Driving report Cagiva Raptor 650

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Driving report Cagiva Raptor 650

Baby boom

Cagiva relies on family ties and sends the little raptor to the door.

We know that from Spielberg’s »Jurassic Park«: When the raptors get too comfortable, they put the young in their brave new world. Unlike in Hollywood, raptors in Italy cannot reproduce without human help. And so Cagiva developer Miguel Galluzzi went back to work and created the Raptor 650 after the Raptor 1000. The similarity is striking. At first glance, the baby raptor can hardly be distinguished from its mother. Mighty tubular space frame, same bulbous tank, no frills.
The trained eye only discovers a few differences on closer inspection: minimal changes to the frame such as the engine mounting, smaller silencers, narrower rear wheel, a new air filter box, which gives the fuel tank one liter more volume, black instead of white dial in the triangular tachometer. And overall a slimmer, lighter appearance. This is mainly due to the smaller engine. Like the large Raptor, it comes from Suzuki, instead of the TL 1000 engine, the tried and tested and much-praised SV 650 engine works in the small Raptor. Instead of the two-in-one exhaust system of the original, Cagiva gave the twin two silencers and changed the mixture preparation and final transmission. This should bring more power, especially in the middle speed range.
So go ahead, don’t be afraid of small animals and go for a test drive with this very first prototype of the Raptor 650 ?? We reserve the right to make detailed changes to the series. It sits comfortably with the upper body leaning slightly forward and legs angled slightly backwards. A good position for perfect control of the motorcycle. The Cagiva is not quite as hospitable to a co-driver. The narrow, pointed back seat cushion seems stolen from a nursery.
The youngest member of the Cagiva family then appears to be extremely grown up on the street. The Raptor 650 weighs 26 kilograms less than the 1000 and has a balanced weight distribution ?? around 47 percent in front, 53 percent behind. With the Pirelli MTR 21/22 tires, the Baby-Raptor looks extremely handy and agile. And the new exhaust system, including the optimized mixture preparation and final transmission, is having an effect. The specified almost 73 hp push forward powerfully. Beyond 6000 revs, there shouldn’t be a motorcycle in this class that can compete with the Raptor. The tachometer needle hurriedly points into the red area at 10,000 rpm. It’s a shame actually. Because one would like to keep turning. On the other hand, the 207 km / h promised by the factory are more than enough for a completely naked motorcycle.
As with all nakeds, winding country roads are the baby raptors’ favorite territory. It’s amazing with what precision the Cagiva makes the bend. A Ducati Monster 600 may seem more nimble, but the Raptor 650 keeps track like a tractor. With the stable frame made in-house by Cagiva, nothing wobbles, nothing twists. The raptor pulls its course like on rails. The front disc brake, with a slightly different pad mixture compared to the 1000, grips so well that you postpone its use and forget the rear brake completely. The stable upside-down fork with new damping adjustment and harder springs than the mother’s can put everything away without complaint, load changes as well as inclines on undulating ground. The front wheel literally sticks to the asphalt and doesn’t even begin to stamp on the bumpy road.
In terms of the adjustability of the suspension and damping of the Raptor 650, Cagiva limited itself to the bare minimum. In other words: only the spring base of the shock absorber can be adjusted so that the Raptor can easily be moved with two people or a lot of luggage. On the one hand, Cagiva wants to keep the price low, on the other hand, the small Raptor racetracks will probably only get to know from the visitor parking lot. And in the opinion of the Cagiva technicians, a suspension and damping set optimally at the factory is sufficient for all other uses.
B.In terms of colors, the Italians give you the choice between yellow, navy blue and jump gray, whatever the latter means. We’ll know in November when the new ones will be available from Cagiva dealers. At the same time, there is also a trunk and claw-reinforced V-Raptor 650, completely in the style of the 1000s. How it drives is currently still a secret of the makers in Varese. Likewise, the definitive price of the Raptor 650, which should be around 14,000 marks.

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