A guinea pig?

Of course it is a Cagiva Ala Verde. Cagiva – the name is a contraction of Castiglioni Giovanni Varese – is a well-known Italian brand that has existed since the 1950s, founded by Giovanni Castiglioni. Originally, the company produced metal parts such as buckles and hardware. Only much later would motorcycles like the Cagiva Ala Verde make the brand internationally known.

In October 1979, Cagiva acquired the AMF Harley-Davidson factory in Schiranna (Varese). This factory provided the ideal base for the Castiglioni brothers to produce motorcycles. This had been the case since 1980, with a range of eight models, consisting of two- and four-stroke motorcycles with engine displacements ranging from 125 to 350 cc. The motorcycles were sold under the name Harley-Davidson-Cagiva.

In the early 1980s, Cagiva was the only Italian manufacturer that managed to resist the invasion of Japanese brands by using new technologies and introducing innovative machines. Cagiva's product range included motocross, enduro, and road-legal models. In its home country, Cagiva was the market leader in the lightweight motorcycle segment. Under the leadership of sons Claudio and Gianfranco, the company grew through the acquisition of brands such as Ducati, Husqvarna, and MV Agusta.

Cagiva rose to fame through clever technical solutions and racing, the kind of activity you can never pump too much money into. If the accountant approaches management to raise the issue of the costs of all those races, he's fired or eliminated. Yet, in the sporting arena, Cagiva achieved major victories. On the track, Cagiva was also a title contender, with legendary drivers like Randy Mamola, Eddy Lawson, and John Kocinski. In total, Cagiva won more than ten GP-500 races and finished third in the 1994 World Championship. Oh yes: in 2012, the curtain fell.

And this story is about a Cagiva without any star trappings. A simple, inexpensive motorcycle that was affordable for the public and that simply earned the factory money. Our model is a Cagiva Green Wing 250.

The allroad Elefant became one of Cagiva's most successful models. But there were also models that remained under the radar north of Italy.

And the 250cc two-stroke, now somewhat fashionably presented as a 'naked bike' in the photos, was one of them. This basic two-stroke was still called (sort of) Harley-Davidson SS 250 and had a virtually identical 350 cc sibling. The machine belonged to the series of two-stroke motorcycles built from the early 1970s onward. The basic design of the 250 and 350 cc machines was attributed to Yamaha, which is certainly not the worst source an Italian motorcycle manufacturer can have.

But environmental regulations were already pushing two-stroke engines out of the picture. And in our country, the motorcycles were still seen as "overpriced, elegant Jawas." Some of the 350 cc versions were sold here. The (250 and 350 cc) models offered in Italy are often visually neat to beautiful. A quick excursion to Italian sales sites like Immediately U.S.

A conclusion

In fact, the value story is irrelevant. After all, you're looking for and buying a classic car that you like. And then it's a treat for your wallet if you have such a big moped like a Cagiva Ala Verde likes it. Right?

And that elephant in Cagiva's logo?

Giovanni Castiglioni chose the elephant as a lucky charm for Cagiva because of almost all the good things attributed to those trunk-bearers.