Moto Morini was founded in 1937 in Bologna, but was a regular visitor to the last chance saloon before its acquisition in October 2018 by Chen Huaneng, the owner of Chinese scooter and minimoto manufacturer Zhongneng Vehicle Group. Mr. Chen promised to invest in the company, and update the company's existing 1187cc 87° V-twin engine to be fully restricted to 48bhp will also be available. The good-looking motor also has multiple pick-up points for several different chassis designs.
These, like the first such two on display at EICMA, will be designed by Moto Morini's progettista Adrian Morton, the former MV Agusta and Benelli designer, who left MV in June 2020, and began work 16 months ago as a freelance consultant designing these first two Morini models. "They're rather improbably the first V-twin motorcycles I've ever produced!" says Adrian. "In doing so, I wanted to make sure the engine remains in full view as much as possible, as V-twins are the signature of the brand, and it's an aesthetically very pretty motor, anyway." Morton has also given both bikes a very distinct face' and a vivid visual personality.
"Morinis have never been associated much with styling," he says. "They've always been pretty functional-looking, honest motorcycles - a kind of Italian Triumph. I've tried here to give them a distinct personality, with the mechanical package in plain view." That's been achieved on both bikes by the unusual modular chassis design, with a cast aluminium forward section incorporating the steering head, attached to a chromemoly tubular steel rear spaceframe - the reverse of the Tamburini-legacy MV Agusta models Morton worked on for so long. Moto Morini CEO Alberto Monni states that production of both models is due to begin in October 24 - but no hints yet on the exact price they're likely to cost.
この記事は Motorcycle Sport & Leisure の February 2024 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です ? サインイン
この記事は Motorcycle Sport & Leisure の February 2024 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です? サインイン
Honda CRF1100L ES Africa Twin
Without panniers he was adventuring nowhere - so at least Bertie's got something sorted now
BMW R 12 nineT
Chad gets a track day surprise when BMW's R 12 nineT turns out to be surprisingly fun on track
Test fleet: VOGE 525 DSX
After testing the Voge's abilities on a long ride, it was time to take it to the Cotswolds and see how it would manage on the rougher stuff
Portuguese Perambulations
Nearly over before it had begun, a brief workshop stint allows Spain and Portugal to be explored
Highway to Heaven
Three friends take on the challenge of riding the length of Canada, from Vancouver in the southwest to Inuvik in the north. The road is long, the conditions merciless, and wildfires are tearing through the country. To top it all off, the final leg of the journey is the ultimate test of gravel riding skills, nerves, and courage - it's the legendary Dempster Highway...
Battlaxes at the ready!
We tend to take tyres for granted, never really looking at them in any detail, or at how they work, just hoping that they keep us shiny side up at all times. Even in the wet
Ducati Riding Experience
When I rode the Ducati DesertX to France last year, I did have a bit of an explore on some easy fire roads and gentle green lanes in the wilds of the Médoc area, but was left with the feeling that, had I the experience, the DesertX would have been capable of taking me along some more extreme trails to some even more exciting places. If only there was a way of finding out just how well the Italian adventure bike could cope with some more extreme terrain...
Four pot flyer
Many said that sports bikes, and particularly bikes in the traditional Supersports class that was populated by 600cc inline fours, were dead. Maybe they spoke too soon?...
Eastern adventurer
With an increasing interest in smaller capacity adventure bikes, the market expands with a new entry
First Time Lucky?
It's ironic that the first all-new MV Agusta model to hit the marketplace right after Italy's No.1 trophy brand was acquired by Austrian giant Pierer Mobility, owner of off-road titans KTM, should be the company's first dual-purpose model of the modern era, powered by MV's all-new 931cc three-cylinder engine that's destined to form the basis of a whole series of new models in coming months and years.
