The famous Italian motorcycle brand Cagiva looks set to make a comeback with a new range of motorcycles. Except unlike its classic gasoline models, Cagiva is reborn as an electric motorcycle company.
Founded in 1978, Cagiva originally focused on gasoline off-road motorcycles.
The brand has expanded its offering over time and the company has undergone various restructurings and changes in ownership.
The last Cagiva motorcycles rolled off the chain in 2012 when the company was owned by parent company MV Agusta.
MV Agusta had gone through his own series of financial hurdles, but now appears to be back on solid footing. With sales taking off, MV Agusta is now looking towards an electric future. And he plans to revamp the Cagiva brand to make it happen.
As MV Agusta first announced its aspirations to breathe new (and electric) life into Cagiva in 2018 with an accelerated schedule, the company has updated its plans and says the time is right. Over the next 12 months, Cagiva plans to launch its first electric motorcycle.
But don’t expect to see a fat electric sports bike like MV Agusta’s Italian cousin Energica. Instead, Cagiva is focusing on smaller electric motorcycles in the 4 kW (5.3 hp) range. I have long been a supporter of those electric motorcycles which bridge the gap between e-bikes and e-sports bikes.
Cagiva is expected to produce light electric motorcycles, perhaps similar to this Sur Ron Light Bee
So far, no one has seen an electric Cagiva model and there are no images or renderings yet to show what Cagiva is working on. But according to Canadian Automotive Guide, Cagiva’s parent company MV Agusta is teaming up with Chinese motorcycle company Loncin to build a new 350cc gasoline motorcycle.
While that might not mean much to electric motorcycle fans like us, consider this: Loncin recently showcased an impressive electric motorcycle produced under its premium subsidiary VOGE. The ER 10 electric motorcycle, with which we got closer at EICMA 2019 in Milan, perfectly matches what Cagiva is looking for: a light and low-power electric motorcycle in the equivalent range of 150 to 250 cm3.
At a top speed of 100 km / h (62 mph), the VOGE ER 10 sits somewhere between highway-compatible electric motorcycles like the entire Zero lineup and smaller electric motorcycles designed just for city commuting.
The VOGE ER 10’s liquid-cooled, 6 kW (8 hp) mid-drive, swingarm mounted motor of the VOGE ER 10 actually peaks at a higher power output and should be sufficient for sporty acceleration, especially on a bike that doesn’t. weighs only 115 kg (250 lbs).
The VOGE ER 10 electric motorcycle, from a Loncin subsidiary
And as if this story didn’t have enough layers already, we can take this a step further. The VOGE ER 10 is actually based on the Sur Ron White Ghost, an electric motorcycle design created by Sur Ron in 2018, but never released to the market. As the story unfolds, Loncin bought the rights to the White Ghost and used it to produce his first electric motorcycle under the VOGE brand.
All this to say that an electric motorcycle designed by a Chinese startup that could be produced by a premium Chinese subsidiary of a larger Chinese motorcycle company could serve as the basis for the first electric motorcycle produced by an Italian motorcycle brand revamped under the leadership of a larger Italian motorcycle maker who hopes to compete with a next wave of smaller Asian electric motorcycles. * Stop for the air *
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