Photo: visordown.com
We mentioned about Italjet’s plans to start manufacturing electric motorcycles, in a way using its electric bicycle platform as starting ground. Now it’s time for another piece of pleasantly surprising news, as Italjet has shown the all-new Buccaneer 250i retro-styled motorcycle at a bike show in Guangzhou, China.
The guys who are more familiarized with Italjet can maybe remember that the manufacturer has had similarly-named bikes in its line-up in the 1970’s, albeit in a 125cc flavor. The Buccaneer 250i could be interpreted as a sign that Italjet is planning to resurrect some of the older machines in a modern trim and equipped with all the modern bells and whistles… which is of course, even better news.
Italjet would not be the first Italian motorcycle manufacturer bought by a Chinese company, with the biggest name being of course, that of Benelli. Whether using the European names a herald for making the Chinese bikes entry in the western markets easier or running two parallel line-ups is still a matter shrouded in mystery, but things will surely clear out soon.
A bicycle-like swingarm has attracted some criticism, too, but it might be a decent solution for a bike which is not too powerful. It will also help keep things on the lightweight side, as well. The mixture of scrambler-specific dual-sport wheels and café-racer design cues might definitely attract riders who love both, but might also be a turn-off for other, more purist potential buyers.
We’ll definitely hear more from Italjet in the coming months, hopefully with a revised design for the exhaust. The current exhaust on the Buccaneer 250i looks like robbed from a Thruxton and hastily affixed to this bike. Oh, and am I the only one who believes that the fuel tank has too much Bonneville about it?
Italjet or Longjia? Or is it… both?
Now, a bike with exceptionally similar looks has just been patented in Europe by the Chinese manufacturer Longjia, and visordown can almost swear that the two are identical. Truth is, the Longjia (pictured below) DOES indeed look like almost the same bike as the Italjet Buccaneer 250i. At the time of writing, no news on a tie-up between the two manufacturers has emerged, but in case this collaboration is real, we’re positive, that the word will spread really soon.Italjet would not be the first Italian motorcycle manufacturer bought by a Chinese company, with the biggest name being of course, that of Benelli. Whether using the European names a herald for making the Chinese bikes entry in the western markets easier or running two parallel line-ups is still a matter shrouded in mystery, but things will surely clear out soon.
A small-displacement café-scrambler
The Buccaneer 250i is consistent with both the world trends and the current Italjet bike production. The v-twin packs a 250cc class fuel-injected engine, which is believed by the most optimistic guys to deliver around 25 horsepower. We’d rather stay on the moderate side and bet our money on a just-under 20 hp figure, only because this is what similar Chinese engines seem to make, give or take.A bicycle-like swingarm has attracted some criticism, too, but it might be a decent solution for a bike which is not too powerful. It will also help keep things on the lightweight side, as well. The mixture of scrambler-specific dual-sport wheels and café-racer design cues might definitely attract riders who love both, but might also be a turn-off for other, more purist potential buyers.
We’ll definitely hear more from Italjet in the coming months, hopefully with a revised design for the exhaust. The current exhaust on the Buccaneer 250i looks like robbed from a Thruxton and hastily affixed to this bike. Oh, and am I the only one who believes that the fuel tank has too much Bonneville about it?
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