They are something like the punks in the scooter business: Italjet doesn’t just build scooters, but completely crazy, technically complex icons of two-wheeler construction. Now they have presented the pinnacle of their own program: the Dragster 559 Twin. With two cylinders, four valves each and six-speed footshift.
This two-cylinder scooter comes as a surprise. The production model of the Dragster 500GP, which was presented as a concept in 2022, was actually expected to have a 43 hp single-cylinder engine. One thing the concept has in common with the Dragster 559 Twin now shown: a 6-speed footshift with slipper clutch and clutch lever on the handlebars, like on a motorcycle. The automatic deceleration when accelerating that is otherwise usual with scooters is no longer necessary. This exceptional phenomenon on a two-wheeler that sees itself as a scooter is what the Twin has with 58 hp and a maximum torque of 55 Nm at 6500 rpm. to do, which are drawn from 550 cc and sent by chain towards the rear wheel. The water-cooled in-line two-cylinder engine comes with water cooling, fuel injection, two overhead camshafts and four valves per cylinder. At 180 kilograms dry, the scooter is not a lightweight, but it should still be able to compete with many motorcycles. The frame and chassis of the 559 differ significantly from the dragster models. Variants with smaller displacement. Instead of the typical Italjet steering knuckle steering, there is a USD fork with twelve centimeters of travel for the front wheel, while the rear two-arm swing arm with top pull is kept in check by a horizontally mounted, adjustable central spring strut. Thanks to its 15-inch wheels with Pirelli Diablo tires and the two front 27 mm Brembo disc brakes in wave design, the large dragster could actually pass as a representative of the motorcycle world. By the way, the rear wheel is also braked using a foot lever instead of a hand lever. The dragster is scheduled to be sold from the end of 2024. Italjet has not yet announced a price. It will probably be well over 10,000 euros.
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