Fantic Caballero Rally 500
The Rally 500 is the most off-road oriented model yet from revitalized Fantic's Caballero family. Is the shap-dressed single geaded for the top?
Wetest the most off road-oriented bike of the Caballero range.
The timing was perfect. Having just enlivened an enjoyable morning's road blast with a few laps of a roundabout not far from Suffolk dealer Krazy Horse, where we'dborrowed the Caballero Rally 500, I'd pulled up to suggest to photographer Phil that we find somewhere to take the new Fantic off-road.
"Well, I just saw someone riding a motocross bike over there;' Phil replied, gesturing to a low hedge just offthe roundabout. Sure enough, on the other side of the foliage was a dirt track that seemed to be open to the public - short and narrow, but with a variety of sandy routes, and without a barrier or Keep Out sign in sight. A few minutes later I was bumping and occasionally jumping around it on the Fantic, which had required absolutely no fine-tuning before being ready to put its long-travel suspension and chunky tyres to good use.
That quick switch highlighted the versatility of the Rally 500, latest in Fantic's line of singles with the famous Caballero name. Readers of a certain age will remember the Fantic Caballero as one of the fastest and most exotic 50cc sports mopeds of the Seventies. Its slim style and red paintwork are echoed by the modern Caballero Scrambler, a retro -themed single that comes in 500, 250 and 125ccvarieties. So does the closely related Caballero FlatTrack, with its grey paint, cut -down seat and No.19 race plates.
Now they're joined by the
Caballero Rally,initially in 500cc capacity only. It shares the same engine, a liquid-cooled single cylinder unit made in China by Zongshen. The sohc, four-valve motor makes an unchanged 39bhp at 7500rpm, and breathes out through an Arrow exhaust that curves down and round in front of the engine before slanting up the bike's right side to a pair of slash-cut silencers.
The Rally is another striking model from Riccardo Chiosi, Fantic's design chief. As with the other Caballeros,
its neat, slightly retro shapes are backed up by a generally high level of finish and detailing . Triple clamps and footrest brackets are machined from billet aluminium; the exhaust has a carbon-fibre heat shield; and the round headlight contains a fistful of modem LEDs. Shame the compact digital speedo's built-in tacho and warning lights are hard to read, and the left handlebar's awkward dipswitch and indicator switch give unwelcome reminders of Italian electrics of decades ago.
The chrome-moly tubular steel frame, made across the border in nearby Slovenia, is also shared with the other 500s, as are parts including the Bybre brakes and wire-spoked wheels, which come in 19in front, 17in rear sizes. The swing-arm is a new aluminium item; tyres are Michelin's heavily treaded Anakee Wilds rather than the Scrambler 's smoother Anakee Adventures.
Biggest change is to the suspension: Spanish firm Olle's forks and shock give 200mm of travel at each end, 50mm more than the other models. The 43mm forks have compression and rebound damping adjustment, and the remote-reservoir shock can be tweaked for preload and rebound, in contrast to the other models' simpler units. The Rally also has a headlight protector, bash -plate and high -level front mudguard.
With a seat height of 860mm, the Rally sits 40mm taller than the other models, which won't help short riders. But it's slim and weighs just 150kg dry, so once the suspension compresses it will be easily manageable for most. And the Rally could hardly be simpler to ride. It fired quickly on the button, pulled away easily with help from a light clutch, and accelerated in lively fashion, accompanied by a restrained single-pot exhaust thud and occasional popping on the overrun.
Throttle response was crisp, and the bike's light weight me ant that its 39 horses, along with a reasonable spread of torque to the max of 43N m at 6000rpm, gave plenty of urge, provided I kept my left boot busy with the six-speed box. On main roads the Rally sat at an indicated 80mph with a bit to come, but with the blurred mirrors and slightly buzzy feel confirming that fast cruising is not this bike's forte.
Ride quality was excellent, though, as you'd expect with all that suspension travel. The springs at both ends are reasonably firm, but the Fantic glided over most road bumps, giving a respectably comfortable ride despite the fairly thin seat and upright, wind -blown riding position. For all-round use and occasional trips it'd be fine, with the shared 12-litre tank giving an adequate range of around 120 miles at the typical average of SOmpgor slightly better.
Naturall y, the Rally was happier on twisty back roads , where its light weight and wide handlebar helped
make it easy to throw around. Inevitably there was a bit of pitching due to that suspension. But the front end felt composed even under braking, when the four-piston radial Bybre caliper bit the 320mm wavy front disc with sufficient force to slow the lightweight Fantic rapidly. Even the chunky Anakee Wilds gripped well enough to allow spirited cornering.
And, of course ,the Rally's long legs and knobbly rubber justified their existence when I put the bike's off-road ability to the test. After a press of the button on the left bar had disabled th e ABS,the Scrambler was all set for an enjoyable time bouncing around the sandy circuit, its blend of controllable power delivery and light, capable chassis allowing a decent pace, although I was careful not to get carried away.
That caution was because I was conscious tha t the Rally was designed more for style than strength. The radiator and its shrouds look vulnerable in a spill, and the exhaust runs in front of the bash-plate, so gains zero benefit. Some crash protection would be a welcome addition, as accessories are not stand ard fitm ent. At least the pillion grab-handles would make the bike easy to pick up.
The Rally 500 isn't going to add to Fantic's list of off-road championsh ip wins any time soon, but provid ed you don't expect too much you're unlikely to be disappoint ed. It certainl y add s to the Caballero family's off-road potential, without detracting too much from the roadgoing ability that has earned the Scrambler 500, in particular, much prai se.
For man y rider s in this market its most significant drawback might be its price of £6999, which is £600 - or almost 10 per cent - more expensive than the other two Caballero 500 models . If you're planning to stick to Tarm ac, the Scrambler or FlatTra ck would be not just cheaper, but better suited with their lower seats, reduced suspension travel and grippier rubber .
Despite that , Fantic have produced another cleverly targ etted model, and there seems little reason to be put off by its engin e's Chin ese origin . The Rally 500 certainly add s its distin ctive look and extr a versatility to this latest chapter in the Fantic Caballero story. For stylish and sensibly priced fun on smooth roads and lumpy off-road tracks alike, there can't be man y bikes to match it.