Claudio Castiglioni 63, the President of MV Augusta Motor S.p.A passed away early this morning in a clinic in his beloved Varese.

The far seeing and charismatic Italian manager owner of Cagiva with his brother Giancarlo, helped create along some the most iconic motorcycle models in the world and helped re-launch both Ducati and MV Agusta, bringing the Made in Italy marques to new and exciting heights.

We leave you with Castiglioni’s most famous quote:

“Motorcycles make us dream. They have different colours, they have different sounds. They have shapes that sometimes show what inspired their designers. Sometimes these creations are real works of art that turn the designer into an artist.”

The well informed Italian website Motosprint is reporting that motorcycle racing legend Giacomo Agostini is thinking of entering a team in the new Moto2 series.

The project if it goes through would see the involvement of number of high profile people including Claudio Castiglioni, chairman of MV Augusta and Cagiva and the bike could actually be branded Cagiva, with Simone Corsi as the rider.

There are a couple of problems facing the team, besides the always hard task of finding a budget of at least 2.5 million euros to run in the championship.

Dorna and FIM have already announced the Moto2 entry list with 23 teams already accepted and several reserve teams, but the team has contacted Carmelo Ezpeleta to see if there could be a place for them, and the Spanish CEO could make an exception, considering that more than one team may withdraw from the series even before competing in a single race.

The bike would be devolped by Giulio Bernardelle who after leaving MotoGP (Honda Konica Minolta) founded his own engineering company In-Motion, while Castiglioni from the CRC (Centro Ricerche Cagiva) in San Marino or at the Schiranna (Varese) headquarters would work on production.

This poses another problem because Cagiva is part of the MV Agusta group who is owned by Harley Davidson, that just last month announced that they were divesting themselves of the group (along stopping production of Buell motorcycles) so obviously they’re not interesting in further investments and according to the Italians unless they find a buyer soon it would be difficult to use the famous Cagiva brand.

Infomotori.com has come up this interesting idea for a new entry level naked motorcycle, the Cagiva Planet 501.

Created by designer Luca Bar who used the engine of a Husqvarna SM510R and the rest from a Cagiva Planet 125 to contain costs and thinks that it could sell for less than 6.000 euros.

Could this Cagiva stand up against a Suzuki Gladius or the Yamaha XJ6?

Cagiva Planet 501

The reborn Cagiva brand looks like it will update its range with the “Schiranna”: the possible future name of the 1125 V2 superbike (the name comes from the town in which Claudio Castiglioni’s company was first founded).

Thanks to Harley Davidson ownership, Cagiva looks set to make a promising comeback in the motorcycle market, with MV-Agusta placed to be the more upmarket offering, and the “elefantino” or “little elefant” aimed at a more general clientele.

Future Cagivas shouldn’t feature more than two cylinder engines, although this doesn’t mean we’ll be seeing less power. The most eclectic motor is the V2 BRP-Rotax, on the Buell 1125, accredited with some super power at 140hp.

With this kind of engine, Cagiva should be able to create different models, with everything from a large enduro bike to a naked, a GT, and a superbike, in this case the Schiranna. The latter should be a competitive offering, with Italian style, prestigious materials and a good price.

Harley Davidson has already stated its intention to maintain the Italian brand appeal, despite its US outlook. The 1125 Schiranna should have a trellis frame, sought-after design and plenty of riding pleasure.

Source | Motosketches

After the recent acquisition of Cagiva by Harley Davidson, the former has taken up production of its smaller sports model, the Cagiva Mito SP525.

The Mito SP525 is the latest evolution of the famous and much-loved 125cc. The engine is two-stroke, liquid cooled equipped with the ECS system and its electronic carburation process developed in collaboration with Dell’Orto. This system has brought the engine up to Euro 3 standards, and in its under powered version, it has 15hp of power.

The chassis is a double beam frame, with a 40mm Marzocchi fork and Brembo brakes. The dry weight is about 129kg, and the Mito is available in red and black colours at a price of about 4,990 euros.

Source | Solomoto30

Obiboi (Oberdan Bezzi) has surprised us again with preview design renderings of the new Cagiva Elefant 1125.

With all probability this will be the model for the relaunch of the Cagiva brand and its twin cylinder, Buell BRP-Rotax engine. The aim is to provide some contrast and competition to the BMW R 1200 GS, queen of two wheel SUVs.

The colour is set to be a homage to the historic livery of the Cagiva Elefants of the old days; will we see a “Lucky Stripe” from Varese amongst the dunes at Tènèrè or around the Egyptian pyramids.

Source | Motosketches

This is not just any Cagiva however - this is the official V 593 from former champion John Kocinksi. It’s a two stroke, 500cc, four cylinder job that did the rounds of the 1993 season, winning on the Laguna Seca track.

The bike has been completely restored and has only been out for a few shows since then. And it could be yours if you like. Price is available only a request, and the bike is currently located in Europe with the note that it is permissable in the US as a racing bike.

via | Classic Motorbikes

Her name is Ana. She likes Cagiva Mito 125. Nice choice… isn’t it?

Via | Masmoto.net

Do you remember Cagiva? Here’s a video about victorious Cagiva motorbikes droven by Edi Orioli, Eddy Lawson, Alex Barros and John Kocinski.