The Italjet Roadster 400 is a bold new scooter design with retro cues, from a company that specializes in the outlandish.
Known for the outlandish Dragster sport scooter, the Italian brand Italjet quietly dropped an entirely fresh design at EICMA today. The all-new Italjet Roadster 400 has all of the wacky engineering we’ve come to expect from Italjet, but with an entirely different aesthetic.
Where the Dragster is distinctive for its aggressive high-performance vibe, the Roadster plays in retro-futuristic territory. Think of it as The Jetsons meets Cyberpunk.
According to Italjet’s social media, the design “pays homage to the classic silhouettes of the past, while drawing inspiration from fighter jets.” That influence is clear in the Roadster’s turbine-like side pods, which act as cooling ducts for the twin radiators that are hidden inside.
Italjet hasn’t revealed any of the Roadster’s specs yet, but these images tell us a lot. For starters, although it uses a trellis frame like the Dragster does, it’s clearly a new design.
The suspension has changed drastically, too. In place of the Dragster’s single-sided front suspension, the Roadster uses Italjet’s brand new Dynamic Linkage Articulated steering, which incorporates the scooter’s twin Nissin front brake calipers.
The rear swingarm and linkages have also been redesigned, and in true Italjet fashion, each end’s Öhlins shock is mounted in the most unusual of locations.
From its name, we’re assuming that the Roadster 400’s engine will be somewhere in the 400 cc range—possibly with a belt drive, as per the Dragster’s powertrain. A peek at the right-hand side reveals a chunky exhaust header, which splits before disappearing into the bodywork and emerging in twin Akrapovič mufflers behind the seat.
The other big takeaway is how premium the whole thing feels. From the matte black and bronze paint, to the multi-textured seat upholstery and discreet red details, the Roadster is the personification of tasteful Italian flair. Billet aluminum spoked wheels hide behind the scoot’s gargantuan brake discs, while finer touches like CNC-machined lever guards with integrated LED turn signals show that Italjet’s designers are all about the details.
There’s not much more to report on the Italjet Roadster 400 just yet, except that we desperately want to ride it and/or park it in our living room. The mad scientists over at Italjet will no doubt release more details in due course—until then, we’ll have to be content just to ogle.
Source: Italjet Facebook
