Moto Morini

Moto Morini
legal form	srl Società a responsabilità limitata
founding	1937
Seat	Via Beri, 24 - 27020 Trivolzio (PV) Italy
Branch	vehicle construction
Website	http://www.motomorinimotorcycles.eu/

Moto Morini is an Italian motorcycle manufacturer founded by Alfonso Morini in 1937 in Bologna , Italy . The company was insolvent in 2009 and was taken over by Eagle Bike in 2011. Until 2013, the company was based in Casalecchio di Reno near Bologna, and since then Trivolzio has been with Pavia . The owner has been the Chinese Zhongneng Vehicle Group since 2018.

History and historical model lines

post war period

Moto Morini Settebello 175 (1955)

Moto Morini Corsaro 1200

Moto Morini 9½ (2006)

Before the Second World War , the company was primarily engaged in the production of three-wheeled trucks. Immediately afterwards, Morini created his first motorcycle, the 125 Turismo , for which he - like many other manufacturers at the time - borrowed from the DKW RT 125 . The Turismo with its typical two-stroke engine was ahead of its time in that it had straight-line suspension on the rear wheel.

A sport and a supersport version quickly followed, the development of which finally culminated in the Competizione , where Alberti won the Italian championship in 1948. Drivers like Alberto Pagani , Raffaele Alberti or Umberto Masetti started successfully with the Competizione . The two-stroke models remained in the range until 1953.

In order to be able to counteract the emerging Mondials with two overhead camshafts, the two-stroke Competizione 1951 was followed by a 123 cm³ factory racing machine with a chain-driven overhead camshaft . It followed the general trend towards the four-stroke engine .

The 175 Turismo with 8.5 PS (6.2 kW) and the Settebello appeared on the market as the first four-stroke models for customers in 1953 . The Settebello 175 was offered until 1958 as a roadworthy production racer for ambitious participants in well-known long-distance races such as Milano – Taranto or the Motogiro d'Italia and, with around 15 HP (11 kW) from 175 cm³, was predestined for racing. The range was expanded in 1954 to include the Gran Turismo sports version with 11 hp (8 kW). A Supersport version developed 13 hp (9.5 kW) and is an alternative to the Settebello 175 suitable for everyday use .

The Settebello 175 Aste Corte type was created from 1958 as a pure racing machine in a few copies and was used by private drivers until the early 1970s. All engines in this series followed the same construction principle of a single cylinder with overhead valves, bumpers and rocker arms . The Morinis were generally considered to be very reliable.

In 1956, the Briscola model with 17-inch wheels and a fork with a pushed short swing arm came onto the market as an economical alternative.

From 1958, the new Tresette replaced all previous 175 models, thus ensuring a clear overview of the wide range of models. This model was also available in a sports version as a Sprint with 13 PS (9.5 kW). Both were offered until 1963. A version drilled out to 250 cm³ was called the Settebello 250 GTI and was supposed to conquer the American market between 1965 and 1969, which however largely failed.

The factory racing model Rebello as the successor to the 123 cc factory racing machine with a 175 cc engine with one or two overhead camshafts initially producing 22 hp (16 kW) achieved a number of national and international successes from 1955 onwards.

From the Rebello , the 250 GP Bialbero was developed in the following years , on which Tarquinio Provini was also internationally successful from 1961 . In 1963 he missed the world title by two points against Jim Redman on the four-cylinder Honda. With up to 40 hp (29 kW) in the end, this machine is still the fastest 250 cm³ single cylinder in history.

The model range was rounded off downwards in 1956 with the 98 Sbarazzino , a modern single-cylinder at its time with parallel hanging valves, four gears and 17-inch wheels, the basis for many subsequent models up to 1975. The related Corsaro 125 was also created in 1958 , which appeared in the following years in various tourism, sports and terrain versions with up to 160 cm³ and 5-speed transmissions, with quite good sales success.

There were also terrain sport versions , the Regolarita Casa , which were available between 1967 and 1975 with 98, 122, 143 and 163 cm³. With them numerous cross-country competitions, including six-day events , were successfully contested. With the Corsarino , a 48 cc four-stroke moped came onto the market in 1963. It was newly developed independently and was offered in a number of variants until 1976, including a 60 cm³ displacement.

In 1969 company founder Alfonso Morini died and his daughter Gabriella took over the management of the company.

New developments

In 1971 there was a new development at Morini. The 3½ had a two-cylinder V-engine with a 72 degree fork angle and overhead valves. For the first time there was an electronic ignition and a six-speed gearbox as standard on a motorcycle. The underside of the cylinder head was flat, and depressions in the piston crown served as combustion chambers ( Heron combustion chamber ). For the first time at Morini there was a toothed belt to drive the central camshaft. The designer was engineer Franco Lambertini . The 344 cm³ engine developed 35 PS (26 kW) in the touring version and 39 PS (27 kW) in the Sport model. In 1973, the Tour model came first 3 ½ T 1974, the Sport version on the market, 3 ½ S . The powerful and durable engine has been continuously developed in detail, but the principle has been retained. Morini used it until 1991 in different displacement and power variants up to a prototype with 478 cm³ and exhaust gas turbocharger. As the successor to the Corsaro models discontinued in 1975, the 125H appeared , the engine of which was essentially a halved 3½ engine with modified bore and stroke dimensions.

In 1978 the 3½ was followed by a 478 cm³ version, initially with five gears and later with a six-speed gearbox, which rounded off the model range and the modular engine system at the top. A year earlier, a 239 cm³ OHV single cylinder was available as a 250T in halved version. The good chassis could not compensate for the low engine power and the strong vibrations of the 250 and limited its success, its construction time was already over in 1980. In its place, a real V2 engine with the same displacement appeared again with the 250J , which, however, was also only sold in small numbers. The 478 cc models were also criticized because of the modest engine performance they had as standard.

Morini built on old off-road experience at the end of 1981 with the Camel 500 , a light enduro with a slightly modified 478 cm³ engine from the street model and recognized good off-road properties, which in 1985 became the Camel 501 with a 507 cm³ engine, in keeping with the zeitgeist Travel enduro. With this, the V-engine series had the most powerful engine of all Morini series models with 43 HP (32 kW). Parallel to the Camel , the smaller 350 Kanguro appeared in 1982 , a light, sporty and everyday enduro, which, like the Camel, was built in several versions until 1989, and whose characteristics corresponded to the respective Camel model. A 125 cc Enduro was also available, but its engine was not competitive.

Takeover by the Castiglioni brothers

In 1986 Moto Morini was taken over by the Castiglioni brothers. In addition to the brands Cagiva , Ducati and Husqvarna, their group now also combined Moto Morini. The name should cover the chopper market in the group in the future . Under the new direction, the soft chopper models Excalibur 350/501 and New York 350/501 were created in the Morini plant . The Enduros were called Coguaro 350/501 from 1989 and showed an improved technical standard. For sporty ambitious drivers there was the fully faired Dart 350 , outside of Italy also as Dart 400 , a synthesis of an already existing 125 cm³ Cagiva model and the now antiquated V2 engine.

In 1991, Cagiva stopped producing Morini motorcycles and the brand disappeared. The rights to the brand name Moto Morini were sold in 1999 to the company Motori Franco Morini in Bologna, known for its built-in engines . One of the owners is Maurizio Morini, a nephew of Alfonso Morini.

On December 2, 2004, Franco Morini presented two new models at the Motor Show Bologne , which were to be produced from summer 2005 under the Moto Morini brand in the newly built plant in Casalecchio di Reno. The 9 ½ and the Corsaro 1200 have u. a. a space frame , a 50 mm upside-down fork from Marzocchi and a water-cooled 87 ° DOHC-V2 engine with 1187 cc; the 9 ½ with smaller valves, different camshafts and adapted engine management throttled to 86 kW (117 hp) and 102 Nm. The engine was developed again by engineer Franco Lambertini , the creator of the 3½ from 1973.

For 2008, among other things, the Moto Morini Granpasso 1200 was presented, a large travel enduro .

Bankruptcy and a fresh start

The company went bankrupt in 2009.

In mid-2011, Moto Morini's motorcycle and scooter production was auctioned by Eagle Bike by the two entrepreneurs Sandro Capotosti and Ruggeromassimo Jannuzzelli and production resumed in 2012. The model range has been expanded to include the Rebello 1200 . In 2013 Moto Morini relocated its headquarters and production to Trivolzio, near Milan. The ownership was completely transferred to the Jannuzzelli family in 2015.

In October 2018 Moto Morini became part of the Zhongneng Vehicle Group.