The Fantic Caballero is the model that made the small Italian firm from Barzago famous. Launched at the end of the 1960s as a 49 cc moped with a regularità set-up, it was one of the machines most coveted by Italian fourteen-year-olds, and its name was revived twice, first in 2009 and again for the scrambler range presented in 2016.
Fantic Caballero at a glance
| Maker | Fantic Motor, Barzago, Italy |
|---|---|
| Presented | late 1960s |
| Engine at launch | 49 cc two-stroke, built by Motori Minarelli of Bologna |
| Gearbox | four speeds, or six speeds in the second version |
| Set-up | regularità, the on/off-road style of the period |
| Name | from the Dutch cigarette brand smoked by co-founder Henry Keppel Hesselink |
| 1978 series | TX 160 and TX 190 with a red frame |
| Revival | 2003 brand purchase, production from 2006 |
| 2009 model | 200 cc four-stroke |
| 2011 model | 300 cc two-stroke with a Gas Gas engine and trellis frame |
| 2017 range | 125, 250 and 500 cc, Scrambler and Flat Track |
| 2022 model | 700 cc, Yamaha CP2 twin |
The Caballero has no article on English Wikipedia; the Italian page on the model is the main source, together with the manufacturer articles in Italian and English.
History of the Fantic Caballero
The original Caballero
The Caballero was presented at the end of the 1960s and became the model that left the deepest mark on Fantic’s production. It used the classic 49 cc two-stroke engine made by Motori Minarelli of Bologna and was sold in two versions: one with the usual four-speed gearbox and one with a six-speed gearbox, a novelty in Italy at the time. Its advertising was memorable and featured well-known names from motorcycle sport and beyond, among them Jarno Saarinen, Mike Hailwood and Sandro Mazzola. The name came from the Dutch cigarette brand of the same name, smoked by Henry Keppel Hesselink, one of the two founders.
The TX series
The Caballero evolved mostly through the experience Fantic gained in enduro, then still called regularità, at races all over Europe. In 1978 the TX 94 and TX 96 models of the series, with grey frames, gave way to the TX 160, a competition model registered as a motorcycle, and the TX 190, the “codice” models delivered with a librettino; both were easily recognised by their red frames. A 125 cc Caballero was also built for on/off-road use, aimed at a different part of the market, and the TZ 50, 125, 150 and 300 enduro models were sold under the Caballero name as well. Fantic also offered larger-engined versions of the Caballero and Chopper for licensed sixteen-year-olds, but they never repeated the success of the small machines; the 1982 Strada 125 did better.
The revival
After the Barzago works were suspended in 1997, the Fantic Motor brand was bought in 2003 by the Venetian industrialist Federico Fregnan, and production restarted in 2006 near Treviso with off-road and supermotard bikes, bringing back the historic Caballero name. In 2009 Fantic presented a new Caballero with a 200 cc four-stroke engine, and in 2011 a 300 cc two-stroke with a Gas Gas engine and a trellis frame. At the Milan show in November 2016 the company showed the next Caballero, to be built in 125, 250 and 500 cc and in two versions, Scrambler and Flat Track. In November 2022 came the Caballero 700, powered by Yamaha’s CP2 twin with cornering ABS, traction control and three riding modes for road, off-road and mixed use.
Design and features
- Minarelli two-stroke: the 49 cc engine built in Bologna gave the Caballero a reliable and tunable basis.
- Four or six speeds: the six-speed gearbox was a novelty for Italian mopeds when the model appeared.
- Star advertising: campaigns used Jarno Saarinen, Mike Hailwood and Sandro Mazzola.
- Racing development: the TX enduro series carried lessons from European regularità events.
- Modern scrambler: the 2017 range returned to the original idea with 125, 250 and 500 cc Scrambler and Flat Track models.
Fantic Caballero versions
- Caballero 49 (late 1960s): the original moped, with a four-speed or a six-speed gearbox.
- Caballero 125: the on/off-road version for a different market sector.
- TX 160 and TX 190 (1978): competition and “codice” models with red frames.
- TZ 50, 125, 150 and 300: enduro models also sold under the Caballero name.
- Caballero 200 (2009) and 300 (2011): the first models of the revived range, the second with a Gas Gas engine.
- Caballero 125, 500 and 700: the 2017 Scrambler and Flat Track family, joined by the 700 with the Yamaha CP2 twin in 2022.
The Caballero was the model on which the Chopper was built, and the company’s racing reputation came from its trial models. More machines are in the Fantic collection.
Video: Sound Fantic Caballero 50 2012
Video on YouTube.
Sources
- Fantic Motor Caballero, Italian Wikipedia: launch, engine, gearboxes, advertising, TX series, revival models
- Fantic Motor, Italian Wikipedia: company history, 2009 to 2022 models
- Fantic Motor, English Wikipedia: 125 cc version, current and past model lists
