Italian resurgence

Next will be Malaguti!!!

Vertemati is kinda chinese these days if i'm not mistaken. But still great to see another bike on the market. 👍

Moto Morini !

What is the situation regarding the former Cagiva/Husqvarna facility and operation?

I believe they are being built under the SWM brand now . 

and dont forget really promissing emx125 italian riders Alvisi, Mantovani, Mannini, Bellei, Pini, Utech hopefully climbing up the ranks in the next 3 - 4 years. 

Save those names

They make Enduro/dualsport bikes using the old Husqvarna 510 platform and tooling under the name SWM. I don't think they are doing particularly well. The dealers near me haven't had stock of them in a while and their website still lists 2024 models as "coming soon". 

The Nicot company is Chinese in origin. Nicot Moto (Chongqing) Industrial Holdings-REV UP LIFE

I hope these bikes don't ruin the legacy of a very cool company. 

Couple of years back give or take when my Beta 300 RX was new.  I was at Three Palms MX, Houston.  A vet rider walked up.  I’d guess in his 50’s and asked if he could look at my Beta, I said sure.  He looked it over we talked, he said the Cylinder/top end looks Cagiva.  He Procded to explain how he was a factory Cagiva rider back in the day.  Told me all about Cagiva.  Wish I could remember what all he said, interesting guy to talk to.   Can’t recall his name, but I do recall he was flying around the track on a twin pipe Honda.  Fastest short fat guy I’ve ever seen ride.

I don’t recall much about Cagiva, or any of the other Italian brands that came and went.  But glad to see other brands getting in the sport.  I’d like to see Sherpa/Taco roll out an MX bike too.

I heard there’s all you can eat gabagoo at the team truck! 

Spanish✌️

My mistake!  I thought that they had produced the MX bikes in Italy but I can’t find any reference to it so I got it wrong!

Around 1987, at the Highpoint National, I was pitted next to a "factory" Cagiva rider.  He didn't have a mechanic; the bike was obviously jetted way too rich, and he was frustrated - he said that he didn't know how to change jets in the carburetor.  I leaned the main one step, listened to it, leaned it a second step, and had him ride it, in a test area (not on the track), while I listened.  I dropped the needle one step, and had him ride it again.  It sounded good, so I put in a new plug, and had him do some wide-open runs, then checked the plug.  Everything looked/sounded right, and he went out to practice.  The bike ran fine, and he did ok, as I recall.  "Factory" support varied a lot on those days.  Guy Cooper received support, but traveled in (and sometimes lived in, I believe) a van, and did all of his own mechanical work - he was changing a piston in the hotel parking lot on Friday.  I asked if I could look at the cylinder (I was riding the same bike). He said he wasn't allowed to...  A few minutes later, he said he was going in to use the bathroom, and asked if I could watch his stuff.  "Sure - no problem."  He winked and said "But don't look at the cylinder!"  Those days were fun.  

The boy raced Polini for awhile, 50's and for a short time 65's. Then went to KTM and then pretty much Yamaha the rest of the time. The polinis were great bikes.. Parts and support became more of the issue. 

That's Marty Smith, right? Man, I didn't know he rode a Cagiva. That looks to be about '83, '84 by the tech on the bike. Tell me what's up. 

I remember watching a Vertemati spin laps on a track just north of Milan.

It was 1997 or 1998, the early days of the modern four-stroke. The thing was loud and guy was ripping too, I think it might have been a test rider for them. If I remember correctly it had a 3 or 4 gear transmission and a forward kicking kickstarter. 

I was on my clapped out 18-21" wheeled 1994 Pink TM-80.

I wish I had a time machine to go back to those days.

Piaggio! 😅

I believe it’s 1982.  I was told the Cagiva paid him way more then he made at Factory Honda.

De korte maar briljante geschiedenis van Vertemati - Translated to English

Everyone still remembers the Vertemati and VOR machines of Italian origin. Among others, it was Joël Smets who rode a product from the Vertemati brothers. The bikes that passed through their hands were brilliant, innovative, and lightning-fast. Yet things still went wrong.

The Vertemati Brothers: Pioneers of Modern Four-Stroke Motocross

In the early 1990s, Italian brothers Alvaro and Guido Vertemati entered the motocross world as importers of the then-young brand Husaberg. Although these motorcycles were originally intended for enduro, the brothers saw their potential in Grand Prix motocross. With the necessary modifications, they made their GP debut in 1991 with Andrea Bartolini as rider. They immediately impressed by grabbing several holeshots, catching the attention of the international motorsports world.

A Rivalry with Deep Roots

However, the real showdown wouldn’t come until 1993. That year, the interests of Husaberg and Husqvarna—two brands with a shared history but growing rivalry—clashed. Husqvarna was now in Italian hands, while Husaberg had been founded in Sweden by former Husqvarna employees. These underlying tensions spilled over onto the track, where Joël Smets rode for Husaberg and Jacky Martens held the factory seat at Husqvarna.

What followed was an intense duel that lasted the entire season. In the end, Martens came out on top and clinched the world title, but Smets would go on to become a four-stroke legend in the years that followed. He won the world championship in 1995, 1997, and 1998—each time on a Husaberg.

From Importers to Constructors

Meanwhile, the Vertemati brothers had taken things a step further. They began building their own motorcycles, entirely based on their vision of performance and technology. Their bike had only three gears, but you could ride an entire moto without ever leaving second gear. The power and flexibility of the machine gave it a clear edge over the traditional two-stroke bikes of the time.

From Vertemati to VOR

Some of these unique machines found their way to buyers in Europe and the U.S., but things went wrong during production. The commercial versions turned out to be heavier and slower than the factory models. Internal conflicts also arose: the brothers had disputes with their business partners—and with each other. The result: they sold their original company.

The original Vertemati motorcycle continued under a new name: VOR (Vertemati Offroad Racing), while the brothers started working on an entirely new project. In the late 1990s, a third-generation Vertemati bike appeared, this time successfully competing in the growing Supermotard discipline. But the momentum was gone: the four-stroke engine had now become mainstream, and the pioneering days were over.

A Lasting Influence

Nevertheless, the influence of the Vertemati brothers remains deeply felt in motocross history. Their innovative vision and uncompromising approach played a key role in the breakthrough of the four-stroke engine in competitive racing. Without their contributions—and without the unique rivalry and collaboration between Sweden and Italy—the revolution in four-stroke motocross might have taken years longer to arrive.

Visit: mxvintage.be

Cagiva was trying to organize in North America in '82.  They set up office in Torrance, CA.  The original plan was for Marty to ride the 125 Nationals.  Bikes were late getting over here and he never made the Nationals.  He did local races and testing for 6 months.  The only major race he did was the San Diego SX (on a 190cc bike in the 250 class because Cagiva did not have a real 250 at the time).  I've found his name in Cycle News results from racing the Cagiva in some off-road and Hare Scrambles races in SoCal.

In '82 Cagiva bought TGM and the '83 WMX's sold as '84's in the USA were just TGM's with Cagiva motors. 

This should count as an Italian bike, right?