MV Agusta to revive Dakar legacy with adventure models

MV Agusta will reveal two new adventure models at the EICMA motorcycle show in Milan next week, with the Italian brand unveiling a new website dedicated to the bikes and the fan base it’s seeking to develop around them.

Dubbed the ‘Lucky Explorer Project’, which harks back to the Cagiva Elefants that won the Paris-Dakar Rally in 1990 and 1994 (and to a certain big tobacco company active in motorcycle sport sponsorship at the time!), the site features a countdown clock to the new models’ world premiere, and gives potential customers the opportunity to register for more information, including ‘special content’ related to the bikes and their rally raid heritage.

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Entering the motorcycle market in 1978, Cagiva acquired Ducati, Moto Morini and Husqvarna through the 1980s and then MV Agusta in 1992. MV Agusta was bought by Harley-Davidson in 2008, before being sold back to Claudio Castiglioni – the son of Cagiva’s original founder – in 2010. It’s a twisting tale of complex and convoluted corporate machinations, but in short the Cagiva and MV Agusta brands have been intertwined for decades, and Cagiva is currently owned by MV Agusta.

Cagiva was a strong competitor in the Paris-Dakar Rally from the mid-1980s to 1997, with Italian rally specialist, Edi Orioli, claiming victory in the gruelling event in 1990 and 1994 aboard a Cagiva Elefant powered by Ducati’s 900cc V-twin. Its Lucky Strike sponsorship was softened with a similarly styled ‘Lucky Explorer’ motif, which also featured on spin-off replica production models.

Now MV Agusta, which has been rapidly ramping up its operations and product portfolio under new Russian owner and CEO, Timur Sardarov, is seeking to tap into that Dakar winning spirit with two new adventure models, further broadening the marque’s product line-up.

“I am excited about the launch of this very special project,” said Sardarov.

“The Lucky Explorer concept is not just about bikes, it’s about a comprehensive world of emotions, memories, values and a way of being. A long-awaited return for all the fans of Made-in-Schiranna, but also a new beginning and a leap into the future: no matter where life takes us, we know where we’re from.”

Both of the new models will be available for pre-order from November 23. For more information head to www.luckyexplorerproject.com, and the accompanying @luckyexporer Instagram channel.