27 January 2023

Fantic fantastic

Paul Browne welcomes the return of Fantic to our shores and, in particular the Caballero 500, an elegant and agile dual-sports machine.

Fantic, those people that our dads remember winning all of those trials competitions on the telly back in the day, are back.

The brand is based here in Cork at Macroom’s Barcon Powersports.

The trip to the shop is well worth your while, packed as it is with all sorts of two-wheeled treasure including the Kenny range of clothing.

Top of the range, though, is the wonderfully titled Caballero 500.

Dual cool

It’s a dual sport bike.

Its chrome-molybdenum steel central-tube frame is light which ensures agility and comfort.

The front forks are the companies own 41mm upside-down affairs as is the rear suspension.

The spoked 19″ front and 17″ rear wheels, which are both fitted with Pirelli Scorpion Rally knobbly tyres, give the bike a real scrambler look.

Stopping comes courtesy of the 320mm front and 230mm rear wave brake discs.

There is a disengageable continental dual-channel ABS system as standard.

Power play

Power is courtesy of a single-cylinder, 4-valve, liquid-cooled, electronic fuel injected engine which is, of course, now Euro 5 compliant. It provides great performance on the road, which is combined with a satisfying efficiency on off-road tracks and trails.

The bike’s ECU is very cleanly mapped, making for smoother engine power all through the rev range, while optimising performance in terms of maximum power and torque.

The exhaust system comes from Italian exhaust legends, Arrow, and has twin chrome silencers.

The Caballero Deluxe 500 is built to the same technical specification as the 500 Scrambler, but with a new look that mixes urban and off-road bike.

It is indeed an elegant motorbike that blends scrambler and off-road style with the cool, urban world.

It’s perfect for those of us who like to enjoy a light off-road experience on a classy, but aggressive bike, that is also perfect for navigating city traffic.

You can contact Shane on 085 262 9423 for more details.

 Fantic bike insurance? Call our motorbike insurance specialists on 0818 945 950.