The Cagiva W8 was an enduro motorcycle produced from 1991 to 1995, with an air-cooled and cheaper version built until 1999. It was closely related to the K7 and Super City, but it used the engine of the Cagiva Mito and a more traditional enduro chassis.
Cagiva W8 at a glance
| Maker | Cagiva, Varese |
|---|---|
| Production | 1991–1995, cheaper version to 1999 |
| Capacity | 125 cc two-stroke |
| Engine | from the Cagiva Mito, six gears instead of seven |
| Carburettor | PHBH 28, against the VHSB 34 of the K7 and Super City |
| Exhaust | one expansion stub and one silencer |
| Forks | conventional, with rubber bellows on the legs |
| Swingarm | box-section, without the Super City’s reinforcing truss |
| Wheels | spoked |
| Mudguard | high |
There is no separate English or Italian article on the W8; the material comes from the section on it in the Italian article on the Cagiva W range.
History of the Cagiva W8
The W8 was produced from 1991 to 1995. It was very similar to the Cagiva K7 and Super City, but differed from its supermotard sister in many small details. The engine was the Mito unit, with six gears instead of seven and a PHBH 28 carburettor in place of the VHSB 34 of the K7 and Super City. Where the Super City’s expansion chamber ended in a stub that split in two to feed two silencers, the W8 had only one stub and one silencer. Other details that set it apart were conventional forks with rubber bellows over the legs, a box-section swingarm like the Super City’s but without its reinforcing truss, spoked wheels and a high front mudguard, while the rest of the bike was unchanged.
The cheaper version
A more economical version was produced until 1999 with an air-cooled cylinder head without an exhaust valve, a two-ring piston only, and a painted steel silencer in place of the original.
A project that came back
The W8 was the second life of the Aletta Rossa project: after the 125 two-stroke enduro of 1983 had stopped, the design returned under the W8 name with the addition of an exhaust valve, in keeping with the rest of the W range.
Design and features
- Mito engine: the 125 two-stroke of the sports model, with six rather than seven gears.
- Enduro chassis: spoked wheels, a high mudguard and conventional forks with bellows.
- Single silencer: one expansion stub and one silencer, unlike the Super City’s twin unit.
- Budget version: air cooling, a two-ring piston and a painted steel silencer until 1999.
- Family history: the enduro 125 line began with the Aletta Rossa and continued with the W range.
Cagiva W8 versions
- W8 125 (1991–1995): the original liquid-cooled enduro.
- Air-cooled W8 (to 1999): cheaper version without an exhaust valve.
The engine came from the Cagiva Mito, and the project began as the Cagiva Aletta Rossa. More Cagivas are in the Cagiva collection.
Sources
- Cagiva W, Italian Wikipedia: W8 versions, engine, chassis details
- Cagiva Aletta Rossa, Italian Wikipedia: the Aletta project revived as the W8
