Fantic launch fresh Caballero 500 retro range for 2025 with new Italian MM460 engine

Boutique Italian brand Fantic Motor have launched a new line of Caballero 500 retros for 2025, featuring a fresh engine designed and developed in Bologna.

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The previous Caballero family made use of a 449cc single, built in China by Zongshen, but this has now been shelved in favour of a Euro5+ 463cc alternative, produced by Italian firm Motori Minarelli.

Called the MM460, the fuel injected DOHC single produces an A2 licence friendly 44.4bhp at 8000rpm, and 31.3lb.ft of torque at 7000rpm.

Housed in a shared tubular steel frame, these performance figures are also found across all three flavours of Caballero 500, which now consist of the Scrambler, Rally, and Deluxe.  

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Complementing the new motor is a redesigned intake and exhaust system by Arrow, new engine maps, and even a ride-by-wire throttle to allow for multiple riding modes.

Lean sensitive cornering ABS is also available alongside traction control, with LED lighting featuring at both the front and rear end.

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All three bikes are fed via a 12-litre fuel tank and are said to weigh 150kg dry. Both the Scrambler and Deluxe also benefit from a manageable 820mm seat height as standard (840mm optional), with the more rugged Rally version sitting higher at 860mm.

The Rally also sticks out in the wheel department, with a 21in front and 17in rear for more off-road ability. Instead, the other models use a 19in front and 17in rear combination – with 150mm of suspension travel at each end for road use (the Rally gets 200mm).

Sticking with the off-road variant, the upside-down forks are 2mm thicker at 43mm, with full adjustment at the front and rear. The Scrambler and Deluxe get only rebound adjustment at the rear, instead.  

Elsewhere, all three get spoked aluminium rims, and an LCD dash, with prices and availability still to be confirmed.