MOTO MORINI XCAPE ADVENTURE BIKE: FULL TEST

You gotta admit, Italians understand sexy. The Moto Morini X-Cape is a motorcycle that’s positively electric with sex appeal— from its expensive-looking finish to its Ferrari Red color. The irony is that the X-Cape isn’t expensive or Italian. This is an entry-level adventure bike that’s manufactured in China. What sets it apart from the other Asian bikes that seem to materialize on a weekly schedule is that its origin, concept and heritage come from Milan. It was simply put together elsewhere.

The X-Cape we tested is a 2023 model, which can still be had with a $1,000 discount. That brings the price to $6,999.
THE MORINI IN YOU
If you don’t know what a Moto Morini is, that’s forgivable. It’s an Italian brand that was a very big deal in Europe back in the day, but never had much of a U.S. presence. They were the very definition of exotic, with bikes like 350 and 500cc V-twins. In the late ’80s, Moto Morini became a part of the Cagiva group, along with Husqvarna, Ducati and MV Agusta. Subsequently, it went through a number of ownership changes to eventually end up as part of an Asian investment group called Zhongneng. Now, the company maintains its design headquarters in Milan while manufacturing is in China. How much is Italian and how much is Chinese? Hard to say. The motor itself has been seen elsewhere. It’s made by CFMoto and is said to be inspired by—if not a copy of—a Kawasaki 650. It’s a 649cc twin with offset crank pins. It has a Bosch fuel-injection system and a 6-speed gearbox. The chassis and styling are what make the Morini special; it wouldn’t look out of place in a Ducati dealership. The frame is steel with a trellis layout and an aluminum swingarm. The price is your first big clue that it’s no Ducati.

You can tell that there’s significant Italian influence in the X-Cape. This is a bike designed by people who ride. You can buy the bike in colors other than red, but why?

The X-Cape has a suggested retail price of $7,999. Right now there’s a deal for $1,000 off. That puts the Morini in the same range as a Kawasaki KLR650, and it’s much more of a motorcycle. It has first-rate components—Brembo triple disc brakes, a fully adjustable Marzocchi fork and a KYB shock. The 17-/19-inch wheel combo has spoked rims with double walls that can accept tubeless tires. The tires themselves are Pirelli Scorpion Rally semi-knobs with excellent off-road capability. The cockpit has a 7-inch tablet as its primary instrument, along with two USB ports and an adjustable windscreen. Our bike had an accessory aluminum skid plate.

RIDE SOMEWHERE
This is a bike that needs a destination; you can’t just go out on a lunch ride with something like the X-Cape. It deserves a real adventure, like a La Paz run or at least a Backroads Discovery Route. On the road, it’s comfortable for long hauls. The seat and riding position are spread out, and sixth gear is tall enough to allow low revs at highway speed.

When you take the bike off-road, it’s a gas. The power is smooth and seamless. It’s not the most powerful adventure bike. It makes about 60 horsepower, which is plenty in the dirt. Right now, the adventure world is full of preposterously powerful motorcycles that need traction control and various ride modes just to be manageable. The X-Cape occupies that middle ground where sophisticated riding aids aren’t especially useful. It still makes enough power to walk away from KLR650s and Japanese 600cc dual-sport bikes with ease, but it won’t challenge a KTM 690 Enduro or a Husky 701. All of those bikes are singles, of course, and weigh considerably less.

The motor is manufactured by CF Moto. Our bike had an accessory aluminum skid plate that sells for $220.

In the world of twins, the only two bikes we’ve tested in this range are the Suzuki V-Strom 650 and the Benelli TRK502. The Suzuki has slightly more power than the Morini, which has noticeably more than the Benelli. Both the Suzuki and the Benelli are much more street-oriented than the X-Cape. The Morini reflects some real off-road engineering. The layout allows you to stand easily, and the suspension isn’t half bad. It feels pretty cushy at low speeds, although it’s set up a little too soft for a fast pace. It does have a certain range of adjustability, far more than you would expect for a bike in this price range. Overall, it handles surprisingly well. The front end sticks, and the rear end slides smoothly and predictably. The fact that it comes with excellent off-road tires is awesome. Like most adventure bikes, you have to stand up to weight the front wheel properly, but even if you don’t, good rubber makes a very big difference.

At that price, you gotta give up something. In this case, the electronic package is bare bones. It has handlebar controls that allow you to select an off-road mode, but it does little other than give you a cool knobby-tire graphic on the TFT display. There’s no modification to the power delivery or suspension. You can disable the rear-wheel anti-lock brake system in that mode, but you have to remember to do it again every time you start the bike.

We will say that the Morini’s ABS isn’t necessarily a bad thing in the dirt. It’s not that invasive. Still, most experienced off-road riders don’t like anything between them and the rear brake. Front-wheel ABS is always on, and that’s okay with us.

There are only a few other flies in the Morini ointment. The Bosch EFI mapping isn’t perfect. On downhills, the throttle response can be jerky, plus there’s a little popping. The cable clutch can be spongy, and there’s a little engine vibration that works its way up through the bars. On the flip side, the hand controls and footpegs are excellent. The attention to detail is surprisingly good everywhere.

COVERING GROUND
The greatest part about the X-Cape is that it doesn’t scare you, physically or financially. The obvious flaw with high-dollar adventure bikes is that you don’t want to push the edge—not with a fat, hungry payment book at home. The X-Cape sells for the price of a 125 motocross bike, so you can afford to get a little loose. The aforementioned $1,000 off will probably remain in place until all the 2023 models are sold out. The company gives you the option of taking that discount or a luggage set, which normally retails for $1,480. The luggage set consists of beautifully made aluminum saddlebags with a top case, which is an easy choice for anyone who wants to use the Morini for travel. There’s very little left aside from choosing when, where and how far to go.