Bigger And Better

What’S The New HPS 300 All About, Then? Definitely Not Something To Be Scoffed At.

- Alan Cathcart

Italy’s historic trophy brands are currently enjoying a resurgence, with Benelli, Fantic and now Mondial the latest to exit the freezer section of that country’s motorcycle history store, stacked high as it is with defunct brands from all its Latin two wheeled yesterdays. But these latter three all have one thing in common — the increasingly quality-driven Chinese industry is playing a significant role in their revival.

Benelli has been 100 per cent Chinese-owned since 2006, and its ever more substantial list of strong-selling products are largely designed in Italy, but entirely manufactured in China. Conversely, Fantic Motor’s fast-growing range of 250/500cc Caballero singles are built in Italy using engines shipped there from Zongshen in China, having been designed by Piaggio as part of their joint venture with China’s third-largest manufacturer. And now Mondial has joined the comeback club, starting almost two years ago in December 2016 when manufacture began of the neo-retro HPS 125, a very different product than the svelte Honda SP-01 engined Piega 1000cc V-twin superbike which last carried the Mondial badge 15 years ago. This well-made good-looking single-cylinder street scrambler was also designed in Italy, but is built in China, again using Zongshen-made engines. In its first full year of production this was a showroom success, with 7000 examples built and sold around the world, according to Cesare Galli, CEO of Mondial’s parent company Pelpi International based near Como, who’s been responsible for recreating the born-again Mondial brand six decades on from its 1957 World title-winning 125/250GP double. Selling in Italy for €3,790 (` 3.05 lakh) incl. 22 per cent sales tax (good value versus the €4,489 asked for the Indian-made KTM 125 Duke and the €4,940 Yamaha MT-125) shipments have also headed to Germany, France, Spain, the UK, Scandinavia and Eastern Europe, as well as to outlets further afield i