In tandem with Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency.
Adventure is the most hotly contested segment in motorcycling, and a heck of a place to launch a brand.
But that’s where Moto Morini found itself when it entered the New Zealand market with its X-Cape 650 – a learner-approved adventure tourer aimed at exploring the backroads of the nation.
While that might seem like a loony thing to do, Moto Morini is imported by Europe Imports, a company that knows what it’s doing as the previous distributor of the original adventure bike - BMW’s iconic GS range.
Despite only being available as a LAMS-spec motorcycle with a claim of 44kW of peak power from its CFMoto-supplied 649cc parallel-twin engine, the Morini itself brings to the table an impressive value proposition against the established bikes in the game – namely Suzuki’s aging V-Strom 650 LAMS and the new crop of 500cc parallel twin offerings from Honda, Benelli and more.
READ MORE
In a rare move for an entry level bike, the X-Cape’s suspension comes from Marzocchi with full adjustment on offer. Braking is also respectable being supplied by Brembo and backed by the mandatory ABS, which in true adventure fashion can be disabled for off-road riding.
The high-end features continue in the cockpit, where centre stage is a huge 7-inch TFT dash with built-in phone connectivity, plus the ability to switch between various displays and vehicle info. The X-Cape comes with the ability to switch between two modes (Ride and Off-Road), which among other things change the display between two very cool tachometers.
With 175mm of ground clearance and a 19/17-inch wheel combo, it should be pretty clear that you’re not going to tackle hard enduro-style terrain with the Moto Morini. Instead, the X-Cape is more of an all-roads type of adventurer than a bike to scramble up a riverbed on.
If there is one area the Morini feels its price point, it's the large amount of plastic bodywork, which doesn’t feel like it will react well to a fall. For riders interested in taking the bike to its adventure limits the accessory crash bars and skid plate (priced at $469 each) will be must-have items.
However, with that relatively small investment, you have a well-sorted adventure tourer that punches well above its price point.
Despite its high-tech specs, the Moto Morini X-Cape is priced on the money with the entry-level cast alloy wheel model priced from just $12,990. If the gold-rimmed spoked wheels catch your eye the price jumps to $13,790 - still less than its most direct competition, Suzuki’s venerable V-Strom 650.
After collecting the Morini from Europe Imports in Auckland I wasted no time in testing out its all-roads ethos on my long ride home, with a detour to Mt Pirongia on my way. Even with the ABS turned on, the bike felt tremendously planted on the gravel and had enough power to get you into trouble.
A fun feature of the big dash is the background changes depending on the time of day and which ride mode you have selected. Off-Road mode is by far the coolest looking, even if I couldn’t quite detect if it made any difference to the bike’s power delivery, with the tacho changing to a dirt bike tyre that changes colour as the revs rise.
Speaking of revs, the Moto Morini X-Cape doesn’t suffer from that “brick wall” in its power delivery as some other LAMS bikes do. Instead, as the revs rise to 5500rpm the bike surges forward with more gusto, meaning you can really have some fun or take it easy and tour.
Touring comfort is quite good, although the factory adjustable windscreen tended to create a lot of unwanted buffeting while I wore my peaked adventure helmet, despite adjusting its position. There’s an accessory touring screen available which I would hope would alleviate this problem.
Despite this, if it’s a capable all-roads tourer you are looking for, the Moto Morini X-Cape offers some of the best value for money in the current market.
BREAK IT DOWN
Moto Morini X-Cape
PRICE: From $12,990 ($13,790 as tested)
ENGINE: 649cc DOHC parallel-twin
POWER: 44kW at 9000rpm/50.5Nm at 5750pm
