The history of Fantic Motor: when Italian motorcycles dreamed of America
A new brand enters the
Cafe Twin world: the proudly Italian
Fantic Motor, which for over 50 years has been a benchmark when it comes to off-road riding.
The Cafe Twin family is growing.
After
Royal Enfield and a story built around accessories and customisation dedicated to all motorcycles, with a particular fondness for
Triumph, a breath of Italianness arrives at our headquarters:
Fantic Motor.
When talking about Fantic, today as in the past, the first thing that comes to mind is the
Caballero.
But the history of the Italian brand is far greater than this motorcycle, legendary though it may be.
Origins
Fantic was founded in 1968 by a man with engines in his blood, Mario Agrati, who left the family company, Garelli, and together with Henry Keppel founded Fantin Motor in Barzago with the aim of producing mini-bikes, go-karts and enduro bikes for the American market.
Fantic's first steps were marked by an intuition that would prove to be more than fortunate: at
Eicma 1969 Fantic unveiled the first
Caballero.
A 49 cc 2-stroke engine made by Motori Minarelli of Bologna, substantial dimensions for a fifty but much more similar to a competition "regolarità" bike, with plenty of ground clearance, high mudguards and the look of a fully fledged enduro.
Its name, exotic and western at the same time, came from Keppel's smoking habit, as he used to buy Dutch Caballero cigarettes.The bike was an immediate public success, as was the "marketing" campaign that Fantic devised for the model launch: top riders such as Mike Hailwood and Jarno Saarinen were recruited, along with champions from other sports, such as footballer Sandro Mazzola.
Once in the garage, teenagers of the time would usually replace the 14mm Dell'Orto carburettor, which complied with the law at the time, with the larger 19mm unit.
Such a frequent modification that it pushed Fantic to equip export Caballeros with the larger carburettor.
From the second Caballero series came the dual version, with 4 or 6 gears, followed by road-legal 100 and 125 cc versions, which however did not enjoy the same success as the original model.
Not just Caballero
The success of the model prompted the company to focus on the opposite segment: the Chopper was born, inspired by the film Easyrider.
This model also first arrived in the 50 cc version powered by Minarelli, followed later by the 100 and 125 cc versions, with a Morini-branded engine.
A third model was the one that, among the larger engine capacities (so to speak), managed to achieve good sales results: the Fantic Strada, produced at the beginning of the 1980s and positioned as a direct competitor to the Honda CB 125, Gilera TG2, Laverda LZ and Aprilia ST.
However, results also came in the sporting arena: Fantic became the undisputed queen of trial at the end of the 1980s, winning three world championships in 4 years between 1985 and 1988.
The recent history of Fantic Motor
Fantic's activities were interrupted in 1997, but in 2003 it was acquired by Federico Fregnan, who continued the brand's commitment to enduro and revived the Caballero name, although he used it for a specialist off-road model.
In 2014 the
VeVeNetwork group acquired Fantic and entrusted its management to Mariano Roman, former technical director of Laverda and Moto Guzzi, and finally success returned.
The
Fantic Caballero is enjoying a second youth, in the 125, 250 and 500 versions and in two trims:
Scrambler and
Flat Track.
The lines recall its glorious past, but the content is modern, so over the years the new Caballero has established itself as one of the most successful Italian motorcycles on the market, and the family has also expanded with the
Anniversario,
Rally and
Deluxe trims.
Fantic Motor nevertheless remains a benchmark in enduro
Fantic Motor nevertheless remains a benchmark in enduro with the
XEF range, whose models are also offered in motard form in the
XMF family, and it is also laying the foundations for the future in motocross with the
XX 125.
And since both mobility and fun on two wheels have many facets, Fantic Motor has recently launched
Issimo, an e-bike inspired by the tubone of the 1980s, as well as two families of pedal-assist bicycles (Urban and E-MTB).
Want to know more?
Come and visit us at via Mesula 12!
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