MOTO MORINI CORSARO 1200 ZZ
FULL TEST
P96
HIDDEN SECRET
This is the first test of the latest model produced by
historic Italian marque Moto Morini, under its new sole ownership
BY ALAN CATHCART
PHOTOGRAPHY BY BEPPE VERTEMATI
revived from the scrapheap
of history in 2003 via a joint
venture between the Morini
family and the cash-rich lo-
cal Berti brothers.
This led to the company's
former chief engineer
Franco Lambertini, creator
of the classic 3½ model's
Heron-headed V-twin motor,
designing the all-new 1187cc
87º V-twin CorsaCorta
engine that powers the
Corsaro (it means "pirate" in
Italian), the reborn marque's
first model. This naked
streetfighter entered produc-
tion in 2006, later to spawn
E
ven by Italian motorcy-
cle industry standards,
Moto Morini—founded
in 1937—has had more
lives than lasagna-loving
Garfield the Cat, or any of
his other feline friends. In
modern times, it's involved
the Bologna-based com-
pany, briefly going through
the hands of the Castiglioni
brothers back when they
owned Ducati, but before re-
viving MV Agusta. They shut
Morini down to make a real-
estate killing by bulldozing
its factory and redeveloping
it, only for the firm to be
