Elefant Sightings?

Any Cagiva Elefants out there? last saw one (With a Ducati Badge) on the floor of my local dealer about 12 years ago. Since then, no word or sightings, and I've gotten intrigued as I ponder upsizing my dualsport fleet. The dealer is long gone, so no help there.

I've got one, a '94 in a glorious mid-80's Buick shade of maroon. The color is the only thing I don't like about it. The local dealer wouldn't help if he was within a million miles. Ducati don't support it even if the dealer gave a damn. Fortunately there's a fine email list and lots of online resources. Good mechanics aren't hard to find, as it's basically a Monster motor with some modification to the rear of the case. Brake parts, etc. are just motorcycle parts. The only thing that is hard to find is plastic. And if you can't stand the color anyway...

I know where there is what could be considered a whole herd of them. Surprisingly, most actually even run.

But none are for sale, so I don't think it really helps you.


Gustavo

Thanks.. This post was driven by curiosity as much as any immediate plan to buy, so no need to lock your garage just yet. I just hadn't heard anything about themse bikes in years, and wondered how many were actually around. I guess that, much like the transalp and AT, this was a bike nobody wanted when they were available in the US. Silly people.

Well.... I am not sure it's the same. At least to me the issues with buying an Elefant (or Gran Canyon for that matter) were not the same as when considering a Transalp or TDM. The fear of being left with an "orphan" bike with the Italian bikes was real, and as it turned out, pretty well justified. It's not just that that specific model isn't imported anymore, the whole dealer network was (in some cases still is) non-existant.

Sure, some parts are interchangeable with Ducatis, but not all are, and until you had the list figured out, it was hard to find the right parts. Not to mention that if you needed soemthing that was bike specific, you were SOL, even if your buddy Luca was willing to comb the Italian countryside for those parts. And that's a real shame, because these were some of the best Adventure Touring bikes around at the time. Heck, I know a nicely modified Elefant 900 that would give a run for it's money to many of the newer bikes.

Just need to remember to check the oil more often than on a V-Strom...


Gustavo

Here is mine Pretty fun bike, just wish it had a better seat

You know I never knew what an Elefant was until one evening after riding the Uly on some of the most challenging, for me, off road adventures. I rode a grown over trail with a sand washout on a steep hill that I went down in and up out. Then I rode in a sand pit. I had to talk to the GM at the HD dealer I bought the Uly from and I parked the Uly out front. It was January on a Friday night just before closing and no one was in the store. I walked to the parts counter to see if they had a part I needed and then on the way back I stop to talk to John. I soon noticed three guys outside looking the Uly over. I ask John why he did not have a Uly on the floor and he tells me that the one they had left was at another store. We go outside and find out that these guys saw my Uly parked out and pulled off the highway to look at it. Just about the time the first of lookers drive off, here comes this twin headlight motorcycle that first looked like a Tiger, then I thought a Buell, then I realized I did not know what it was. The guy riding the Elefant explain the bike to me and he too saw the Uly out front of the dealer and pulled off the highway to look at the Uly. John and I were looking the Elefant over while he was looking the Uly over. Cool bike.

I had one, -97 750 with the "Lucky Explorer" paint. Sold it last year.
Really great bike. So fun to ride and easy to handle despite it´s size.
Much more fun than the AT, and better looks to.
Some days I wish I´d kept it.

I owned this 1995 Elefant from November 2003 to March 2006. It's living up around Telluride now with it's new owner...



Cool bikes the Elefants. I wish Ducati still built them.

I know a fellow strommer up here in Alaska that seems to ride his 'fant more than his wee....

yeah nice, the seat can be fixed.
great bikes

OTB? OTB to the white paging telephone!

This was what it looked like when I sold it.

I regretted selling it but then I regret selling every bike. A few months ago I got an email from the current owner with some pics. Here's what it looks like now.

Some old lady ran into him and he had to get the bike redone.

Jim.

Here's a couple of not so good pics of my '95 with the rear plastic off.






I read somewhere that they imported 100 in both 94 and 95. They are a great scooter, 75 lbs lighter than a GS. About the only thing that is hard to find is the plastic.


Duke

Wondered if the new owner of the yellow Fant is here in central coast Calif? A fellow down the road from me Im told had/has a yellow Fant that was crashed about 1 year ago, I hadent seen it however or run into the owner.

He lives around Santa Margarita.

That would be him. 2 doors down, sad as it is Ive never really met him. Round here I go days without seeing another person unless I go to town.

Go meet him. It's not like you live in the big city where people go for years avoiding their neighbors. Santa Margarita is not that big. Is it because he's a Police dog trainer that's intimidating?

Jim.

That would explain the yellow Ducati badged Elefant I saw getting off the Santa Margarita exit on my way to work one day... Sweet looking bike from what I could tell... That was about a year ago now I think...