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The only people who gripe about Chinese bikes are 40-somethings. Moto Morini’s new 6½ Street should add to the stress

Look closely at this new Moto Morini 6½ Street and see if you can find anything that screams ‘cheap’. Difficult isn’t it? Brembo brakes, fully adjustable Kayaba forks, five-inch TFT dash, Pirelli tyres and tidy frame welds mean it seems as sorted as any middleweight from Triumph, Yamaha or the rest.

Morini are now owned by Chinese motorcycle colossus Zongshen and the bikes are built in China but designed in Italy. The Street follows the X-cape adventure bike that appeared earlier this year and it uses most of the same running gear. Power comes from a lightly modified version of Kawasaki’s old ER-6 motor, which puts out 61bhp at 8250rpm and passes Euro5 thanks to the latest fuel injection from Bosch and tinkering by Zongshen (who also build motors for KTM and BMW). There will also be a Scrambler version costing £6999. The Street will set you back £6699.

So will they sell? ‘Yes, but a lot depends on your age,’ says Ben Wiley from Morini dealer Moto Hub. ‘With people under 30, it doesn’t occur to them that Chinese bikes might be lower quality – they missed that period. And older people [55+] aren’t bothered because they remember when Japanese bikes were shite for a few years before dominating everything. It’s only really the 40-somethings who tend to be worried about the bikes being built in China.’

Ben’s been selling the X-cape – which has the same engine and chassis as the Scrambler but comes with a fairing – for four months and has been surprised by the popularity. ‘Our demo bike has done 2500 miles because so many people have been out on it. We’ve sold nine, which is a lot for us – we’re a small business with only three of us working here. From the ones we’ve sold, three have been Morini people [who actively wanted a Morini], and the rest are new to us, mostly people who want something a bit different. ‘When people look at the X-cape, they’re often surprised by the quality,’ says

Ben. ‘I had a chap with an MT-07 who just came in for a look and ended up buying one because the quality was so much better than his Yamaha. We are really looking forward to getting the new ones – I reckon they could do just as well as what we’ve found so far.’

‘When people look, they’re often surprised by the quality’