That was quick! It wasn’t very long ago that we found out Moto Morini planned to enter the US market. Now, according to social media, their adventure bike is available in the States. The Moto Morini X-Cape 649 enters the market at an MSRP of $8,299. See the announcement below:
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Who is Moto Morini?
Moto Morini is one of the many European zombie brands that has been revived by Chinese investors. The company’s roots go back before World War II, to 1937, when it was founded in Bologna. In the post-war era, Moto Morini made sporty bikes that won many races, even building a turbo model in the late 1970s that came with an ADV variant. But like so many Italian marques, Moto Morini ran into money trouble. Cagiva bought the brand in 1987. That set off about 25 further years of instability under Cagiva and other owners. The company closed its doors in the 2010s, and in 2018, Zhongneng Vehicle Group assumed control.
Since then, the company has been revived in Europe and started expansion to other markets.
What about the X-Cape?
The X-Cape debuted in late 2021 as a middleweight ADV option. Here’s what we told you about itthen:
Judging from the spec sheet, buyers get a fair bit of flair for their Euro. The 8-valve 649cc liquid cooled P-Twin is fed by Bosch EFI from a 4.75-gallon tank and punches out 60 horsepower and 41 pound-feet of torque. The bike is equipped a 7-inch LCD screen, snouty rally-style angular bodywork with dual LED headlights, adjustable 50mm Marzocchi fork and and an adjustable KYB shock out back. Triple disc Brembo brakes stopping tubeless tires come with ABS as standard and it can be turned off.
Dry weight is 469 pounds, so count on 500 pounds/226kg fueled before you start tacking on panniers and other kit, which are available in the accessories catalog. The color options have fancy names but essentially you can choose from white, red or grey.
Since then, Moto Morini has also shown an up-spec’d version of the bike at EICMA, theX-Cape ADV-R. To prove they know what they’re doing, they even entered this prototype atthe Basella Racein Spain last winter.
Where can you see one?
If you’re interested enough to go see a dealer about the bike, uh… we’re not sure how you can do that. The American Moto Morini site does not actually list any dealerships. However, the site itself ishere至少,你可以找到一些deets there.
