You can’t keep Italjet down—even if you’re a global pandemic. On the occasion of EICMA 2022, the Italian scooter manufacturer is proud to say that it’s sold 7,000 Dragster 125 and 200 scooters so far, all across Europe and Southeast Asia. That’s great news, sure, but EICMA’s primarily a showcase for new models, and Italjet was only too happy to oblige.
The scooter company, based in Castel Guelfo di Bologna, chose EICMA 2022 as the place to introduce not one, but two new scooters in its lineup. The Italjet Dragster 500GP carries through the exciting, trellis-frame design language first seen on the revamped Dragster a couple of years ago—only with more power, as well as a six-speed gearbox. Italjet also introduced the Dragster #e01 Electric—its first-ever electric model, which is due for release in 2023.
Now, we hate to burst your bubble—but we do have to caution here that Italjet is referring to the Dragster 500GP as a concept at this stage. The company says it was inspired by the excitement riders feel from hyper sportbikes, and wanted to marry that with its existing hyperscooter—so, naturally, the Dragster 500GP is what it came up with.
Gallery: Italjet Dragster 500GP and Dragster #e01 Electric
It’s powered by a liquid-cooled, four-stroke, single-cylinder engine that makes a claimed 43 horsepower at 8,000 rpm and peak torque of 43 newton-meters (or 31.7 pound-feet) of torque at 6,000 rpm. Suspension consists of a 47mm upside-down front fork, and twin shocks in the rear with preload adjustability. Brembo brake calipers are fitted all around, and you get a pair of 270mm front brake discs along with a single 230mm rear brake disc. ABS is also fitted as standard.
The Dragster 500GP rolls on a pair of 15-inch alloy wheels, which come shod in Pirelli rubber. Wheelbase is 1,484mm, seat height is 820mm, and the curb weight is a claimed 180 kilograms (just under 397 pounds). If you’re thinking that this sounds like a lot of detailed information to get for a ‘concept’ machine, so are we—but hey, if it’s closer to production than Italjet wants to say at this point, then we certainly won’t complain.
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As for Italjet’s first-ever electric scooter, the Dragster #e01 Electric, it’s equipped with a motor that makes a claimed 6 kilowatts of nominal power, along with 12 kW of peak power. It also produces a claimed 360 newton-meters (or 265 pound-feet) of torque at the rear wheel.
What about range? It’s estimated at 180 kilometers in a typical urban setting (or 111 miles), which is pretty reasonable if it’s anywhere close to real-world accuracy. Charging time runs about four to five and a half hours on a regular household plug, but can drop to around 30 to 36 minutes if using fast charging.
Suspension consists of an ISS adjustable shock absorber up front, along with another single adjustable shock absorber in the rear. Brembo calipers come fitted as standard, along with a single 200mm front brake disc and a 190mm brake disc in the rear. Wheels are a 12-inch unit up front and a 13-inch unit in the rear, both wrapped in Pirelli rubber. Wheelbase is 1,350mm, seat height is 770mm, and weight is 150 kilograms (or just under 331 pounds).
Pricing and availability information haven’t been announced yet, apart from Italjet estimating that the Dragster #e01 Electric should be available sometime in the back half of 2023. However, the company also did announce that the Italjet Dragster 125 and 200 will become more widely available around the world in 2023. In fact, Italjet also added that these two Dragsters should come to the U.S. by the end of next year (at the time of writing). American scooter fans, get ready.
