Fantic built a line of trials motorcycles in 125, 200 and 300 cc, and trial was probably the discipline in which the Italian company from Barzago had its greatest international success. The firm won the trials world championship three times, in 1985, 1986 and 1988, and took seven wins at the Scottish Six Days Trial.
Fantic trial models at a glance
| Maker | Fantic Motor, Barzago, Italy |
|---|---|
| Type | trials motorcycles |
| Models | Trial 125, Trial 200, Trial 300 |
| World championship | 1985, 1986 and 1988 |
| Scottish Six Days Trial | seven wins |
| Period | 1970s and 1980s |
| Place in the range | beside the enduro and motard models |
| Later history | Barzago works suspended in 1997, brand revived from 2003 |
| Today | no trial model in the current range |
The trial models have no article of their own; this page is based on the history and model lists of the Italian and English articles on Fantic Motor.
History of the Fantic trial models
Trial as the company’s best field
Fantic’s activity expanded quickly into trial, the discipline in which the company from Barzago probably obtained its best results in international competition, with victories in all the main events, including the world championship, which it won three times: in 1985, 1986 and 1988. The English Wikipedia article sums up the same decade by saying that in the 1980s Fantic enjoyed success in the observed trials world championships, taking three titles as well as seven wins at the prestigious Scottish Six Days Trial.
The models
The production trial line is listed with three capacities, Trial 125, Trial 200 and Trial 300. Trial machines were sold alongside the enduro and motocross models of the same years, among them the Raider 125, the TZ series and the Motard Casa range, and the smaller-capacity trial bikes shared the market of Italian fourteen- and sixteen-year-olds with the Caballero and Chopper mopeds.
After Barzago
Work at Barzago was suspended in 1997. The brand was bought in 2003 and production restarted in 2006, first with off-road and supermotard motorcycles and then with a much wider range. Trial does not appear in the models that Fantic lists today, where the off-road side is covered by the XE, XEF, XX and XXF enduro and motocross machines and by the XEF Rally.
Design and features
- Three world titles: the trials world championship was won in 1985, 1986 and 1988.
- Scottish Six Days: seven wins in the prestigious Scottish Six Days Trial.
- Three capacities: Trial 125, Trial 200 and Trial 300 were the production models.
- Best discipline: trial gave Fantic probably its strongest international results.
- Not in today’s range: the revived company lists enduro, motocross and scramblers, but no trial model.
Fantic trial models versions
- Fantic Trial 125: the smallest of the production trials bikes.
- Fantic Trial 200: the middle model of the line.
- Fantic Trial 300: the largest-capacity trials machine listed.
The trial models were the racing side of the company whose best-known road model was the Caballero, and they shared the catalogue with the Chopper mopeds. More machines are in the Fantic collection.
Video: Trial Fantic 125 – Teo
Video on YouTube.
Sources
- Fantic Motor, Italian Wikipedia: trial activity, three world titles 1985-1988, model list
- Fantic Motor, English Wikipedia: observed trials titles, Scottish Six Days wins, past trial models, current range
