For Sale: 1985 Cagiva 650 Alazzurra
If elements of this Cagiva Alazzurra look familiar, they should. Until the late 1980s the Cagiva brand name (and elephant logo) were the face of Ducati in the United States. Yes, we all knew about the Ducati brand before then, but with Ducati-sourced engines, the only officially imported brand in the US was Cagiva. Thus, this Alazzurra contains a Pantah-based L-twin rubber-band motor, the same as the Ducati 2-valve, air cooled twins of the era. The componentry was likewise Ducati spec (Marzocchi, Brembo, etc), and the Alazzurra was known as a sweet handling bike in the day.
By 1985 Cagiva had acquired Ducati and dropped the Cagiva name from the U.S. lineup. While Cagiva continued to be a European brand to be reckoned with (including competiting in several seasons of 500 GP road racing with the likes of Randy Mamola and Eddie Lawson), Ducati was the only way forward for the brand abroad. That makes this little Alazzurra a reasonably rare and significant motorcycle.
From the seller:
This auction is for a 1985 Cagiva 650 Alazzurra with 26173 miles. To my knowledge only 300 were built. This bike looks very good and runs and drives good. It is all original. The paint has almost no scratches. The tank is clean and has no dents. The front fender had been repaired. The tires are fair and everything works on this bike, including the clock! The tranny works fine and the engine sounds and feels healthy. The battery is brand new as well. It’s not leaking, not smoking and doesn’t make any noises! The tool kit is included! It might need a minor tune up, but you see me riding it!If you collect bikes and this isn’t in your collection, you should get this one!
Here is a video of the actual bike in action:
This bike looks to be in fair shape given the years and the miles. These tend not to be uber-collectable, pricey machines – which makes this a nice opportunity for a unique bike you can actually ride. The bike has a look all its own, and that familiar 90 degree Ducati sound. It even comes in the standard Italian color: red.
This auction is going on right now, and the cost of entry is a paltry $3,500. There has not been much interest in this bike as of yet, but I don’t expect that to last. The starting price is a bit higher than I might like to see, but it is certainly in line with the value of the bike. For more information and pictures, click the link and jump over to the auction. Don’t forget to tell ’em you found it on RSBFS!
MI
Had one some years ago. A very basic underpowered machine. OK for urban commuting but a really boring motorcycle. Mine was pretty reliable, but I was glad when it left. Rare or not, I wouldn’t add another to the stable.
sounds interesting, but i can’t agree with you.
^^^Why not- care to explain? Although this is a cheap way to buy into your first Ducati, it honestly IS underpowered and boring.
I had two of these machines. I can assure you that more than 300 of them were made. I had one in red (as the seller’s) and in a pearl-like white. I worked at the Ducati/Cagiva dealer in Atlanta at the time. They were pathetically slow and yes, I would even tend to agrre that they were boring. The seller’s machine looks to have been reasonably cared for however
The Alazzurra was essentially a re-styled Ducati Pantah 600TL with the 650cc engine. Fairly typical of the period, the HP output was low by today’s standards.
Motorcycle magazine did a review of the Alazzurra compared against the Guzzi and a Yamaha and found the Alazzurra to be right in the middle considering performance and price, and gave it high marks overall.
Bear in mind that Italian motorcycles were designed with Italians in mind, not Americans. If you weigh more than 140lbs and are taller than 5’8′ then you’re going to feel like this bike is slow.
However, they are fun to ride, they handle very well and are nearly bulletproof and remain exceptionally popular to this day.
Regarding the number made, there were more than 2000 that made it to the USA according to Ian Falloon’s book.