Moto Morini first teased us with the ADV-R version of the X-Cape at the 2022 EICMA show, we were left in a will-they-or-won’t-they situation. It seemed like the Italian company would probably sell this up-spec’d version of the X-Cape, but it wasn’t really clear how serious Moto Morini was —sometimes a concept bike is just a concept bike.
Well, it now appears that Moto Morini was indeed pretty serious, as the company is taking the bike racing! The ADV-R made its debut at the Bassella Race in Spain over the February 12 weekend.
Moto Morini explained the planhere:
Moto Morini, with its X-CAPE ADV-R and the multi-winner pilot Oriol Mena, who has recently won the Dakar race in the T4SSV category, will participate in the 14th edition of the Bassella Race, one of the most representative events of the international offroad arena, in the 10th, 11th and 12th February 2023.
In the middle of the idyllic landscapes of the Catalogna region, at the edge of the artificial lake of Rialp, this event offers a suggestive show also due to the several categories competing. This year main change will be the simultaneous departure of such categories, according to the original essence of the event, which is inclusive and spectacular at the same time, in order to offer what will be the most memorable image of the weekend. The audience will be given free access to the event, and not only will they be able to be present at the race, but they can also enjoy the offroad paddock spirit.
Moto Morini will participate with the enduro champion Oriol Mena in the so-called Trail/Fans category, which is exclusively made for trail and maxitrail motorbikes, with a route adapted by navigation with roadbook.
As it turns out, the Moto Morini bike was fast enough to finish eighth in its category (resultshere), The winner in the MaxiTrail category was Pol Tarres on the factory Yamaha T7 rally raider. There were several other fast guys in that category, including Joan Pedrero Garcia, who finished sixth on a Harley-Davidson Pan America.
Would you want one?
Moto Morini is setting up operations in the US after already rebuilding its business in Europe after years of financial woes. The standard X-CAPE runs a CFMoto-built parallel twin engine making about 60 hp and 40 lb-ft of torque; the motorcycle weighs about 500 lb once it’s gassed up (give or take 10 lb). This ADV-R version presumably weighs more, thanks to the extra parts bolted on, including crash bars, rad guard and skid plate.
If you’re interested, keep an eye out for an announcement for the Moto Morini dealer network. This should be coming in the near future, as the Italian/Chinese brand appears at AIMExpo this week, presumably trying to attract more interest from the American powersports industry.
