MORINI V TWINS

A classic Italian V twin that won’t break the bank!

In the classic world the vast majority of Italian hardware is out of reach for our £5k budget. You’ll not be buying any older, running Ducati for that money; Guzzis at that price are likely to be scabby and Laverda’s Alipno 500 is a rare bird …but there is an alternative.

Moto Morini first offered up the delicious 350 V twins at the start of the 1970s, but they didn’t reach the UK until a few years later. Offered in both Sport and Strada options, the bikes were expensive but just oh, so good to ride. Despite being ‘only’ a 350, the V twin punched well above its weight and truly epitomised the classic description... ‘Handled like it was on rails’. There was nothing like it at the time and, arguably, no one has come close since. The higher end of the model range might be outside our budget, but there’s still some joy to be had for our five big ones.

The early bikes have a style and class that transcends time – they are still elegant today some 50 years on. And, atypically for a period Italian machine, they are almost as reliable as a comparably Japanese offering.

The prime reason for this is both in the quality of the engineering and the metallurgy that backs it up. Despite being a push-rod motor (no overhead cams here, etc.), they thrive on being revved and are pretty much unburstable. Servicing is basic and simple, and there’s precious little to worry about; the various owners club’s around the world can tell you what to look for and what to do in terms of preventative maintence.

The bike’s biggest draw has to be its handling and the frankly almost unbelievable way the bike goes around bends. Whether you opt for the dinky little 250, choose the ubiquitous 350 or go for the later 500 version, they all offer almost leechlike levels of grip on what looks like infeasibly narrow tyres. The very fact that you can embarrass larger, faster and/or more modern machinery around the twisties only adds to the fun factor. The bikes love rolling into bends almost via the rider’s thoughts and perception of the Tarmac, yet they remain stable, predictable and flattering to pilot.

As is always the case, the earliest models are the most desirable with their twin pull drum brakes and wire-spoked alloy rims – they’re also the most expensive. A later Strada won’t break the bank and is arguably easier and more comfortable to ride. The later restyled K2 versions are possibly a little less aesthetically pleasing yet still offer the same level of intensive, Latin, two-wheeled, therapy the right side of five-digit price tickets. For longer distance runs the 500s make an awful lot of sense and even if they’re not appreciably faster than the 350s they are noticeably longer legged and therefore easier to ride all-day long.

If the bikes were created in the 1970s the following decade saw the factory broaden its horizons as it fought to maintain and even increase its market share. This led to the creation of trail versions of the bikes, thereby meeting the Japanese firms head on. Although not an obvious choice for an off-road power unit, the V twin motors were equally happy in their new rolls with the 350 being marketed as the Kanguro and the 500 as the Camel. Perhaps a little surprisingly, both models found eager acceptance and

did better in terms of sales than many had expected.

If the trail Morinis were an unexpected addition to the range there was yet more to come. When the firm was acquired by the Cagiva brand the 350 motor was cunningly shoehorned into the all-alloy chassis of a 125cc Freccia (aka Arrow). Clothed in acres of late 1980s plastic, the bike combined the modern looks of the Arrow with the grunt of the 350 V twin. Sadly, the resultant union, sold as the Morini dart, cost as much a Honda CBR600, which meant very poor sales levels. Perhaps the unhappiest use of the legendary middleweight motors was the rather ill-conceived attempt at rolling out factory custom versions intended to wow American buyers.

The 350 and 500 Excalibur models were genuinely a step too far and if their designers had somehow thought would-be Harley riders might buy one they were very cruelly disappointed. It was a sad end to a fine range of lithe Italian machines.

Lineage and Legacy

With the sale of the firm to Cagiva by owner Gabriella Morini in 1987 the marque lost its true identity and by the start of the new millennium was in fresh hands with totally new designs that bore no relation to the earlier air-cooled motors. The brand is back on sale again but doesn’t offer smaller capacity machines; the lowest capacity now is a 649cc liquid-cooled parallel twin with no familial links to the classic V twins.

Why you might want one now

There’s a real period charm to the earlier road versions of the V twin and they come with a strong pedigree of good engineering. Both these and the later dual-purpose versions offer an authentic Italian motorcycle experience without a premium price penalty or a preponderance for hissy, divalike fits. If previous road tests and reviews might have put you off a period Latin bike, a quality Morini is definitely the machine to change your viewpoint.

Typical Prices

You’re genuinely unlikely to find a Dart for sub 5k but a viable 500 with patina can be snapped up for just under £4000. The slightly quirky K2s start around £2500 and the later alloy-wheeled 350 Sports is anywhere between £2500 to £4000 for something that’s good but not mint. Barn finds are out there and we spotted a 1975 wire-spoked wheel one on offer for just under £3000 in need of some TLC. A restored and apparently immaculate Camel was recently sold for £5000, and 350 Kanguros can be snapped up in Italy for less than a grand, which has to be worth considering.

Summary

Italian classics don’t have to be either highly stressed money pits or mega expensive – the Morini V twins prove just that day in, day out. Buying a tidy runner from a private seller rather than an aesthetically pimped-up, over-restored example from a dealer is the way to go. Morini enthusiasts tend to be loving owners so you’ll be getting a decently maintained bike for half-sensible money, but be warned – Morin V twins are highly addictive!