Exotic Italians face our super-tough road test route
MotoMorini Corsaro 1200 ZZ versus Aprilia Tuono V4 1100 Factory
This is the tale of two very different super nakeds. In the black corner is the ultra-refined Aprilia Tuono V4 1100 Factory – a 175bhp machine loaded with electronics and powered by the most evocative V4 motor around (and yes, that includes Ducati’s new V4). It’s built by the might of the Piaggio Group and wears its multiple group test wins and MCN awards with pride. Over in the, er, black corner, is the raw, 1187cc, V-twin, 137bhp Moto Morini Corsaro 1200 ZZ.
Based on the mid-noughties original, it has no rider aids and is hand built at Morini’s Milan factory. It costs two grand more than the Aprilia, can’t match its power and lacks the Tuono’s toys. Can it really compete on the MCN250? Resurgent in the noughties, Moto Morini went bust in 2009 before the original Corsaro 1200 established itself. But they’re back as a low volume maker of hand-built bikes, using an updated, Euro4 version of their ‘Bialbero 1200 CorsaCorta’ 87° V-twin motor, wrapped in a tubular steel trellis frame.
Trickling through Northampton’s rush hour traffic the Morini’s motor fuels superbly and is less jerky at low revs than the Tuono’s, the V4’s only weak spot. With roads clearing past Silverstone, the Corsaro 1200 ZZ is all about its pounding midrange. Just leave it in third or fourth, and bolt from corner to corner in a thunderclap of acceleration.
A new slipper clutch minimises engine braking into corners and on the motorway the Morini cruises in top gear with no danger of the big twin clattering at low revs in protest. I rode the 1200 ZZ last year in preproduction form and the motor was aggressive, so it’s nice to see it now more polished and refined – so much I’d say it’s one of the smoothest big cc V-twins ever produced. Unfortunately, our Morini test bike has an intermittent lowspeed running fault, causing it to stall and ‘hunt’ from time to time. It’s frustrating, but as we haven’t experienced similar before with this engine, we’re hopeful it’s just an issue with this particular bike. A quickshifter and autoblipper are conspicuous by their absence on the Moto Morini, but you quickly get used to using the clutch again and the lack of riding modes or anti-wheelie is refreshing. Want to hover the front wheel out of a second-gear hairpin? Be my guest. The only electronics to get in the way is the ABS, which never intrudes on the MCN250, but in our 70-0mph panic braking tests it comes in early, extending the ZZ’s stopping distance by seven metres over the Aprilia. The 2006 Corsaro always handled sweetly and with its revised steering geometry, latest generation sticky Pirelli Diablo Rosso III rubber and fully-adjustable Mupo suspension the ZZ is a joy. Front end feel, grip
and confidence match the Aprilia, it’s light to flick from side to side and Brembos (the same as the Tuono’s) are man enough to hackoff big speeds in an instant. Again, it’s much calmer than the pre-production Morini I rode last year. That was set so extreme for fast steering, it wobbled at speed. This ZZ still wiggles its hips when you first tap the throttle and shimmies slightly at high speed, like the whole bike is slightly short and the forks steep. But it never gets out of shape and you can ride the ZZ as gung-ho as the Tuono, even over the roughest of Cotswold terrain. Although down on power and tech, all the Corsaro 1200 ZZ’s good stuff happens at lower speed than the V4, which is what you want for the road. Through any given stretch of the MCN250 the Corsaro is more of a giggle than the Aprilia – more gnarly snowboarder to the Tuono’s inch-perfect downhill skier, which can more than handle anything our test route can throw at it. Polished to within an inch of its life the Tuono is a lesson in velvety brilliance. If you love sportsbikes, ride mostly on the road, with the odd trackday, it’s perfection. With the Aprilia you really can have your sportsbike cake and eat it. It stops, handles, grips and goes like the very best superbikes you can buy. Whether it’s the glorious B660 between Bedford and Kimbolton, or a sunny Brands Hatch or Cadwell, few machines will match you braking into corners, will feel as
‘If you love sportsbikes and ride on the road, it’s perfection’
composed at full lean or demolish straights with such ferocity. Top speed is ‘only’ 164mph (the ZZ does 150mph), due to its lack of bodywork, but that’s a good thing
‘It’s a genuine naked superbike contender with its superb V-twin’
because the V4 1100 Factory gives you a more vivid sense of velocity, which a superbike lacks. And while you’re crunched up on a race replica, the Tuono is roomy and refreshing. That’s the joy of a super naked: you’re not sacrificing comfort for all that delicious performance.
And before you say the Tuono isn’t a true naked, those frame-hugging plastic sideburns do nothing to shield you and the nose fairing is tiny. It could do with a taller screen for sustained motorway work. Expanding the RSV4 to an 1100 is a masterstroke. It’s packed with the same brutal acceleration as its superbike sister and has that same haunting MotoGP wail, but the Tuono’s motor is crammed with bottom and midrange power that you could ride the whole MCN250 in sixth, if you timed the lights right. But it’s the V4 1100 Factory’s refinement that impresses, be it from its sumptuous ride, the brakes’ tactile brilliance, its electronic rider aids’ subtlety or chassis parts. It’s a step above super naked royalty and, in previous tests, BMW’s S1000R, KTM 1290 Super Duke R and Yamaha MT-10 don’t get close on the road, or track, but the Speed Triple RS does offer a similar mix of plushness and performance. The Moto Morini can’t match the Aprilia’s refinement, performance and kit, or its price tag, but it’s a genuine super-naked contender with a superb V-twin, easy speed and fun. Riding both on the MCN250 has never felt so good.