Cycle News

Cycle News 2020 Issue 21 May 27

Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles

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Page 106 of 109

P106 CN III BOOK REVIEW BY ALAN CATHCART A lone among today's survivors of Ita- ly's rollcall of historic trophy brands, nobody has yet written an in-depth history of Moto Morini. It's been the forgot- ten face of Italian motorcycling, despite an honorable record on the race track, and the development of an early '70s bench- mark model, the popular 3½, which was the first Morini model to be exported in any quantity, and is today globally recognized as a trend-setting design—the first volume production motorcycle in the world to feature an electronic ignition, toothed-belt camshaft drive and a six-speed gearbox. But now Belgian morinista Wim Raey- maekers has rectified that omission, with the massive 554-page large-format self-published volume, Sempre Piú Forte – The complete history of Moto Morini, that's written in both English and Ital- ian, and is now available by mail order. The book's title means "Ever Stronger"—Morini's motto since its foundation in 1937—and it's illustrated with a superla- tive array of photos from a variety of sources as well as Wim's own extensive collection built up over the past 30 years ever since 1988. For that's when Raeymaekers purchased his first Morini, a '76 3½ which he still owns, and soon after discovered the picaresque origins of the brand. Moto Morini was always the Cagney-esque little guy, punch- ing above its weight in standing up for itself against the major-league hitters of the Italian motorcycle industry, whether Gilera, Moto Guzzi or Bianchi in the pre- WW2 era, or the likes of its former Bologna neighbor Ducati, in the present day. "I was astonished to see what [Moto Morini] had produced in the pre-1970 years," says Wim in his foreword. "Several visits to Italy followed which produced the purchase of several fine single-cylinder Moto Morini bikes. My interest and Sempre Piú Forte – The complete history of Moto Morini affection for the Bolognese brand was growing, and besides motorcycles I also started to collect maga- zines, original brochures and photos. While my collec- tion of information was growing, I found out that…. a lot of articles already written about Moto Morini were incorrect, or not complete. Compared to other illustri- ous motorcycle brands, a book on Moto Morini was not yet available—at least not what I had in mind what the story of Moto Morini should be." So, though not a professional writer, he decided to produce this him- self, taking three years of night classes to learn Italian, in order to be able to converse with key players in the brand's history. So, it's no exaggeration to say that this book is a labor of love, the work of a lifetime that'll be welcomed by any fan of Italian bikes. One reason is because its outstanding design sets new standards for the presentation of such a marque history, and that rich selection of 588 photos covering the period from 1924, and Moto Morini's antecedents in the MM company, captures in atmospheric detail the Italian love affair with motorcycles over the past century, especially sporting ones. Raeymaekers

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