Vyrus: the pure technological madness of the Motor Valley
Far from the spotlight, in the less-traveled corners of the Motor Valley, lie small but extraordinary realities: workshops where the craftsmanship and motorcraft mastery of Emilia-Romagna express themselves in their purest form.
Not long ago, we told you about Beltrami.Design. Today, we turn the spotlight on Vyrus, a motorcycle manufacturer based in Cerasolo, in the province of Rimini. We thought the best way to do it was to have a chat with its founder, Ascanio Rodorigo, who prefers the title of workshop worker to that of CEO.
Born in 1963 in Verona to a mother from Rimini, his father was a military fighter pilot. This meant that Ascanio never had a stationary childhood but had to follow his parents around the world. Even as a child, Ascanio dreamed of being a pilot — not of planes, but of motorcycles. It was his father who passed on this great passion.
His workshop career began at Dervis, the renowned frame builder who created frames for Massimo Tamburini, where Ascanio worked to support himself. Meeting Tamburini opened the doors to his future experience at Bimota, where he continued to get his hands dirty until 1985, the year Vyrus was founded.
Vyrus’ slogan reads: “pure technological madness,” and in a recent interview, Ascanio told Stefano Gaeta the following:
«I like the idea of staying a group of Romagnol poets who imagine and craft small yet extraordinary motorcycles.»
Perhaps it’s best to let him speak for himself…
The origins of a visionary workshop
Vyrus was born as a small artisan motorcycle workshop producing one-offs back in 1985. Over time, we grew and structured the company as a small engineering firm, capable of managing projects in their entirety. Alongside our production activities, we also work as consultants for companies producing on an industrial scale, such as Gas Gas and Bimota.
The turning point came in 2001, when we decided to prepare a prototype to present at a trade fair in the Padua area, to show the attending companies what we were capable of: starting from a blank sheet of paper and producing our type of product in just 90 days. It was on this occasion that our “Tesi all’anteriore” system made its debut — a design we have never abandoned. The engine choice fell on the Ducati Monster’s two-valve, dual-spark V-twin, which I loved. We returned home with so many requests from the public that we decided to start a small-scale production, showcasing a truly artisanal approach to motorcycle building.
When craftsmanship meets technology
Broadly speaking, this is our journey. Today, we are builders: we produce around 25 motorcycles a year, depending on the year, since we are a small operation (7 people, 19 if you count all the consultants). What I find particularly fascinating is that a group like ours can manage the entire process. Take homologation, for example. The head of homologation at Ducati has asked me, astonished, more than once how we manage it. Complying with today’s homologation regulations is no small feat — especially for a small operation like ours. Yet, we manage to homologate Euro 5 and Euro 5 Plus.
Our approach is this: we create a basic homologated model, around which we offer the customer the possibility of total customization. Not long ago, we were discussing covering our Alyen with Swarovski crystals in collaboration with a company from Aosta. We have a type of client who recognizes us as partners for projects of this level of ambition.
Despite being a true artisan workshop, we build everything in-house — except for the carbon components and the engines (the latter supplied by Ducati). We manage the entire process, from designing the tools to designing the product itself, using highly advanced technologies.
From virtual reality to persian rugs: how Vyrus showcases its works of art
In our own small way, we’ve also been pioneers in certain communication choices. For example, on March 20, 2020, we presented the aforementioned Alyen, our latest creation. To do this, we sent our dealers the Sony Pico 4 — a Virtual Reality headset — containing a 3D render of our motorcycle, created in collaboration with a company that, at the time, had never undertaken this type of project in the automotive world. Even I, looking at it in the headset, couldn’t wait to see it in the flesh, as if I were chasing myself.
We also built a physical version using a 3D printer. These were truly innovative visions for the time. We ended up producing twenty motorcycles — each priced at €188,000 — and sold them all. It took a lot of courage to think of selling a motorcycle before it even existed in reality.
From Hollywood stars to lifelong mortgages: the incredible world of vyrus customers
All our clients have a very high level of knowledge when it comes to motorcycles: through word of mouth, we reach this kind of enthusiast. Often they are high-spending clients, but we also have customers who took out lifelong mortgages just to buy a Vyrus.
At the largest Ducati dealership in Los Angeles, tucked away under the desk drawers, there’s a Vyrus brochure. Why? Because at a trade show, they had seen Vyrus motorcycles displayed on Persian rugs, like works of art. So when a Hollywood actor walks in asking for something extraordinary, they hand him the brochure. A lot of our sales happen thanks to dynamics like this.
By the way: we have never spent a single cent on advertising. We’ve always focused on embedding our identity into the photos and videos that circulate, carefully managing every detail. We never wanted to put the Vyrus Alyen, which costs €188,000, in the media’s hands, because the press would have superficially emphasized only the financial side. It’s not the image that matters; what matters to us is showing that in Rimini, we build works of art on two wheels. Of course, from a business perspective, it would make sense to do some promotion to generate more revenue. But so far, I’ve decided not to spend money on advertising — because people look for us and find us anyway. We are the last of the Mohicans…
The Motor Valley according to Ascanio Rodorigo: an invaluable heritage
We are proud to be part of the Motor Valley. I am a Romagna fundamentalist — unfortunately, in some ways — and from my purely personal perspective, it is a product of immeasurable value. And often, we don’t even realize this value ourselves. In Italy, we have unique realities, and no one notices them. First and foremost is the phenomenon of the Motor Valley, but it’s not the only one. I say this as someone who, as a child, used to go to the industrial area of Modena just to see how the factories were structured. Watching these companies turn a drop of plastic into a bottle cap with a guarantee seal… the technology behind it is extraordinary.
Because of my work, I’ve traveled extensively to explore markets and understand how motorcycles operate around the world. The conclusion I’ve reached is that what we produce is incredible. Truly unmatched. Consider this: across the entire USA, there are Indian and Harley-Davidson — just two motorcycle brands. In all of Germany, there’s BMW. In England, there’s a bit more… but in Italy, we play in a league of our own. In a research project I attempted some time ago, I cataloged 98 brands of companies that have built motorcycles in Italy over the last 100 years.
What I always try to convey to young people is that Los Angeles and California became famous for a fiberglass board with foam inside. What we do in this territory is incredible in terms of the level of design and technology required — no disrespect to surfboards. In the Motor Valley, the potential is enormous. Finally, I hear people talking about visiting the companies; finally, there are young people working to give visibility to us and other realities, showing that with little, you can achieve a lot.
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