Greg Pullen’s excellent retrospective A-Z of Italian Motorcycle Manufacturers has a long entry on the Moto Morini brand. Founded in 1937, the Bologna-based bike builder was one of the heavy hitters in the Italian motorcycle universe for decades, known for its innovative tech and successful racing program. But like nearly all Italian manufacturers, in the 1980s and 1990s, Morini suffered declining sales, and ownership changed hands multiple times. Through all of this, Moto Morini still managed to keep its manufacturing base in Italy all the way through 2018 when A-Z was published. Pullen writes, “Even by Italian motorcycle standards, Morini fans are loyal, so it must be hoped that they can thrive – perhaps even because – Morini refuse to cut costs by diluting their Italian heritage.”
That same year, the Zhongneng Vehicle Group (or Znen) acquired Moto Morini and moved all production to China. Sorry, Greg.
Morini’s path is a familiar one for some of the smaller Italian brands, with Benelli, Morbidelli, and SWM all backed now by big Chinese firms (though SWM has maintained production in Italy). Moto Morini does go to great pains to point out that their design and R&D work continues to originate in Emilia-Romagna, even if the bikes are built in Zhejiang. A deep-pocketed owner with more resources, however, means more options for consumers at lower prices, even if the brand might take a hit in credibility in some markets. Enter the Moto Morini Vettore.
Motorcycle.com suggests that Morini’s newest ADV bike is slated for US shores in September. The Vettore is the North American version of Morini’s Euro-only Alltrhike, a small-displacement motorcycle based on the CFMoto Ibex 450 architecture (yet another Chinese brand). Where Morini’s larger ADV offering, the newly refreshed X-Cape 700, features a distinctively Italian flair, the Vettore has more subdued and conventional design language that mimics the Ibex closely.
While we don’t yet have official mechanical specifications for the Vettore, we can likely assume they will align closely with the Ibex’s numbers. The 450cc parallel twin turns out 44 horsepower and 32 pound-feet of torque, which should be just adequate enough to get the Vettore safely down American Interstates. An aluminum swingarm is bolted to a steel frame, and the 190mm-travel Kayaba rear mono shock should offer at least remote preload adjustability. The fork will likely also be an adjustable 41mm Kayaba unit with 210mm of travel, and, teamed up with the 21-inch front and 18-inch rear wheels, should result in 8.5 inches of ground clearance and a 33-inch seat height. Look for the dry weight to come in close to 420 pounds. Stopping power will lean on dual 320mm rotors up front, paired with 4-piston radial calipers and switchable dual-channel ABS.
We might expect a lot of other standard goodies on the Vettore that are common to high-value Chinese/Italian bikes, like USB and USB-C ports, a TFT dash, optional heated grips and seat, a dash cam, and an adjustable windscreen. With BMW looking to launch its own 450cc ADV bike soon, and Honda, Royal Enfield, KTM, and CF Moto all marketing smaller ADVs, now is a great time to be cross-shopping in this segment. Look for the Moto Morini Vettore to filter into showrooms this fall, likely at a price point close to $6,500.
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