Grifon 650!

Here’s a video review by MCN on this fantastic bike!

Would you like to see this in production? If so please write in the comments box below and pass the link for this posting to your friends around the world. I will send this to Italjet!!

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

In 1978, cinemas were playing Superman and Grease. I believe a movie ticket was probably less than a cheesburger at todays prices and there was no air conditioning, only ceiling fans. Most people in Malaysia had only black and white television sets, if they could afford a TV set at all. In Iran, a revolution was beginning. Telephones had rotary dials, not buttons. There were only two television channels (RTM1 & RTM2). No one had mobile phones, computers or internet. LED watches were being produced but consumed battery power at an unbelieveable rate. Believe it or not, technical students who couldn’t afford scientific pocket calculators (also LEDs, no LCD back then) used ‘Slide Rules’ to perform calculations!

Over in South Korea, the Hyosung Motors & Machinery Company was incorporated. They began by producing license-built Suzuki motorcycles, and after establishing an R&D centre in Hamamatsu, Japan, started selling their own designs in 1987. Hyosung’s GV650 Anniversary model commemorates the start of the Hyosung company. Finished in black and red, the main tubular frame elements are highlighted in red while the rest of the bike is finished in a rather sinister black.

Power comes from an EFI 650cc V-twin, with an output of 80bhp and 67 Newton-metres of torque. Transmission is a 5-speed, with belt drive to the rear wheel.

Hyosung motorcycles are manufactured in Changwon City, South Korea, and earlier this year, Hyosung Motors and Machinery Inc. was acquired by S&T Group – one of South Korea‘s biggest corporations with a global turnover of more than £4 billion. The manufacturing company is now called S&T Motors. S&T Motors employs over 500 people and exports to over 60 countries. Producing scooters, motorcycles and ATVs from 50cc to 650cc, it has a target to become one of the world’s top five producers. In Malaysia, this particular motorcycle is manufactured under licence by Naza Bikes.

バイカーブードゥー

Italjet, an Italian company founded in 1959 by Leopoldo Tartarini, has been building motorcycles and scooters, first as ItalMZ, using engines sourced from MZ in East Germany until a 50cc Minarelli-powered Cafe Racer made it big and he renamed his company ‘Italjet’.

In 1965 Tartarini produced a twin-cylinder Italjet Grifo 500, powered by a Triumph engine in a frame of his own making. However the word ‘Grifo’ was already taken so he added an -n and the name became ‘Grifon‘. 1967 saw the production of a larger, Triumph Bonneville powered Grifon 650, equipped with Marzocchi forks and Grimeca brakes. 600 units were sold worldwide.

Italjet produced Ducati powered bikes and 125cc Bucaneers, powered by Yamaha. In fact apart from a GP racer, the company has always used outsourced engines from Triumph, Minarelli, MZ, Franco Morini, Yamaha, Piaggio, etc.

In 1999 Italjet displayed a new Grifon 900, powered by a Triumph T300 3-cylinder engine. However, the cost of the bike made it uncompetitive. In 2003 Italjet entered bankruptcy. However, the iconic Italjet Dragster scooter and the Italjet name were acquired by Tartarini’s eldest son, Massimo.

ITALJET GRIFON ‘BAZOOKA’ CONCEPT

The Hyosung GT650 based Grifon 650 shown here was unveiled a year or two back. It’s basically a GT650 fitted with a new tank, seat, wire wheels, brakes, fork and exhaust system. Street-tracker style handlebars are fitted. The ‘Bazooka’ concept Grifon 650 has alloy wheels and clip on handlebars instead, for that ‘Cafe Racer’ look.

Although it does seem a bit superficial, being basically a dress-up kit for a Hyosung GT650, I believe this is a really fantastic bike, though being Korean-based, the visual appeal is very exciting. Sadly, however, financial issues may mean this splendid bike may never see the light of day. I’d REALLY love to have one. If you feel strongly that this bike should be made, as I do, please contact Mr. Steve S. Kang at Hyosung! Tell him you NEED this Italjet Grifon 650!

Here’s a video review by MCN on this fantastic bike!

Would you like to see this in production? If so please write in the comments box below and pass the link for this posting to your friends around the world. I will send this to Italjet!!

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

In 1978, cinemas were playing Superman and Grease. I believe a movie ticket was probably less than a cheesburger at todays prices and there was no air conditioning, only ceiling fans. Most people in Malaysia had only black and white television sets, if they could afford a TV set at all. In Iran, a revolution was beginning. Telephones had rotary dials, not buttons. There were only two television channels (RTM1 & RTM2). No one had mobile phones, computers or internet. LED watches were being produced but consumed battery power at an unbelieveable rate. Believe it or not, technical students who couldn’t afford scientific pocket calculators (also LEDs, no LCD back then) used ‘Slide Rules’ to perform calculations!

Over in South Korea, the Hyosung Motors & Machinery Company was incorporated. They began by producing license-built Suzuki motorcycles, and after establishing an R&D centre in Hamamatsu, Japan, started selling their own designs in 1987. Hyosung’s GV650 Anniversary model commemorates the start of the Hyosung company. Finished in black and red, the main tubular frame elements are highlighted in red while the rest of the bike is finished in a rather sinister black.

Power comes from an EFI 650cc V-twin, with an output of 80bhp and 67 Newton-metres of torque. Transmission is a 5-speed, with belt drive to the rear wheel.

Hyosung motorcycles are manufactured in Changwon City, South Korea, and earlier this year, Hyosung Motors and Machinery Inc. was acquired by S&T Group – one of South Korea‘s biggest corporations with a global turnover of more than £4 billion. The manufacturing company is now called S&T Motors. S&T Motors employs over 500 people and exports to over 60 countries. Producing scooters, motorcycles and ATVs from 50cc to 650cc, it has a target to become one of the world’s top five producers. In Malaysia, this particular motorcycle is manufactured under licence by Naza Bikes.

バイカーブードゥー