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Review Cagiva Raptor

La Bomba

There are things that can shake the establishment with the power of a bomb. Like the Cagiva Raptor, which is about to stir up the world of the naked.

We love the Suzuki TL 1000 powerplant. A milestone among the 90-degree V-Twins, robust, modern, extremely powerful and fabulously cultivated at the same time. Unfortunately, Suzuki was never able to put the engine in the limelight, because the TL series always stumbled over its ambitious otherness. But now everything will be fine. Suzuki sells the dream twin separately to manufacturers in need, so that from now on it can unfold in an affordable fun mobile, a classic all-rounder with high handlebars and low seat: the Cagiva Raptor.
Not entirely by chance, their name has a monstrous ambiguity. On the one hand, in the age of Jurassic Park, around 50 percent of all people on earth know the clawed beasts of the same name, and accordingly the ready-to-jump claws of the cagiva peek out of the tank and footrest plate. On the other hand, the designer Miguel Galuzzi has already drawn another beast well known in two-wheeled circles: the popular Ducati monster, which enjoys high sales. Accordingly, the Cagiva may well be considered a further development of all monsters, which it has at least 30 hp ahead of at a similar price. Incidentally, in the age of the high yen exchange rate, 18,297 Marks should also raise concerns in the tanks of even strong Japanese naked bikes.
Optics? Modern and aggressive, beefy and playful with jagged edges and a triangular cockpit, a bit like a crouched cyberspace insect, the tank on top as a broad back in which angular muscles stand out. Very independent, that. Fortunately, this is accompanied by solid workmanship and good equipment, such as braided steel brake lines or exhausts, made entirely of stainless steel.
Seat rehearsal. The average person up to 1.80 meters conjures a spontaneous smile on the face. Be it the test Moni or the test mini, be it Markus, the photographer, or Markus, the accelerator: They all find their happiness on the back of the beast, which they comfortably integrate with a low seat behind their tank, which together with the moderately high rest enables sucking knee closure. The handlebars match, that’s exactly how the evening on the home track or the pleasure tour in the mountains should be experienced. Larger people, however, feel particularly plumped up on their legs. Will cagiva think about a – perhaps optional – higher bench? The Lulatsche feel a bit marginalized – from the killer fun that the monster prepares.
Honestly, this is second to none. Lively: The TL 1000 drift fires the cagiva from corner to corner, peppers with force from the lowest speeds so that it is always, always, always – brrrrrab – a joy, a force, a delight. Handy: The Raptor waves through the asphalt with an ease that is known from mopeds, but not from a 1000. A combination that the naturally more sporty TL 1000 was unfortunately never able to offer.
In the Raptor, too, the TL engine has lost none of its bearliness, it runs flexibly and with little vibration. The newly configured engine management handles the reversal from pushing to load operation in a jagged manner, perhaps a little smoother than from the Suzuki. In return, the transmission spoils you with precise ease of movement, a delight to accelerate through the gears, because the Raptor has an even shorter final gear ratio than the Suzuki. It also has a secondary air system and is quiet despite its tonal character.
In addition to the brilliant, addictive nimble footing, the chassis shines with enormous steering precision and extremely low set-up moments, be it when braking or when driving over and accelerating on bumps. The Bridgestone BT 56, which are fitted as standard, should contribute their share, and they also provide good grip until the brake pedal comes down very late. The good suspension elements are by no means inferior to the high standard, as they initially provide soft comfort, so that in an emergency – for example in the form of a treacherous bump in the ground or courageous braking on bumpy terrain – reassuring reserves contribute. Braking topic: Cagiva has apparently responded to the criticism during the presentation. The Raptor decelerates without blame or blame in the front, as well as behind, but the pilot should check carefully whether his foot is parked unnoticed on the pedal. If so, it is time to adjust so that constant, unnoticed pressure on the pedal does not cause the rear brake to overheat or fail.
W.what else is there? For a naked bike, the Raptor runs smoothly in a straight line, exposing its passenger to the wind in a relatively pleasant manner. Every now and then the predator twitches the handlebars comparatively gently. No wonder, actually, because the bearish engine seduces you to boldly accelerate. The front wheel can take off, twitch at an angle and, as a result, fidget a bit. But not worse than with similarly strong naked bikes. The meanwhile should be afraid of Cagiva’s new predator. The Raptor has all the facilities to become a cult in no time. Playful, strong, high quality, affordable – keep it up, Cagiva.

Conclusion – V-Raptor ?? uaaah!

The world needs bikes like the Raptor. Urgent. But she needed V-raptors even more urgently. Rigorously drawn bombs design. With a bird of prey nose. Far from any home-made notions of aesthetics. Without regard to losses. Technically, there are hardly any differences between the Raptor and V-Raptor. Engine, chassis ?? all the same. Nevertheless, the V is a bit more nervous, which is actually only due to the lower, wider handlebars. It also provides wind protection, albeit a bit turbulent. Do you like them? OKAY. Then an additional 1000 marks shouldn’t be too much.

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