FANTIC CABALLERO 700 SCRAMBLER (2023 - on) Review

I was excited when Fantic announced it was adding a Caballero 700 to their retro motorbike range, using the 689cc Yamaha CP2 parallel-twin to create a range-topper to rival the 800cc Ducati Scrambler.

Fantic’s Caballero 500 is a firm MCN favourite, delivering everything you’d want from a light retro single, with torque, agility and charisma, not to mention plenty of neo-retro scrambler style.

The 700 certainly looks the part, with machined-alloy frame plates and top yoke adding a bit of metallic eye-candy, with neat details and quality chassis parts, plus technology that gives it a spec sheet as strong as anything in the class. A TFT dash, lean-sensitive ABS and traction control aren’t a given with bikes in this class, but the Caballero 700 has them all for the sub-£10k price.

The formula sounds like a winning one, but I found it to be lacking a little ‘sparkle’ in reality. The Caballero 500 and Ducati Scrambler 800 tick all the boxes on paper, and back that up with a sense of personality that’s obvious inside the first mile. They are engaging and fun, as well as practical and competent in objective terms.

The Yamaha motor is a cracking unit in its intended applications – the MT-07, XSR700, Tracer 7 and Ténéré 700 have all been group test winners in their time – but it doesn’t have the right character for a bike like this, and the spread of power/gearing further serves to make it feel out of place in the Fantic.

The chassis is good in very basic terms, but again it doesn’t serve up the keen, effortless and forgiving ride you’d hope: the Ducati is nimble, unintimidating with good ride quality, but it’ll stand up to a more spirited ride. The Fantic is too firm, slower steering and has 50/50 road-trail tyres that compromise its road manners, but don’t match up to any real off-road potential (as the smaller, lighter and taller Caballeros possess).

The Fantic isn’t a bad bike, but it’s entering a class where subjective, emotive feel is just as (or arguably more) important than a bike's raw capabilities. The Caballero doesn’t quite have the perky, playful spirit I'm looking for.

The test bike was delivered with under 100 miles on, so our initial judgement on the chassis is likely to change a little once suspension components are fully bedded-in.

I found the Marzocchi forks and shock to be firm, to the point of harshness when the high-speed compression damping couldn’t respond fast enough to bumps on rural roads where the bike should be at home. This might improve when the bikes reach four-figure mileages, but it’s still notably firmer than other rivals we’ve ridden at similar mileages.

It does give more support when you wind on the power or give the brakes a fistful, and the general lack of pitching, wallowing or bouncing around makes it predictable when you’re trying to keep the corner speed up. It’s unfortunate that this possible upside is negated by standard tyres (Pirelli Scorpion STRs) which sacrifice feel and steering response as well as outright grip on tarmac for the potential to head off-road…

But the reality is the Caballero’s chassis is too low-slung (the exhaust and its lovely carbon heat shield in particular placed to take a clobbering with insufficient suspension travel for any kind of meaningful off-road riding, so those tyres won’t see anything rougher than a flat gravel or grass lane, if you have any sense of mechanical sympathy.

Full road tyres, or something like the Ducati’s block-pattern Pirelli MT-60RS OE fitment, would make better use of the Fantic’s sportier feel. It’s a bit confused, neither sporty, relaxed or proficient on dirt.

The brakes are adequate – a single four-piston Brembo monoblock makes up for operating alone by grabbing on a dinner-plate 330mm disc. It’s enough to bury the nose and make the trail rubber howl, with subtle intervention from the ABS system as you get to the limit of grip.

The Yamaha CP2 engine is a proven lump, part of Fantic’s logic for selecting it (that, and they’re produced for Yamaha by Fantic-owned Motori Minarelli). Fantic has made little in the way of changes – they’ve made their own airbox and exhaust to suit their chassis as well as the scrambler feel and mapped to suit, but the bits spinning or whizzing up and down inside are Yamaha-spec.

Oddly, that’s enough to increase the claimed horsepower and torque by a claimed 2bhp/2lb.ft over the Yamaha MT-07: there is also a small gearing change (lower than the MT-07, but higher-ratio than the Yamaha Ténéré 700), but overall feel is similar.

It’s again good in objective terms – the fuelling is good despite being one of the last ‘big’ bikes with a cable-operated throttle rather than ride-by-wire, it’s flexible, frugal and relaxed at cruising speed (any more than 70mph will be a strain, whether you’re legally able to exceed that or not).

The engine is at its best in the mid-high rpm, which is a little bit incongruous with the bikes attitude, and means you only get the best of the motor if you grab it by the scruff of the neck and pin it through the first three gears, unless you’re prepared to go beyond the limits of comfort. It’s missing that instant gratification of an engine that delivers a hit of torque lower down – namely, singles, or V-twins…

It's well-mannered, and will be easy to manage on greasy surfaces with that flat torque curve, and no snatchiness. The test was dry throughout, and the traction control wasn’t troubled unless it was given sufficient beans to provoke a wheelie, which would then be cleanly (but firmly) arrested by the TC.

I recorded 46mpg, mostly blatting around B-roads with one 30-mile dual carriageway cruise at 70mph or so. I’d expect this to rise considerably once the engine is fully run in, especially when ridden in a less stop/start, firing out of corners style. Though that’s fairly natural territory for a retro scrambler, so if that’s the highest fuel consumption you’ll ever see, that’s pretty good. It’s important to state that our engine rating is relevant only in this context: it isn’t bad, but we feel it’s not as well suited to this application as others.

The Fantic is the best-built bike in class,, no question. It’s not a hand-built bike, but components like the CNC-machined alloy swingarm plates and top-yoke give it a high-quality feel. Paint finishes are good, castings neatly done, and bodywork well fitted.

The attention to detail is impressive, too – most manufacturers will treat items like numberplate illumination lights as functional, parts-bin items, and they’ll be made cheaply and used across multiple models to save money.

The switchgear and mirrors are generic items (the latter have a pivot point just above the attachment points, so they’re really easy to move out of the way for storage or squeezing through tight spots. but everything else is Caballero specific, meaning there’s no obvious scope for visual enhancement. Even the homologation-compliant rear mudguard isn’t offensive and integrates with the bikes styling.

Reliability shouldn’t be in question – treated with typical care the CP2 engines are proven to last. Fantic’s record for quality control and reliability is good – the few reported issues on the Caballero 500 are related directly to its engine, so won’t affect the Yamaha-powered 700.

The Caballero is too new to comment on insurance costs yet, but there’s nothing to suggest it’ll be more expensive to insure than a Ducati Scrambler: it’s likely to be a relatively small-volume seller simply due to the smaller dealer network, so theft rates are likely to be lower: the more popular the bike, the greater the demand for used spares, and the greater number of unpleasant people who’ll steal bikes to get them…

Running costs should be low – it’s economical, and the pricer major services aren’t due until 24,000 miles. Access to most parts is easy too, so labour costs won’t be excessive. Standard Pirelli tyres are reasonably priced compared to bigger bikes, and there’s only one front brake caliper, so the pad bill is cut by half compared to many bikes…

The Caballero is excellent value for money in material terms – cheaper than its main rival, with equal or better spec and superior detailing.

The aforementioned Ducati Scrambler 800 is an obvious rival, as is the similarly CP2-engined Yamaha XSR700. You might also consider the KTM-powered Husqvarna Svartpilen 701, or - if you're not so bothered about the power output - the Moto Morini Seiemmezzo SCR.

The simplistic image belies a bike with plenty of features and modern touches. As well as the rider aids mentioned earlier, the small circular TFT dash also offers Bluetooth phone connectivity to make it easier to control calls and media, if you use a headset in your helmet.

Fantic doesn’t offer any kind of accessories for the 700 yet: we’d expect them to offer luggage options, cosmetic upgrades as well as performance exhausts, lowering kits and other mechanical improvements in the longer run, as they already do for the 500 models.