Fantic 2027 news: Imola, Caballero and XXF250 EVO

Fantic is also opening a new chapter on the technical side. With Fantic Racing Suspension (FRS), the manufacturer is presenting its first fully in-house developed suspension family, which will be used in several road and off-road models going forward. At the same time, following the completion of its restructuring, the company has announced the merger of Fantic Motor and Motori Minarelli under the name Fantic S.p.A.

With the Fantic Imola 500 and Imola 125, the Italian manufacturer is presenting two fully faired sports bikes in their final production configuration. Both models were developed in Italy and are built at the Motori Minarelli plant in Calderara di Reno. The Imola name is a tribute to the historic race track located around 50 kilometres from the production site. The Imola expands Fantic's Street range with a sport-oriented model family. The concept combines a layout designed for race track use with features that also take road riding into account.

The Imola 500 is powered by the MM460 single developed by Motori Minarelli, displacing 463 cc. The liquid-cooled four-stroke features double overhead camshafts, four valves, finger followers and Euro 5+ homologation. Compared to the Fantic Stealth 500, the Imola gets its own airbox, a revised exhaust header and a new racing piston. These changes are designed to provide smoother power delivery and eager revving up to 10,500 rpm. Output is said to be close to the limit of the A2 licence class. Fantic does not state a specific horsepower figure in the press release. Features include electronic fuel injection with a 46 mm ride-by-wire throttle body, a six-speed gearbox and an anti-hopping clutch. The Imola 125, on the other hand, uses the familiar 125 cc Minarelli four-stroke engine with electronic fuel injection, VVA variable valve actuation and likewise an anti-hopping clutch.

For the chassis, Fantic relies on a hybrid construction consisting of a front steel trellis frame, forged aluminium side plates and a removable subframe. The aluminium swingarm features additional lower bracing. To centralise mass, components such as the fuel tank and the exhaust system were positioned accordingly. The exhaust's expansion chamber sits low in the bike, while the silencer is mounted high and kept comparatively light. The Imola 500 comes as standard with the new FRS racing suspension components. These include a fully adjustable 43 mm TRACK43 upside-down fork with 130 mm of travel and the likewise fully adjustable TRACK14 shock. Rear ride height can also be altered via the shock length. The Imola 125 uses its own suspension setup. The rear shock offers adjustable spring preload. The braking system comes from ByBre and combines a 320 mm disc with a radially mounted caliper at the front and a 230 mm disc at the rear. The 17-inch aluminium wheels are shod with Pirelli Diablo Rosso IV in sizes 110/70-17 and 150/60-17. As for weight, Fantic quotes 150 kg for the Imola 500 and a dry weight of 130 kg for the Imola 125. The manufacturer thus describes both bikes as particularly light within their respective classes.

The Imola 500 features an inertial measurement unit (IMU), enabling lean-sensitive dual-channel ABS and traction control. ABS can be deactivated at the rear wheel. Four riding modes are available: Street, Wet, Track and Custom. They combine the two engine maps FUN and WET with different traction control and ABS settings. The Imola 125 offers Street and Track modes. It has one engine map, while cornering ABS is available as an option.

Both models get a 5-inch TFT display, a USB-C port, LED indicators and a full-LED twin headlight. The full fairing was developed in the wind tunnel. The sporty riding position is supported by clip-ons mounted separately from the upper triple clamp. These can be positioned to suit the rider's preferences. Tank and seat are designed to allow freedom of movement during sporty riding. Two colour options are available: Factory White in the traditional Fantic colours of white, red and blue, and Racing Black, which picks up the livery of the Moto2 race team.

Both sports bikes are set to be available through the Fantic dealer network from May 2027.

The prices quoted include Italian VAT. Prices for Austria and Germany were not given in the press release.

With Fantic Racing Suspension (FRS), the manufacturer is presenting its own family of racing suspension components for the first time. Development, design and technical tuning are carried out entirely at Fantic. The components are intended to bring suspension technology from the racing aftermarket to production bikes with small and mid-sized displacements. Different configurations are offered for supersports, scramblers, supermotos and enduros. Three fork variants form the basis of the new system:

All fork variants have 43 mm stanchions. On the correspondingly equipped versions, compression and rebound are adjustable with 22 clicks each, as is spring preload.

They are joined by the TRACK14, TRAIL14 and TR14 shocks. Depending on the version, they offer adjustment for compression, high-speed compression, rebound and spring preload. On the TRACK14, shock length can also be altered. The fully adjustable variants offer 24 clicks of compression, three turns of high-speed compression and 16 clicks of rebound. The FRS components will initially be used on the Imola 500, Caballero 500 Supermoto, Caballero Rally and selected Enduro and Motard models. Further applications are set to follow.

With the Caballero 500 Supermoto, Fantic expands its line-up with a more road-oriented variant of the familiar Caballero concept. Unlike classic supermotos with pure road wheels, Fantic sticks with the distinctive look of the Caballero family. This includes the high-mounted front mudguard, the round LED headlight and a slim overall design.

The new supermoto is powered by Motori Minarelli's MM460 single. The engine features double overhead camshafts, a revised, lighter piston, ride-by-wire and an anti-hopping clutch. In this configuration, the engine produces 45 hp. According to Fantic, the setup is designed to combine strong torque in the low and mid-range with revvy power delivery. The chassis is based on the Caballero 500's steel central-tube frame. New are the fully adjustable FRS components in TRAIL configuration with 200 mm of travel. One special feature remains the wheel combination of 19 inches at the front and 17 inches at the rear. The Caballero 500 Supermoto runs on Metzeler Tourance Next 2 tyres. The braking system uses a 320 mm disc at the front and a 230 mm disc at the rear. Weight without fuel is 150 kg, and seat height is 860 mm.

The Caballero 500 Supermoto gets an IMU, lean-sensitive ABS with a disable function, traction control and its own engine maps. According to Fantic, the riding position remains comparatively natural and upright. This is intended to make the new supermoto suitable both for city traffic and for twisty mountain roads. Visually, the model comes in the Factory White colour scheme with white, red and blue elements, inspired by Fantic's factory race bikes. The Caballero 500 Supermoto is set to be available in Italy from April 2027 for 7,290 euros. The price includes VAT.

The rest of the Caballero family also receives several updates for 2027. With the Caballero 500 Rally Legend, Fantic presents a variant reminiscent of the brand's historic off-road models. Technical features include a 21-inch front wheel, Pirelli Scorpion Rally STR tyres, FRS suspension tuned for off-road use and correspondingly generous ground clearance. Additional protective components such as a bash plate and a headlight grille underline its off-road intent. The new Red Rally Legend colour scheme is also offered for the Caballero Rally 125. Italian prices remain unchanged compared to the previous Rally models:

Alongside the Rally Legend, Fantic is expanding the colour range of the Caballero line-up. The Sunset White colour scheme, inspired by Californian surf culture, will in future be offered for the Caballero 125, 500 and 700. The Caballero 500 Scrambler additionally gets the Midnight Violet colour. The dark violet shade is intended to give the scrambler a distinctive look.

Another new development concerns the Caballero 700. Fantic is announcing an A2-homologated version, aimed at riders holding the corresponding entry-level licence. To achieve this, the familiar 689 cc parallel twin is restricted to the legally mandated power limit of 35 kW. The Caballero 700 is thus intended to make its on-road and off-road capabilities accessible to A2 licence holders as well.

In the off-road segment, Fantic presents the XXF250 EVO, the first model of the new Evolution Series. Behind this concept lies a changed model strategy: technical innovations will no longer be tied exclusively to an annual model change, but introduced as soon as, in the manufacturer's view, they deliver a genuine performance gain. To that end, the XXF250 EVO receives a new engine, a hydraulic clutch, a revised frame and new suspension settings. Several solutions are borrowed from the larger XXF450.

The revised 250 cc four-stroke single was designed for stronger power delivery at high revs. This includes finger followers from the superbike world, a revised intake and a modified airbox. According to Fantic, both power and torque have been improved across the entire usable rev range. The rev limit has also been raised. New is the hydraulically actuated clutch with a diaphragm spring, used instead of conventional coil springs. The clutch basket and primary drive gear form an integrated steel construction. This solution is intended to provide consistent modulation even under heavy load, without the need for adjustment during racing. The Akrapovič exhaust system remains standard.

The aluminium perimeter frame was further developed on the basis of the XXF450. Changes include a revised frame structure, a narrower front frame section and new engine mounts. For the suspension, Fantic continues to rely on KYB. Up front, a 48 mm SSS (Speed Sensitive System) fork with a new setup does the work. At the rear, a revised shock with manually adjustable low-speed compression is used. The rear brake system has also been made lighter to reduce unsprung mass.

Engine management is handled by an Athena GET unit. Different engine maps can be selected directly from the handlebar. Features also include traction control and launch control. Via the WiGET app, the maps and electronic control systems can be individually adjusted. Slimmer bodywork is intended to allow more freedom of movement on the bike. Fantic quotes a wet weight of 101 kg. The XXF250 EVO gets its own variant of the Fantic Racing graphics. The Italian retail price is 10,890 euros including VAT.

The smaller off-road and supermoto models are also being revised for the coming season. The Fantic Enduro and Motard 50 and 125 receive new colour options and, in the Competition versions, the new FRS suspension components. These comprise a TR43 upside-down fork with 260 mm of travel and the TR14 shock. On the 125 Competition models, the FRS components are fully adjustable. On the 50 models, the fork is non-adjustable as standard, with an adjustment option offered as an accessory. The shock allows adjustment of spring preload and rebound. In addition, the Competition versions receive several anodised parts. These include brake fluid reservoir covers, heel guards, triple clamps, front sprocket cover, rear sprocket and handlebar. The engines remain the familiar units: the Minarelli 50 cc two-stroke and the Minarelli 125 cc four-stroke with VVA variable valve actuation. The 125s feature dual-channel ABS that can be deactivated for off-road use.

Both model families are available in the Factory White and Acid Black colour schemes. Factory White is based on the colours of Fantic's factory bikes from the 2026 season. Acid Black combines dark base colours with accents in light pink and green. Italian prices for the new Enduro and Motard models are as follows:

Alongside the new products, Fantic also offers a glimpse into the company's further development. According to the manufacturer, it has completed its industrial restructuring and realignment. As the next step, Fantic announces the merger of Fantic Motor and Motori Minarelli into a new company named Fantic S.p.A. The aim is to bundle expertise in motorcycle development, engine production and manufacturing under one corporate roof.