I'd been meaning to research Cagiva for about 20 years. One of those I must-remember-to-get-round-to-it jobs. And then always forgot about it because "big" names distracted.
But I lost sight of the fact that Cagiva, for a period, actually owned some of those big names - Ducati and MV Agusta amongst them.
And then I came across a Cagiva at Budworth Classic Bike Show in Cheshire.
It looked like a '90s 250cc GP bike. But then there were the "L" plates, meaning it must have been a 125. I must admit, I didn't know what it was called until I dived into Google.
It was a Mito. And, yes, it was probably - probably - a 14bhp version. Although with the right knowledge and a couple of spanners it could quickly be turned up to 30bhp-plus… I'm told.
Long story short, Cagiva is the first couple of letters from the founder's name and the town in which it was based - Castiglioni, Giovanni, Varese.
Founded in 1950 by Giovanni Castiglioni, the company originally manufactured small metal components before Castiglioni's sons, Claudio and Gianfranco, turned to motorcycle production in 1978.
They bought the former Aermacchi factory from Harley-Davidson in 1978, and within 12 months was producing 40,000 two-strokes a year.
In the '80s and '90s, the company expanded into a motorcycling powerhouse, acquiring Ducati, Moto Morini, Husqvarna and MV Agusta's name. But it was all a bit too much too quickly - by 1999 it was selling off assets, and MV Agusta became the main business, with Cagiva relegated to subsidiary status, Cagiva disappearing in 2012, and all production focussing on MV.
But the Mito was the original crazy Italian lightweight. Competitors like Aprilia and Gilera, as well as some of the Japanese manufacturers, were producing lively 125s. But one morning somebody in Varese decided to knock 125cc performance out of the park.
What resulted was something that looked and sounded like a race bike, and, with correct drivers licence and subsequent engine de-restriction, went like one, whether straight line or round the twisties - maintaining of pace helped by the 7-speed gearbox on early versions. But they're fragile - and definitely not a bike for young novice L-platers, or even those who've managed to find an L-test slot.
The water-cooled motors are fundamentally highly-tuned and pretty peaky, and prone to anything from seizure to explosion.
Not many teens will have the patience to do the sort of time-consuming gentle warm-up more akin to a pre-race protocol than a student or first-job youngster late for college or work letting rip with race-style take-off from cold.
Cold engine abuse will more than likely result in a cold seizure, while servicing needs to be almost as frequent as washing the things - by all accounts it's a gamble to delay a top-end re-build beyond every 9,000 miles or so. Parts are cheap, though - a piston set around £50.
But classic bikes of whatever generation should be fun. And providing your joints and muscles are capable of enduring life folded onto this pocket rocket, by all accounts it's definitely an experience. Performance (assuming you've removed both L-plates and restriction) sees a 100mph top speed potential, brakes are almost race-worthy, handling is peachy, and later models have the looks of a Ducati superbike.
And if you want a crash course in engine rebuilds, this could also be your idea of fun too…
