We’ve been begging DiamoUSA for Italjet details for months, but apparently Guzman has a better connection. He’s got all the pricing for the 2007 models, and says the Torpedo may be available already. (Is it? I wish the Diamo site had a dealer list.) The pricing is interesting, the water-cooled Torpedo 150, at $2995, is $300 less than the air-cooled but otherwise comparable Kymco People 150. The 50cc 2-stroke (and restricted-to-30mph) Roller Craft is the same price, which seems a few hundred bucks high for a restricted 50cc, though still a couple hundred bucks cheaper than a Vespa LX50 and $500 cheaper than the $3495 Dragster 50.
The flagship, the 250cc Dragster 250, is MSRP’ed (is that a verb?) at a whopping $5795, less than a Vespa GTS250, but more than most other 250cc scooters on the market. Like the Vespa, the Dragster is a legendary and stylish machine that (in principle) is a cut above the rest, and demand is certainly high, but this new incarnation (of the Dragster and of Italjet, and to a lesser degree, their importer and dealer network) is unproven. If it can provide anything close to the style and riding experience of the fin-de millenium 2-stroke 180cc Dragster with equal or better quality and better dealer/parts support, it’s probably worth the cash. We’ll see.
I don’t know if it’s “better connections” as much as it’s “less of a life”. ;)
I’ll have to double check on the Torpedo. I haven’t seen one in person yet, but I’ve been told on a couple of different occasions from a couple of different people that they are available and shipping now. We shall see.
Oh! And I can only imagine how smokin’ the 180cc 2-stroke Dragster was/is. Too bad we will probably never get to find out for ourselves.
Perhaps with the proper weight/spring/carb/exhaust combo the 250cc could smoke it.
The big 250 4 stroke scooter motor is pretty nice, but it will never be the same as the two stroke in terms of it’s power to weight ratio and general 2-stroke buzzy goodness.
But I still don’t believe they’ll appear. The torpedo is easy because it’s just a verona/cfmoto charm with slightly different bodywork. But the rollercraft is completely novel (if it actually appears as in the concept photos, if it actually appears!). I know exactly how many of the dragster 50’s and roller craft they will sell at that price: zero. OK, maybe 5 total. There’s always room for a few toy buyers on an impulse jag. I wonder how many replacement parts will be available for that unique rollercraft after Diamo disappears like Italjet did? Please, Diamo, make me eat my words.
Good eye, Brooke. I was trying to place that Torpedo. Those CFMoto/Verona liquid-cooled powerplants don’t have a good reputation, so that’s not a good sign.
That rollercraft is wacky/cool enough for me to want to sit on one.
Bryan,
How come you haven’t posted anything about the introduction of the Aprilia SportCity 250 to the US? That’s a sweet bike.
That’s an expensive craft, too much to even buy as a write off at the shop…
I had the price wrong on the 250, it was 5795, not 5975. I changed the text appropriately, “Cheaper than a GTS” is a good selling point, even if it’s only $175 cheaper.
I’ve ridden a 180, Steve, it is a beautiful thing. We have no idea how similar they’ll be, it’s theoretically a pretty different bike, but hopefully they’ve preserved the good parts. The only thing I hated about the original dragster (aside from the logistics of owning one) was some cheap-looking plastichrome here and there, we’ll see what happened to that.
I suspect Brooke is right about the Torpedo, but I have no proof. Mathu Solo didn’t mention it when we talked about manufacturing, but IIRC the one on display at DealerExpo was the CFMoto version, or at least looked like it. That and the fact that it is the only model without a Piaggio engine, would explain its reasonable price. The Dragster and Roller Craft are both allegedly Italian-made with Piaggio engines, though the definition of “italian-made” and “Piaggio engine” continues to expand to include “partially assembled in Italy” and “engine manufactured by Piaggio’s oversea plants” Again, we’ll see. I actually have marginally high hopes. I think the weak links may be supply and dealer support rather than quality.
Al, I mentioned the SportCity in my EIMCA and DealerExpo stories, but you’re right, I should look into it more. Might have something to do with Aprilia having such dismal presence in Chicago, they tend to fall off my radar.
We haven’t been a Diamo / LS motorsports dealer for about 2 years now, but here’s a little clue about how well they support their products. 2 years ago we identified a little problem with their Diamo Velux scooters…well, more like 30 little life threatening problems, brakes locking at 40 mph, Rotor bolts that back out and lock the rear wheel etc.. One of the more serious ones was the rubber they used in the fuel filler neck would disintegrate and you’d pump a gallon of gas out onto your cherry red exhaust system. We made warranty claims on EVERY bike they shipped us and did our best to alert customers to this potentially life threatening situation. They sent us a half dozen of the exact same crap part. When I bitched about it I got a nasty phone call from Mathu Solo threatening to turn my business over to the IRS for an audit.
Well, It’ll be a cold day in hell before I ever order anything again from LS motorsports or Diamo or Italjet USA. But the other day we got a box from them…what could it be???? Well, it was a dozen “improved” fuel filler neck hoses and clamps. I guess 2 years late is better than never, considering I know of only 1 of those original bikes that is still running and on the road. It’s probably a moot point.
For the record, the Italjet Dragster looks way better in the fog of days gone by…I had 2 of them a 180 and a 125. Every body panel cracked or broke, The front hub bearings wore out every 1200 miles and were a bitch to change, the tire size was a bear to find a replacement for and every part of that scooter that wasn’t the motor was crap. Sign me up for none.
No Velocifero? Crap.