Bike Consideration : 2007 Cagiva Mito

I have always had a liking for Ducati 916- and when I saw an advert for its younger sibling ie Cagiva Mito on Mudah, it was a recollection of the love that I had for Massimo Tamburini's macho and ever-green design of a superbike era lost in today's re-interpretations. I made an appointment to see the bike vide its owner, AM and after a few calls (no thanks to the Garmin which couldn't locate that part of town in Cheras), I finally found the place.

With the monies tucked safely in my pockets, I introduced myself and was given the permission to see the classic red Mito. This bike was assembled by Mofaz Motorcycles Sdn Bhd in 2007 and represented one of the last batch of 300 Mitos that were still with the legendary 2-stroke engine. It was selling at RM19k when new, which was a pretty high price then when one considers that the more technological-advanced inline-four Kawasaki ZXR250 could be purchased at just north of that price.

Turned on the bike, the power valve checked (two distinctive Zzzzz Zzzzz sounds) and the bike roared to live. It was a rough 2-stroke engine sound, very unlike the parallel-twin and inline-four engines that I was used to); and much referred as a lawnmover engine (same 2-stroke type) on the Net.

It was a concealed space and we were soon enveloped by thick white smoke so we have to kill the engine quickly. I asked if we could have the bike in the open space so that I could check the bike better, and AM agreed.

Out in the sun, the age of the bike showed as per the following :

1) The front lenses were blurred and had condensation marks, but these could be settled by polish, I believed. -I can live with that, my heart whispered.

2) The right indicator was broken and kept in place with scotch tape, but I could get a replacement indicator for RM120 at Mofaz. -I can live with that, my heart whispered.

3) One of the counter casings were broken, but I could hunt for a replacement off eBay. -I can live with that, my heart whispered.

4) The banana swingarm had a relatively deep, sharp cut into its metal, which AM explained was due to parking woes. -I can live with that, my heart whispered.

5) There was discolouration but it was after all almost 7-years old, so that was to be expected. I was planning to update its paint scheme to the latest Ducati scheme anyway. -I can live with that, my heart whispered.

Pursuant to the test-ride, some warning bells started to ring as per the following :

6) The oil warning light was on throughout the test-ride. AM informed me that he had serviced the bike a month ago. A check in the 2T tank revealed that there was very little 2T oil left. AM wasn't sure what type of oil was it using as he had been planning to sell the bike for a long while, so he wasn't too concerned about the maintenance. There would be air mixed with the remaining oil for sure, and I could top-up the oil but there was going to be concerns on how low the oil had been during rides and that could lead to the engine seizing as there would be no oil when the bike was leaning into corners.

7) The clutch had too much freeplay. It was not the adjustable type, so the freeplay would need some rectification works.

8) The gear change was not very smooth. That could be due to the clutch having too much freeplay- and I couldn't find the neutral gear easily. However, the evasive neutral gear was a common problem for the Mito given its racing pedigree.

9) The handling was not what I expected from the nimble Mito run-about. I checked at its tires and they were hardened over the years since 2007. A change of tires would be necessary to ensure a safe ride.

I called Mofaz to check if I could send the Mito for them to assess its overall conditions and was attended by a very nice mechanic called Ravin. He explained that the service centre was not taking in any Cagiva bikes for servicing as they were in the midst of shifting from Sungai Penchala to Puncak Alam, and would only re-open for business in 2 months' time. However, he spent a good 15 mins at least explaining about the bike and the likely maintenance necessary to put it back to shape.

As the mileage was recorded at 9,200 km, he told me to set aside RM1,500 for a top-overhaul that Mitos generally require by 10,000 km. This would include the pistons, rings, oil change, etc. The centre carried most normal wear-and-tear items, but any bigger repair items would need to be ordered from MV Augusta/Cagiva from Italy; so I was informed to expect the pricing of any items to be similar to maintaining a Japanese 600cc superbikes.

To put the bike into dependable shape, he told me that I should change the tires as these would have hardened substantially. Right again! This man knew what he was talking about indeed. Last but not least, I asked him how much should I offer for a Mito of such condition; but he was unable to put a price down without checking the bike in details. However, he estimated a 2007 Mito to be worth app RM7,000 ono, which AM was willing to part with the bike for RM7,500.

Cost of entry for the Mito was thus estimated as : RM7,500 (purchase) + RM1,500 (top-overhaul) + RM900 (medium-level tires) + RM120 (indicator light) + RM100 (counter cover) + RM1,000 (misc works including clutch) = RM10,220.

Top-up a bit more and you could get for yourself a decent Japanese 250cc (Kawasaki Ninja 250R, and Honda CBR 250) from recent years, or the Naza-repackaged Hyosung 650R.

Given that the maintenance and parts would be a bit of a hassle, I guess I would be better off sticking to a more recent bike using the more environmental-friendly 4-stroke technology. Guess I'll be marvelling at the Mito from afar still.

Forsaken, but not forgotten. The myth of the Mito. 

Update : Pursuant to the post, I saw that another Cagiva Mito has been placed on the market. This one was also a Mofaz-assembled Mito from 2008 with 10k km mileage, with an asking price of RM6,500 negotiable. I am wondering if this particular example has  gone through the top-overhaul; if it has indeed done that and the price could be negotiated to RM6,000, this could just be the best Mito buy for the immediate period.

Ride safe, mates!