Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1529190
W e've all heard the adage, "It is more fun to ride a slow bike fast, than to ride a fast bike slow." Dodging minivans while riding through the parking lot on a Ducati Panigale? Bend around the roundabout aboard a Honda Grom? Only one experience will make you truly feel like a MotoGP road racer! In our March 4, 1981, issue, we tested a couple of 350 and 500cc street bikes from the small company Moto Morini. Though these machines couldn't really be considered "slow," they were still spotting several horsepower and a few cc's to their competition of the day. Would the fun factor be able to override, so to speak, the gap in acceleration and top speed that the Italian bikes would be giving up to their competition? Moto Morini had a very quiet presence in the U.S., even though the company had been in exis - tence since 1937. Italian motor- cycles are born with racing in their DNA, and Moto Morini raced with good success for several decades, winning several Italian championships along the way. "Great fun for those not ad - dicted to raw horsepower," read the headline in the Cycle News feature, and with that slightly ominous caveat, the test began. Like many Italian motorized vehicles of that era, the Moto Morini made it clear that it wasn't the least bit concerned with driver comfort. The 350 (cleverly labeled as "3½") offered an arrogantly stiff saddle to its owner. Clutch pull seemed de- signed to separate athletes from mathletes, and the rest of the motorcycle was old school, right down to the inconvenient place- ment of the ignition key, which was directly below the fuel tank. Choke both carburetors before you punch the electric start, and the 3½ fires to life. The bike was slightly cold-blooded, and the testers found that the chokehold was necessary for a mile or two down the road. Lean into that clubman handlebar and "look for some turns. Any turns. The Morini loves 'em. All of 'em." "Turning," wrote the CN staff, "is simply a matter of selecting a line and applying appropriate lean for the speed and sharp - ness of the corner. The bike tracks like it were on the pro- verbial rail; neither end shakes, skips or does anything rude. Firm suspension keeps the bike on an even keel, but it is not un- duly harsh on the freeway." Italian motorcycle companies were adamant that their engine cylinders be as V-eed as Venice, so like Moto Guzzi and sort of like Ducati's L-twin, the Moto Morini is a V-twin configuration, CNIIARCHIVES P120 BY KENT TAYLOR Moto Morini's 350 & 500: Great Fun Without The Power Forza Italia! In the early 1980s, Moto Morini knew how to build great- handling motorcycles, like its sporty 500 street machine.