Malaguti is already planning a 250cc version of its upcoming Drakon 125
The Italian brand Malaguti’s Drakon 125 is nearing production, and a 250 version is also planned, featuring an engine so far unseen in Europe.
Malaguti, the historic Italian brand that has been brought back by the Austrian KSR Group that also owns brands like Motron, is looking set to release its Drakon 125 soon, and a 250 verison is also in the works.
The Drakon 125 is the first bike to come from Malaguti since its Austrian-backed revival in 2019 to be designed in-house, after a swathe of bikes derived from Aprilias were released by Malaguti between ‘19 and 2021.
Malaguti’s bikes are, like Motron’s, manufactured in China as part of the Austrian plan to control its production costs, Cycle World reports. As a result, it is from a Chinese type-approval filing that we can learn of the plans from Malaguti to make a Drakon 250.
The Drakon 250 will be manufactured by Zongshen, according to Cycle World, which makes sense when considering the Zongshen-Piaggio alliance that sees the respected Chinese producer make Aprilia’s models for the Chinese market.
Malaguti’s recent history of Aprilia-based bikes makes this an obvious call, and similarly straightforward is understanding that the Drakon 250 will make use of Aprilia parts and engineering. For example, the Drakon 250 will use a 249cc engine that Aprilia uses in its GPR250 and GPR250S, which are larger versions of its RS125 and Tuono 125, respectively, aimed at the Chinese market.
This 249cc motor is, as Cycle News reports, not offered in any models outside of China, but we know it features a bore of 72mm and a stroke of 61.2mm, with 27.5 horsepower and 21.6Nm. A European arrival of the Drakon 250, then, would be a debut for this engine.
The type-approval document filed by Malaguti shows the Drakon 250 will weigh 154kg, with almost identical dimensions to the Drakon 125, with similarly identical bodywork. The tyres, though, are slightly wider. The Drakon 125 makes use of 100/80-17 front and 130/70-17 rear, while the 250 will use a 110/70-17 front and 140/70-17 rear.
