World's rarest adventure bike?

I have finally got me an adventure bike 😁 In this video I am presenting my new bike and share some of my plans.
00:00 Getting my bike
00:51 Presenting the Elefant
03:27 The first improvements
08:59 Fork air pressure?
10:07 The rear fender mystery
14:24 Upcoming tasks
Music (the last one very suitable 😋):
Snack Time - The Green Orbs
Studio 2020 - Quincas Moreira
Gently, Onwards - ELPHNT
#motorcycle #cagiva #adventurebike

[@user-ih5kn2ht9y]

I look forward to seeing your build. I'm not finished already, I can send photos but I don't know how

[@kihestad]

No worries, gl with your project 👍😊

[@michaeldobson8859]

An air valve on a fork tube adds preload and progressive springing on the front suspension.

[@kihestad]

Thanks! ☺️ My guessing was not completely wrong then, but you explained it much better! Learning every day 🙂

[@briangc1972]

It has more effect on the progressiveness at the end of the stroke. The effect on preload is minimal and not likely to be noticed. The main advantage of it is that the excessive pressure created when riding rough terrain can be released. I had the same feature on a Husaberg. It was great to be able to release pressure when riding in the desert. The mornings would be cool and as the day got hotter and the terrain heated the oil in the shock, the pressure would rise considerably. I would bleed out the excessive pressure every 30 to 45 minutes. That kept the fork performance more consistent and plush.

[@user-ih5kn2ht9y]

Mine 750 is the monofaro and it is hasn’t

[@robertboyle5185]

Hi lovely bike .There is a site on you tube called Harry,s garage it’s based in England and in his garage he has lots of Dakar bikes and I’m sure he also has an Elephant I’m sure he could help as he is very experienced and also knows how to source parts for all models good luck 😜👍

[@kihestad]

Yes, I have seen a couple of car videos there. Did not know he was into Dakar bikes, thanks for the tips 👍

[@Ian-bq7gp]

You have great taste in bikes. What a bike. Top man.

[@kihestad]

Thanks 😊 I've only had old japanese motorcycles (Honda/Yamaha) before this one, that have also been great - but this one is a bit greater 😁😁😁

[@michaeldobson8859]

Your procedure was incorrect in the reassembly of the fork tubes after you adjusted the proper drop / position of the fork tubes in the clamps. You should always install the axle and wheel or at least the axle and tighten it down in place prior to retightening the triple clamp bolts lower and upper. This way the front forks and axles will be properly aligned and not stress the fork tube bushings and seals. Very important.

[@kihestad]

Ahh, this really makes sense. Never thought about it. Will definitely redo it. Thanks for your tips!!! 👍👍👍

[@berthebike]

Nice looking bike < i have a lucky strike in my garage , unfortunately a wreck but I will fix it when I have the time . I can make you a foto from the rear if you want . Happy spannering !

[@kihestad]

Thanks for the offer, but another user has already sent me pictures from his bike, so I know now how it all should be. I have actually made a follow-up video where I fix a custom 'lid' on my tear fender, under the luggage rack. Thanks anyway 😊 and good luck fixing your lucky strike, it's s fantastic bike!

[@NomHeads]

Lovely bike you bought there! 👌

[@kihestad]

Thank you! I agree, they really know design in Italy! 😊

[@tshansen]

Welcome to the Adventure family mate 👏🏻 it looks really nice and I can't wait to see how you transform it to the better. It is all in the details. There is so many good soft bag options for this bike, but you may need a exhaust heat shield so it don't touch the bags. I would recommend to get wider fotpegs as well. And you need a set of handguars. You should se if you find someone who looks old and retro, not like the new stile, I think this will mess up the overall look. Nice to see you behind the camera again 👏🏻 Love the way you edit your videos. 🔥

[@kihestad]

Thanks, it's great to be part of the adv-family 😁 Thanks for the tips, I have already ordered new fotpegs but I am not sure if I bought big ones... 😬 I need all the advices I can get, be prepared for a session soon!!!

[@hallatuuli]

Nice to see content about Cagiva Elefant on KZbin! I have one myself, a blue 750 from 1996

[@kihestad]

Glad to hear it! i searched quite a lot on KZbin myself before i bought it, trying to find some info or experience from other, but did not find much. I will do my best to fix that 😊 Are you happy with your bike? Have you had it for long?

[@hallatuuli]

@@kihestad I bought it last summer. Very nice bike to ride gravel roads. Please don’t try too serious off roading, bash plate is paper thin and exhaust pipe and oil filter are very exposed. I hit a rock with mine and got dent in exhaust pipe :(. I’m going to change belts and do valve clearance check this winter and some other things. Rear shock also needs some caring. I wonder if it is possible to take apart? Foot pegs could be little bigger. Clutch is quite heavy and front brake is quite low on stopping power. @NiceIce36 is a good channel that has many videos about Elefant 750. Too bad it is in german language I also have Ducati ST3 from 2005

[@kihestad]

@@hallatuuli Yes, I have thought about the same. I saw the exhaust has burned a hole in the plastic bash plate on my bike - it has probably been bent upwards. I am considering changing it to metal, not sure yet. Thanks for the warning! 😊 On my bike the rear shocks are adjustable Öhlins, they are at least serviceble. Not sure if it is the same on yours. I will change to bigger foot pegs, and I also consider lowering them. They are a bit high, and I have not planned to drive over rivers 😋 Your bike is 28 years old, mine is 32 - cannot expect everything to be perfect, but anything can be improved. Thanks a lot for the feedback, will check out the channel - I think I have seen it, I struggle with the German language as well 😋

[@jontangenes9275]

@@hallatuuli Funny, I hav an blue Elefant 750 from 96, and a Ducati ST-2 from 97

[@RyansGarageUK]

Hi KI, Cool Bike. I like this style of bike and i have considered performing light modifications to my Honda Transalp XL-700 to make it more "Adventurous" but at the moment it's used mostly on the roads. I'm looking forward to following your progress.

[@kihestad]

Thanks Ryan 😊 I will be fitting 50/50 road/off-road tires, larger fotpegs, hand guards and probably more - to get it more adventurous as you say 🙂 Let me know if you ever take a trip overseas with the Transalp, we could meet up!

[@piotrkoller3570]

Hi. I'm from Poland and I've h Got elefant 650 from 1987. Many elements are similar to 750. Bought it in may , about month I been finish repair and conservation and start riding. Your cagiva is in good condition. Greetings

[@kihestad]

Hi, that is great to hear 👍 These bikes are getting very rare, glad to hear you are taking care of yours! I will start improving mine soon, hope to get it in good shape until next mc season starts here in Norway 😊

[@thebrokenbone]

long time ago three friends traveled a lot on their bikes, a chubby one owner of a cagiva elefant, another owner of a bmw r60 (60's) and me in a really beat up yam xt600. we came to the conclusion that the name had something to do with the size of the problems and one day we made him mad when we showed up with "cagiva rescue team" printed on our shirts. joking aside once the problems,mostly caused by a mix of previous owner and bad practices, were solved it run like the mighty beast it was supposed to be. he sold it shortly thereafters and bought a harley. we never spoke to him fat bastard. you'll love this bike.

[@kihestad]

Hahaha, what a great story!!! 🤣😅😂 I liked the bike first time I saw it in pictures, and I like it more and more - for each visit to the garage! Getting to know other owners makes it even more fun, everyone want to help or share their experiences. I have had several bikes, but none of them has given as much joy as this one has - and I have not even tried it properly yet 😂

[@thebrokenbone]

@@kihestad oh you wouldn't believe how fast this bike went on gravel roads, nimble, powerful but sweet it felt intimidating to me knowing it was a v engine and apparent size but some km on it and it was natural. and on tarmac you could ride a continent feeling fresh. hope you make some great memories with it :) oh some of the problems i had with the "owner" was he sold it before letting us know he was selling it gggrrrh dam...

[@kihestad]

@@thebrokenbone ahh, that sound very promising. Will put on new tires suitable for light off-road driving, can't wait to get on it, but it's still winter here - have to wait a couple of months 🥴

[@WalterBorman]

Saludos desde Argentina 🇦🇷 Cagiva Lucky Explorer 900 ie 💪💪💪

[@kihestad]

Greetings! 😊 Ahh, I wish I had a 900ie 😋

[@ivankrasimiroff]

World rarest 🤣🤣🤣 In 80s Cagiva was the biggest motorcycle producer in the world :) I have one rare adventure bike from 80s - Laverda Atlas - this is rare with 400 produced.

[@kihestad]

I have not even heard of that one..

[@ozankiraz68]

Good luck with finding parts ;) still trying to put mine (Cagiva W12 Military) together after 1 year :D You can find parts and guides for ducati bikes had same engine, rest will be from forums, facebook groups, ebay italy etc.

[@kihestad]

Yea, I believe you! I guess patience and creativity comes handy 🥴

[@jontangenes9275]

I think that the rear blinkers and the tailight is for the newer B-model.

[@kihestad]

Yes, you are correct. The whole rear fender is from the newer model. I have decided to just keep it 😊

[@alanjm1234]

I had that bike. On mine the seat was black, as was the top of the fuel tank. From memory: Braided steel hose on the front brake is a necessary mod. After that the brakes are great though. Mine was jetted very lean, probably to meet some pollution rules, but it resulted in a burnt out exhaust valve. The rear luggage rack was a sort of flat plastic deck. Getting the air cleaner box and the carburettors to seal against the frame backbone was always tricky. If the bike hasn't been used for a long time it would be a good idea to have the timing belts replaced and the desmodromic valve clearances checked. It was a great bike, and could show up some road bikes on a twisty mountain road.

[@kihestad]

Hi, thanks a lot for sharing 👍🙂 My bike has been repainted, it had originally blue decals. Yours had probably the original Lucky Explorer design. Thanks for the all the tips! The front brake is definitely not great 🙄 I do as yo suggest! I can see it is already done on the rear brake and the clutch. The front cylinder top was rebuilt by previous owner a couple of years ago. New timing belts was put on, and bike has barely been used since. I need to take a look at the rear cylinder, I have a loud ticking noise on idle and hope it's just a valve having too much clearance 🤞 The noise disappear at high rpm. It truly is a great bike! Thanks again for your comments!!!

[@alanjm1234]

@@kihestad yes, mine was completely original when I bought it, in Lucky Explorer colours, although the dealer threw in a nice sounding aftermarket exhaust. The bike I bought was the only 750 Elefant of that model in Australia. Probably why they gave me the exhaust, nobody else was going to buy it! I forgot to mention, mine had a black swing arm and frame too, I think the white frame looks better though. I seem to remember it having black rims also, but I'll need to check some old photos to be sure. Definitely get the rear cylinder looked at. With the Desmo system the closing cam must have zero clearance or you can burn out a valve. The dry clutch can also be a source of noise at idle though. I was lucky, a friend had a Ducati service shop and was an excellent mechanic. They are a great bike, and I often wish I still had it. I swapped it for a KTM 620 LC 4, also a great bike.

[@alanjm1234]

There's an eBay seller in Spain selling the workshop manual for the bike, might be a worthwhile investment.

[@kihestad]

Ahh, thanks for the tips! 👍 I'll take a look. I have found owners manual and parts manual online, will check if the workshop manual is not the same as what I have found online.

[@user-ih5kn2ht9y]

I made rear rack alone. I waiting your ideas

[@kihestad]

That is nice 👍 I have bought a very reasonably priced bag system from XL moto. The plan is to design a rack system that works perfectly for that one 🤞

[@thomasbrown2249]

I have a 1986, 650 Elefant. The front forks look very similar and the frame and other details in the back look similar too. I suggest looking for the high resolution service manual for the 650 on the Elefant Facebook page. It may be very helpful. Your rear tail light looks like one from a 1990s Ducati Monster. All of my 1986 Cagiva turn signals collapsed from gravity and poor plastic quality. I'll look at my taillight lens and see if there are some identifying numbers on it.

[@kihestad]

Hi, tanks for your suggestion! 👍 I will check out the service manual for the 650. I have found that my rear fender is from a Elefant 750 or 900 1993-96 model (not quite sure exact year model). Seems like the tail light I have is used on several Cagiva and Ducati models. I am leaning to not trying to source the original rear fender since I have got feedback from several people that these are hard to come by. They are not made any more so I would have to find one on the used marked. Since these are hard to find I would feel bad grabbing one (could be crucial for someone else to get hold of) since I already have a usable rear fender.

[@katywalker8322]

@@kihestad tail light like that was used on a few other bikes, such as the Aprilia AF1 Futura and various Laverdas. However there seem to be 2 variations of it.

[@kihestad]

@@katywalker8322 Ah, cool - I'll have to Goole it - got me curious to check out 😊

[@rallynor]

Veldig artig! Gleder meg til å følge med på prosjektet ditt. Frode H. Er personen du ønsker å komme i kontakt med, i alle fall her til lands. Jeg er faktisk litt overrasket over at ikke han har kjøpt den. Kikket jo litt på den selv faktisk 😆 Gratulerer med tøff sykkel!

[@kihestad]

Tusen takk! Har alt fått melding av Frode H på fb 😊 Det er så utrolig kjekt å få så mye positiv tilbakemelding. Sykkelen skal i hvertfall få god pleie i mitt eie!

[@pkaramer]

6.00 My friend , I noticed that you oiled the worm gear of the speedometer.I think this part, as for a lot of motorcyles out there, is plastic or polyurethane.Never put oil, mineral or synth engine oil, or any kind of grease on such parts.They appear to lubricate at first, but all they do is corrode and polymerize all kinds of plastics and rubber with time,making them breakable..Only use silicon oil or grease on such materials.Repeat, never engine oil or grease on plastics, nore any kind of vaseline. Only silicon oils or silicon grease, or, if yo can lay your hands on, PTFE lubricants, but, they tend to get sticky with time.

[@kihestad]

Hi, on this bike the speedometer drive gear unit is made of metal. The housing is aluminum with a brass piece where the wire is attached, while the gears are probably some kind of steel alloy. I have never seen these made of plastic, perhaps on newer or smaller bikes? Thanks for the tips anyway, I have not really thought about using lubricant specifically made for plastic parts. Good to know if I ever get a newer bike! 👍

[@pkaramer]

@@kihestad Thanks 4 noticing.In my Honda's,from 150 cc to 750 they are all plastic.I payed few years ago 45 euros for an 650 Dominator Speedo gear...So on my 2 Yamaha's,DT and XT,plastic.Glad to know your bike is metal tho ,😉.She s a beauty,and very rare bike in that fairing ..Goes well on road to,better than lots of today's behemoths!!

[@kihestad]

@@pkaramer This made me curious, I had to look it up ☺️ I can see it's a white plastic gear inside, probably a smarter solution than on the older bikes - saves weight and if something goes wrong with the mechanism it will not damage any expensive part or block the wheel from spinning. I am really enjoying the Cagiva, I have only had Hondas and Yamahas (as you) before this one. I have to service the Ohlins shocks and I need new tires, but it's behaving very well on the road. The torque from the engine just makes me smile all day long 😁

[@pkaramer]

@@kihestad Spot on.This gear ,like all worm transmissions,is made from softer material just to protect the worm gear,which is expensive.Lubricate it with silicone grease or PTFE.This gagiva has a excellent motor,I got also a DUC 750 SS and a MULTI 1000.Its a gem,bit on a sensitive side,but rewards you on road,and when u just look at it.Underrated bike,lucky to have it

[@kihestad]

@@pkaramer wow, I must say: you got a lot of cool bikes 😎 just to clarify: I looked up the speedometer gearing unit for the 650 Dominator you mentioned - to check how it looked like. My Cagiva has a metal gear, and I know my old Honda CB400 (1984) has the same. I guess the plastic variant was introduced in the mid/late 90? I'm just guessing though 😋

[@tobiast74]

Fett. Som ducati-entusiast har jeg siklet på en sånn sjæl :D Gratulerer!

[@tobiast74]

For øvrig tror jeg det er omtrent samme motor i den som i min 750ss.

[@kihestad]

Takker, er veldig fornøyd 😁

[@kihestad]

Håper den er grei å skru på, må ta opp bakre sylinder. Denne dobbeltvirkende kam'en som både åpner og lukker vantilene uten fjær virker komplisert 😳

[@tobiast74]

@@kihestad - Desmo er fett :-D (uten at jeg har skrudd på det :- )

[@kihestad]

@@tobiast74 Lyden av den er i hvert fall helt konge! Har riktignok litt frieksos som jeg skal prøve å sveise, men det lover bra 😁

[@matmladin3182]

CAGIVA ELEFANT N1

[@kihestad]

The best!!!! 😊

[@dirkzelf]

it's sooooo cool, but I'm too short, 1.68m in all.....

[@kihestad]

Ahh, well then probably a bike not as tall as this is the way to go 😊 Luckily there are a lot of other cool bikes to choose from 😊

[@dirkzelf]

@@kihestad 😂🤣👌

[@dipling.pitzler7650]

How much do you have to pay for a 1990 Elephant in Norway?

[@kihestad]

They are not easy to get hold of here. I had to pay NOK 45000 (approx €4500). I could have bought an old Africa Twin or Yamaha Tenere for less. Keep in mind that motorcycles and cars are more expensive here compared to most other European countries, we have a lot of taxes (exception has been for electric cars, but that era is soon over as well) 🥴

[@dipling.pitzler7650]

@@kihestad Not too bad because I just looked up the internet and the cheapest 750 1997 model in Germany was 3000 EUR, but with 63000 KM on the clock.

[@madcat4563]

Very good-looking bike, don't know the brand. MV Agusta, I know, and after hearing more about the bike and thought about that brand. A bike I wish we could get in our garage is a Honda Africa Twin (750, carburettor one) . But their prices have been climbing in recent years. We had one in our driveway on a trailer before that someone came to show us, but he wanted too much, and it was in bad shape. Though it was the correct colour scheme (red, blue, white). I'm not sure about having another Honda cb in the garage, but I wouldn't mind working on a cb750 with the quad carbs. The Cbx 1000 is a bit silly but definitely interesting. So far, this bike makes getting parts for the 78 cb400t sound like a walk in the park. (Though it is still a challenge, I'm excited to ring up the dealership😆. Was able to find lots of OEM parts from a place in Japan, but I thought I would first find out at the dealership if they could help. Save on shippingcost.)

[@kihestad]

I have also had mostly Honda's motorcycles. When I decided to get an adventure bike, a Africa Twin was my first thought. It was not easy to find one for sale, they are sought after here in Norway, so I started to investigate other brands. I would say the Cagiva Elefant is even more rare than the Africa Twin, it was just accidentally one for sale when I was searching for adventure bikes. Fun to try a different brand than Honda for a change, but it can be challenging to find parts for it 😏