Moto Morini Cruiser Coming

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A cruiser looks like it will join Moto Morini’s lineup in the near future. (Moto Morini/)

The reborn Moto Morini brand was confirmed to be coming to the US market earlier this year, and now it’s developing a new cruiser model, the first since the Moto Morini Excalibur and New York V-twins of the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Although not officially announced yet, Morini’s plans for a cruiser have been revealed via the company’s design registrations, which include the traditional-looking machine pictured here. It seems that the new motorcycle is aimed at the same middleweight cruiser segment that includes bikes like Honda’s single-cylinder Rebel 500 and Kawasaki’s Vulcan S—the latter of which has a fairly similar 650cc parallel-twin engine. Morini doesn’t appear to be going directly after the “V-twin market,” but targeting riders looking for something lighter, less expensive, and non-intimidating.

The new motorcycle is codenamed “P16″ but may well revive one of those historic names, like Excalibur or New York, when it reaches production. Like the Seiemmezzo roadster and X-Cape adventure bike that form the sum total of the Morini range at the moment, it will use a CFMoto-made, 649cc parallel-twin engine that’s also used in several of that company’s models. This engine also happens to have distinct design similarities to the long-running Kawasaki twin used in the Vulcan S and Z650 models that it is targeting. In the X-Cape and Seiemmezzo, the engine makes a claimed 61 hp. at 8,250 rpm and 40 lb.-ft. of peak torque at 7,000 rpm. Unless it’s been retuned for this new cruiser, the power output numbers are likely to remain in the same ballpark.

The detailed design illustrations indicate that this new model is far along in the development process. (Moto Morini/)

While the engine is familiar, the rest of the bike isn’t. Both the Seiemmezzo and X-Cape 650 are based on a common set of components, including the same chassis, but the P16 has a totally different frame design. It has a conventional double-cradle frame layout formed from steel tubes, with an aluminum swingarm suspended by twin shocks. Unlike the other models in the range, it uses belt final drive and a conventional fork rather than an inverted one.

The new cruiser that could be called either New York or Excalibur has a traditional fork, a single front disc brake and bar-end mirrors. (Moto Morini/)

The designs show a bike that’s clearly close to being production ready, with details right down to the reflectors on the fork—required for the US market—and of the wiring. It looks like there’s a USB socket under a rubber cap on the left-hand side of the bike, just behind the steering stem, and the instruments are a simple combination of an analog speedometer and a small LCD inset for other readouts.

As well as an extremely low seat, the cruiser features forward foot controls and a wide handlebar with end-mounted mirrors. The brakes are likely to be from Brembo, like those on the Seiemmezzo and X-Cape, while the clutch is clearly cable-operated rather than hydraulic. Seen from the front or rear views, it’s clear the pegs and the low-slung exhaust (on the right-hand side) will likely touch down at relatively modest lean angles.

From this view, you can see the simple analog speedometer/tachometer dial with an LCD inset info screen. (Moto Morini/)

Late last year, Moto Morini filed documents with the NHTSA explaining its VIN sequences, as is required to sell bikes in the US. That paperwork confirmed that a range of 650cc models are headed to the States, all manufactured in Zhejiang, China, where the company’s main factory is located. The development work is undertaken in Italy, but since 2018 Moto Morini has been owned by Zhongneng Vehicle Group. The NHTSA documents also showed that a range of 750cc V-twin bikes are due to be offered in the States, all using a 97-hp engine, although no models matching that description have been launched yet.

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