2009 Cagiva Mito SP525: more of the same please

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We couldn’t possibly express the degree to which we lusted after a Cagiva Mito when we were 16. Valentino Rossi won his first championship aboard one in 1994. Since then, the Mito’s lost its Tamburini-penned 916 looks and gained something akin to that of a contemporary 125GP bike. Sadly, most are now limited to 12.5 or 15bhp depending on local regulations, but basic engine tuning will take that to 40bhp, which is enough for 120mph. The huge aluminum beam frame has never changed. The whole thing weighs just 129kg or 284.4lbs (dry). New for 2009 is the option of either all white or red/silver paint, but really, this is just an excuse to run images of one of purest motorcycles on sale today.

Cagiva

  • JR

    This isn’t available in the U.S. right?

    Because I think the folks (including myself) at kneeslider and here would crap their collective pants if a single cylinder sportbike was offered in the U.S.

    • http://hellforleathermagazine.com Wes Siler

      it’s a two-stroke, so it cant’ be sold here. There are single-cylinder sportsbikes on sale in the US. Check our our Roland Sands interview for details and our single-cylinder tag page for more. Touch pricey though.

    • russell

      the americans dont know how to ride sports bikes let them stay with the tourers ie harley , norton. id race american and lap him three times b4 he finishes

  • generic1776

    All the Cagiva bikes have looked stunning… well except the Gran Canyon… I never could warm up to it’s looks.

    I could dream The Motor Company getting smart and bringing small sport bikes to the US, but it is too much of a departure (risk) to actually try anything new to sell bikes to an essentially “fresh” market.

    The staged license system in the UK works well for selling smaller bikes to the kids with disposable incomes, where the local market pushes kids straight to >600cc bikes.

    If we had the 16-18-21 year old crowd on a staged license system, then the Mito would be a seriously hot ticket item.

  • aoelus

    There’r ya go! The Italians know how to do a fairing. No need to reinvent the wheel. It would have been better to give some idea of the scale of the thing though.

  • http://artistruth.livejournal.com will

    Any news on Cagiva coming over here after the Harley buyout? Wait, do they have any four stroke models??

    • russell

      afraid to tell u they have bought augusta and cagiva they r meant to be doing a race bike soon. i bet they get an american twat race it though

  • aoelus

    Sands has the right attitude, but his kind of sportbike wouldn’t have a prayer. The major mags (while they last) won’t touch it, not a liter ya know, and the blogs will excoriate it for not having 200HP. KTM could easily give the 690 Duke the RC8 treatment for a fine 65HP bike, but not likely with the shaky economy, and instead of a sensible, manageable machine, it would be described as a ladies bike or for preteens, killing any chance of success.

    • http://hellforleathermagazine.com Wes Siler

      There’s talk of a KTM RC4.

  • Scott

    long live the smokers!

    • russell

      UP YA VIVA

  • Zeitgeist

    Grey market import:) I knew guy used to bring small RS 125 from Japan in pieces stuffed into luggage. The fun days before Big Brother DMV took all the fun out of it.

  • boss

    what happened to the mito 500??

    • v

      if you are refering to the 500cc 4 stroke single variant then it died off when cagiva sold husqvarna to bmw.. the engine came from the te -510 although in a different configuration

      out here 16 year olds can ride 2 strokes up to 150 cc with an A1 license(A being the full motorcycle license) old (916 style)mito’s and especially aprilia rs125..these hormone infested kids mess around with the pipes and the sound is just horible..you can hear them reving the hell out of the engines trying to impress anyone with tits..it doesn’t work but they still do it for some reason

      • Zeitgeist

        Sounds like a Harley “biker rally”. All noise at an amazing break neck speed of 25mph due to crowded streets. They then wonder why the host towns decide its not worth the hassle of having the rallies. Many are now making it very unfriendly for the participants, vendors and local promoters. Myrtle Beach and Laughlin are two good examples.

        So when knobs use it as a volume knob instead of a throttle it screws us all.

    • russell

      let me fill u in fhaf now is the mito sp52.

  • http://www.robotribe.com robotribe

    Kinda funny, no…sad, actually, when this “baby sport bike” looks better, IMO, than most of the liter sport bikes you can buy today.

    Hell, it looks fast when it’s not even moving!

  • monkeyfumi

    Perhaps the reason it looks so good, is that it is styled after the Cagiva C594 500gp bike, generally regarded as the prettiest 500.
    The frame on mitos is reputedly way over engineered, with people sucessfully building specials with 350 powervalves or even cr500 engines.
    Funny that where they are sold, they are seen as learner bikes, when they are arguably more focussed and purer sportsbikes than 90% of the market.

  • http://www.designronin.com Design Ronin

    Very cool!

  • Goose916

    Any chance they’re going to throw that 4 stroke Husky thumper into the newly faired 525 and drag it over to the U.S.? I think Harley bought Cagiva/MV simply to expand its own dealer network. Both marquees will be shelved in 2 years. So sad.

    • russell beach

      your correct harley did buy cagiva.thanks to them the sp525 is finaly here.its brilliant.if u havent got one and r deciding what u want all i can say is get one….the best 4000£ i ever spent..if they sell enough then surely they wont shelve it.;

      • russell

        yes i do have the red one.gelouse r we i paid 4000 pound 4 mine from bennets in barnsley and it was the first 09 plated 1 in the country and was for 3 months cause some twat set fire to the shop the night b4 mine got delivered .luckily they had put mine in storage. i bet if u had 1 u got it on hp.lol mines mine.next yr i wanna px it for ever a fireblage or a ninja.mine does a ton and ive only done the exsughst and air filter.it u try to do the same make sure u get a pro do it

  • sam

    hi, where can i look for one in u.s???

  • russell

    i bought my mito last friday.all i can say is im astonished in what it is capabale of .and its restricted.. well done once again,pleasemake more.agusta cagiva and harley you make the world relise what bikes are..

    • russell

      make sure u done 1500 miles on it.otherwise fhe injection gets fucked also fucks the engine up.also make sure u start the bike in fhe right manner .1st put the key in the ignition without turning the key to the on position switch the engine switch on then pull choke out switch feul on.make sure u start the engine switch the stand upt henput the ignition on otherwise u will relise the bike dosent like doing any more than 6 and a halt thousand revs.

  • russell

    the red one looks better i have jusf worn mine in and all i can say is its unbelievable that this is a 125 very impressed with the mighty spainish stallion