You were right at the end people saying it's Chinese .well they said that about my motor morini 1200scrambler it's Italian .great bike .and what an engine .got mine from Ben Wylie Amore moto . He knows his motor morinin,s. good lad .if I was in the market for a new bike I would go for a x cape .
Looks like a great machine. Can't wait until you have some time with it to find any bugs. I ride a Concours 14 and a Super Tenere 1200 so the weight of a machine is what you are comfortable with. I am 53 and like riding the heavier machines they are much more planted with wind and road imperfections being absorbed with little effort. The Chinese are making some very impressive improvements. Great review.
Wow such a great machine, it looks so pretty and handy, I really love this bike, I wish I can afford one here in Ghana 🇬🇭 Great bike ❤ and I love the way you ride man.... You nailed it!
Very good review - comprehensive with some hard won wisdom. Tried one this morning......disappointed as the thing is gorgeous in red - reminded me of the 31/2 Sport that still languishes in boxes in my garage after almost 40 years; not the best all year round transport solution we ever had in early 1980's. We both loved the comfort (seat & peg height) & decent build quality of the X-Cape - better than the Versys I think. Brakes good - decent feel & enough power for me even 2 up. Steering good once acclimatised to the top heavy feeling, but suspension disappointed given the brand names - poor dealer adjustment.? Clutch too heavy (cable). Gearshift poor - false neutrals but fine in the box itself when it all cooperated. Tyres great (newish). Engine vibey, gutless low down & poor midrange - no chance or inclination to rev the tits off it. In short, a very anonymous motor - I recall testride on ER6 years ago being a hoot, pulling from everywhere on the dial - so if this is the same motor what have they done? Personally I hate digital dashes - cheap alternative to proper clocks - & this is maybe the worst I have seen - 20 year PlayStation level. I am an old geezer so perhaps that's why. I just went & looked at the revcounter & speedo of the Morini 31/2 on the shelf in my study - classy kit even now - about the only things that still worked on the bike after 30k hard won all year round miles when I gave up rebuilding the f...... thing & bought a Honda (sigh). I spent many years in the TRF - glad to see someone still at it. Well done & keep up the good work. Cheers. P.S. We do trails like that 2 up on a cb500 on road tyres - fortune favours the brave? (old, stupid, crazy........)
Cheap, Light, Strong, pick two! Edit: I loved witnessing the battle going on in your head before taking it up that climb! The camera flattened out that slope and it's pretty steep! I didnt get up there in the winter with my lil 400, the rocks were too slippy for my tyres, so well done for chucking that hefty beast up there, brand new n all!
Yeah it's made tricky by that gully in the middle. If you get in that you're buggered. If you go again try the left hand side and ride the high line and just keep it going so you don't drop down into the gully. In the wet tho it is tricky
Looks like Kawa have indeed made a new KLR650, but it will not be coming to Europe...What?...I've been a Kawasaki person from the beginning, and I would certainly have bought one. I'm glad you finally hawked your pearly at the end of the video, though. Best thing I ever did was trying the Himalayan for a day with you, before buying one. A day of mixed on/off road riding was WAY better than an hour doing a circuit around a dealership. Told me a lot and essentially sold me the bike. Money well spent, and a day on any bike in the company of a cheery, amiable chap is never a hardship, even if I had hated the bike!
You star 💫 for articulating how we all feel when we decide whether or not to tackle a new challenge …. The inner psyche of weighing up the risk and the intangible reward 😅
This is a good-looking bike. Euro-Chinese bikes are reliable if Benelli is anything to go by. An acquaintance in Thailand has been riding a Benelli 500 - the scrambler variant - for two years, and nothing has gone wrong with it. And he puts miles on it. At 7,500 GBP this MM runs tubeless tyres. It makes you wonder why the Yamaha T7 doesn't at the price it is. I am planning on getting an NC750X DCT for longer rides and keeping the 390 Duke for the backlanes. Mossy talked me into it on a review he did on the NC on Knox's channel. The low-down shove he raved about was the clincher. All sorts of other reason - the low c of g and storage unit in the dummy tank etc. I have been thinking about it for an age. Excellent review, Nathan.
Hi Nathan, very interesting review and I’d like to thank you for being brave enough to try ones of these bikes for us. When you have figured out the suspension, riding modes and service/ specs of the bike will you please post with what you have found please?
Impressive riding Nathan. I know slopes always look less steep on camera and it did look quite steep! Interesting point on the Versys, I’ve always seen that as a sports tourer. Wouldn’t making the front wheel bigger just take the sports element out? Kawasaki did introduce the a new KLR650 this year ( not in the UK) and that’s supposed to be pretty good. Cheers 🙂
Congrats on the new bike! It is a good looking thing and I think it will sell well just on that fact (and its price of course). If it has adjustable damping front and rear it is in a class of only a few that do at this price point, it would be interesting to see what sort of range of adjustment it is capable of. Their website and spec sheet makes zero mention of the adjustable damping? If it does have it a good video topic would be to ride it with the damping set at its two extremes to get a feel for its range. The Tiger 900 for example can offer a sporty firm ride or a luxo-barge blancmange of one with a simple 30 second adjustment, can the Morini do the same?
Great video Nathan, as usual. Three things spring to mind: "We need some corners" -Surely a sticker in the future. I agree on the ethics issue. Buying a bike is so personal, and it's not always rational. I can look at spec sheets all day long, but without a decent test ride, you're kinda flying blind. That's the beauty of your 'fleet' system I reckon. All the best
Very very brave ....skill through the roof there nathan....past versys owner 1050 xt now and its as easy to move about versys was quite heavy bike...but as you say all weight gos on move morini better looking than versys your right come on japan sort yourselves out 👍
Great review mate...if you can manage to add a bit more bike sound these tests would be epic. Mnd you, maybe I'm a bit deaf cos of my pipes and refusal to wear ear plugs...
I just noticed a massive fault ( the rear pegs are part of the frame ) was like that with the old Tiger 800 and 1200 . As if the rear peg brackets bend in a off or snap the hole bike will be written off. A major oversight.
Down my way the speed limit for an unpaved road is 30 k/h. It's not really enforced but it's there. I can do that with my 125cc 😅 The Moto Morini X-Cape has the same price as a Honda CB500X... so It seems like a very good value.
I doubt it this would be a discontinued bike. The owners have money and are committed to growing globally. They are promoting the brand aggressively in Asia and it seems that more Asians have trust in the Chinese motorcycle because of the technology and quality control from these manufacturers. This sector is their pride now. They have the money too.
Yeah good points. It's more the importer situation that causes a lot of bikes to be discontinued; SWM for example. But yeah hopefully the Morinis get some traction and a strong dealer network that support the bikes. It's always been my gripe with the Chinese bikes. They build the bikes okay but don't put any effort into building the brand/dealer network. A good importer with a lot of outlets seems most crucial; like Benelli who were imported into the UK by the same people as Royal Enfield who had an established and decent quality dealer network they could feed the bikes into. Problem for SWM is that they just ended up in the backstreet dealers which people aren't generally willing to buy high ticket price bikes from. Morini has a limited but reputable number of dealers on their books but they definitely need more. But dealers will only stock what they think will sell. Chicken and the egg a bit.
5:09 Actually, the x-cape is manufactured in Italy. Only the engine is build in China by CF-Moto. And CF moto uses this engine in it's models for quite some time now. They've proven to be reliable. I mean, even KTM trusted CFMoto with it's 790 and that was the most reliable engine KTM ever put out :P . Do we blindly trust them then? Ofc not. Only time will tell how good these bikes are. What I am saying is, we must drop our misconceptions about what is a chinese bike. I am telling you this as an owner of a 790 adv. And I had my eye on the CFmoto CLX700 for some years now as a daily driver. Gorgeous bike. I ll tell you how that goes. PS: 9:37 Off-Road mode also disables ABS at the back weel.
I wonder if there’s a parallel between the British Moto industry in the 70’s and the Japanese and Japan and china now. Ok Japanese quality is higher, but wonder if there’s a shared mindset of dismissing the competition. 🤔 Big thing that’s put me off the Chinese brand bikes is dealer support.
Top man Nathan, another no nonsense, honest quick review👍 And when are the big Japanese manufacturers going to start plugging the holes in their range of bike sizes? I honestly don't understand why there aren't more serious dualsport/all rounders around the 500cc mark. I'm still wishing for a mini Africa Twin. The all round competence of an AT based around the cb500 engine please.
For real sense with no BS I think Nathan is the man. This seems like a proper honest ‘first impressions’ opinion. Thanks Nathan! And nice to see those N Devon back roads yet again!! Les
@@motohobo I can see that you want a baby AT but my preference would be for a single cylinder 500. With the success of the Himalayan I find it bewildering that there are no modern Japanese equivalents in the vein of the DR/XL/XT series of old.
@@ed.barker7069 hi Ed, I might be interested in an all round big single myself, if there was a decent one out there. The main reason I suggested a baby AT based around the cb500 is because I have a cb500x and I absolutely love it. Its proven, reliable, economic, smooth and does pretty much much everything that I ask of it. But I wish it were more off road focused. Better suspension,travel,bigger front wheel, spoked wheels blah blah. And a little less weight would be nice too😉.Personally I'm happy enough with the power of the cb500. It'll nip along, cruise at 70/80mph all day. I can't say the way it gets to road legal max speeds is very exciting. And of course it lacks any real go and acceleration after 80mph but it'll reach 100mph without any problems. It just needs to be more off road focused or capable 😉
Could not agree more with your statement, the 650cc Adventure segment has been abandoned by the Japanese. Below the Yam T7 and the new Aprilia, the super expensive or exclusive GS650/850 and KTM, there is nothing in the range of the old DR Djebel or KLR which have been discontinued or so outdated they are barely worth the money they ask for. So, good on Moto Morini, great look, great spec. And I suspect the weight issue can be dealt with.
Are you going to be reviewing the Benelli leoncino 800 trail? For the looks alone I want one, but it would be nice if it was actually a good ride as well!
OI! What's the matter with a VStrom?.... Says the VStrom 650 owner.... Well for one thing I am absolutely certain I would not have made it up that lane on mine. What you want the bike for is critical, my VStrom is used on road only for long rides and moto-camping and for that purpose, for me it is perfect. I do like to look of that Moto Morini though and I'm quite fancying a ride of the CF Moto MT800 when it is released next month. As for the whole made in China thing, people who use that argument need to look at the electrical and electronic goods they have around them.
Ha. Apologies, I didn't mean to single the Vstrom out. It's a great bike. I was just using it as the example of the obvious choice for a bike in this class. I'll stop digging now.
The frame is also versys because the engine is a stressed member therefore the connection points for the frame is the same hence using the same frame. Basically a clone of a Japanese bike with Italian styling , id be more concerned about resale value than reliability
Very nice looking bike, and ticks all the boxes. The BIG problem with buying a bike like this is trying to sell it, nobody wants to buy it, and also nobody wants to service/repair it unless its the dealer. Then you are stuck with the dealers prices on what they want to charge. Ive been down this road before and always think twice before doing it again. Its a shame, because some of the other bikes not common in the UK are better than the Japanese/German/American bikes made today.
Me again mate, have to ask, after a few blasts around such offroad trails like the one here, did you notice unbearable rattling and the feeling of, well, falling apart? Or solid still?
No I've done a bit more off road at an off road centre here in the UK and it's held up no problems. No rattles or anything. I don't think it's naturally suited to off road. It does feel heavy in the dirt. But the standing position is good. But the suspension travel is limited and I think the steering rake is too steep for stability off road. I was getting a lot of handlebar shake on the faster sections.
Hi Nathan looks like a really good bike I've got a CFmoto 650 with the same engine they free up really nicely at about 1000 miles and its really good on fuel, my only thing is that it ticks over a little high what's yours like ? cracking review. Lovely styling on that bike too.. I've had absolutely no reliability problems engine wise at all or anything else come to that I know its not the same bike but you get a feel for things and my impressions of the Chinese brands has gone up since owning one so I don't think there will be a issue here either. Be interesting to see that one.
I all have a CF moto 650nk . When I first got it I was a little disappointed but now with 1500 + miles on the clock it's a very different animal . As the man said it loosens up nicely . That's why I'm going for the x-cape for my next bike knowing what I do about the engine 💯👍..... and a lovely look bike too 👍
Here in NZ this is about $5000 more than the CFMoto 650 which is essentially the same bike less cruise control and the ‘fancy’ name. Im looking at the CFMoto…😉
Engine and frame are the same, but rest of the bike not. Not to mention far superior design, which is usually also very important attribute of a motorcycle. Also the suspension is much better on x-cape.
I think after after having several I'm all Versys'd out and the latest version is fugly to my eyes and has bells and whistles no one wanted or asked for ....why they've never done a spoked wheel version I'll never know so I'm watching your progress on this bike with interest .....a grand for the luggage is a bit stiff !
I think for the build quality it's the disposable parts that tend to be below par in my experience. Like a really cheap chain, bolts and sprockets that rust quickly. The non-Chinese brands can definitely skimp here too, but as the overall package is just so cheap the corner cutting tends to be more prevelant. ultimately maybe not as important as a well built engine, but you tend to have problems spawn off from it being a bit rattly around the edges and not quite knowing what the replace / upgrade. Had a great little Chinese made 125 for a spell, but it was obvious it wasn't going to live very long without spending more money than it was worth. Morini looks great!
Yes it's true about the disposable parts and I think it'd certainly be a point of difference if the Japanese brands were still using good quality items but I think recent years has shown they've been on a cost cutting drive and quality has been effected as a result. Africa Twin spokes, Vstrom spokes, Tenere 700 spokes, Tenere paintwork, chains on the Thai built Hondas, paint quality on new Tiger 900s etc; all the brands are guilty of poor quality these days. Odd in a way that the established brands are lowering the bar whilst the Chinese brands are improving their quality. I reckon looking at this Morini they're about now on par, or at least very close. Interesting times ahead if the Chinese brands can start to innovate as well.
That's a very good question and in a way not a patch on it as an all rounder. That Husky was quick on the road, civilised, and could do off road as well. It's a real shame that it got discontinued so soon. This Morini is much more of a road bike, and no doubt better for touring and two up. I guess the closes thing to the Husky is the new Voge 650 DS but I haven't ridden one yet.
It's clear China are now producing some nice bikes, it's the infrastructure that goes with it what lets it down. If something fails your left months without a bike , which has happened to many people. Time to step things up !
My only consider is about the engines warmth,in Greece is pretty high temperature so I still wondering seriously what to do.looking foratracer 700also. And the price is 8300 Moroni and 9000 for yamaha.of course you can't go dirty with tracer but I feel more secure for buying a Yamaha. Right now I have a Chinese zontes t310 and I have some issues
Hi Xristos. Yes I do think engine heat could be an issue in somewhere like Greece. It was an issue in the height of uk summer so in Greece I'd imagine it would be an even bigger issue. There's a company making these heat shields which might help a bit. www.aliexpress.com/item/1005004772496641.html?srcSns=sns_Copy&spreadType=socialShare&bizType=ProductDetail&social_params=60205366711&aff_fcid=acc9b3ed7b564e6c890e61f33e1f6003-1667194540836-05886-_EvhPxWV&tt=MG&fbclid=IwAR2A90gwN-7LdIIJ0Lr47EVAaIDK_Zk1A_PfweUATgdh7c84XPukk3pPoqM&aff_fsk=_EvhPxWV&aff_platform=default&sk=_EvhPxWV&aff_trace_key=acc9b3ed7b564e6c890e61f33e1f6003-1667194540836-05886-_EvhPxWV&shareId=60205366711&businessType=ProductDetail&platform=AE&terminal_id=ec947fb6c96c4bc387ae1b49575e5b1b&afSmartRedirect=y
Excellent review, it's a brave choice, and I have to agree with striking a balance between the product and the politics. China's quality control has certainly improved massively in the past 10 years or so, but their human and animal rights record continues to be abysmal.
Not sure 🤔 if we will get this bike in Australia 🇦🇺, as their are no Moto Marini dealers here anymore. A problem with this “ Daker looks bikes “ they talk to talk but don’t walk the walk , like the scrambler phase ,the Ducati Scrambler urban enduro ( until they brought out the desert shed ) and a lot of Triumphs and other brands , CB500 - in stock form , My option make it do how it looks ( not a Wolfe in sheep clothing ) with its weight and especially suspension travel is the BIGGEST letdown.
I know what you mean. This is a street bike reconfigured for rough terrain rather than a focussed design. I get the feeling the Chinese are currently perfecting their copying. Whether they can innovate remains to be seen.
@@nathanthepostman So true mate , well they copy everything else it’s only a matter of time before they bring out a lighter and more capable off road ADV bike CFMoto are building the 890,s now and using the old 790 engine. I think 🤔 in around 5 years they will be up to the same level .
@@NotNowCato1254 I owned a Scrambler 800 urban enduro in 2016 unfortunately was a bit like the XCape it looked the part but didn’t perform it off road . Around 6 months 6 the Desert shed came out ( I wish I waited ) BUT in saying that the sled is heavier than the T7 ( not by much ) but tank is to small and air filter is in a terrible spot for river crossings. Other then that I do love the sled . Unfortunately no one ☝️ makes a larger tank .
Yee haw, you made it look easy!
Definitely worth a test ride.
Great review.
Brave attack on that lane too!
Saw one of these at the Scottish bike show and I liked the look of it then. I knew you'd be just the man for this bike! Following with interest.
Good man! Taking on that hairy technical trail😎🤘
Good review on what looks like a cracking bike.
Value & looks are definitely in its favour.
You were right at the end people saying it's Chinese .well they said that about my motor morini 1200scrambler it's Italian .great bike .and what an engine .got mine from Ben Wylie Amore moto . He knows his motor morinin,s. good lad .if I was in the market for a new bike I would go for a x cape .
Looks like a great machine. Can't wait until you have some time with it to find any bugs. I ride a Concours 14 and a Super Tenere 1200 so the weight of a machine is what you are comfortable with. I am 53 and like riding the heavier machines they are much more planted with wind and road imperfections being absorbed with little effort. The Chinese are making some very impressive improvements. Great review.
Hi. Thanks for the video mate! Really helpful!
Wow such a great machine, it looks so pretty and handy, I really love this bike, I wish I can afford one here in Ghana 🇬🇭
Great bike ❤ and I love the way you ride man.... You nailed it!
Great looking bike!👍
Cracking video as ever! Good to see you bail rather than try to balls it out .... and did not expect you to do it anyway :)
I think i did it
Glad you agree about the way the bike rides and handles. We have a demo people can ride and they need riding to know just how well made they are.
Thanks 🙏 for the review ( all the others I have seen are European and non -English ) a good looking bike
CORRECTION: bike doesn't have traction control fitted.
Very good review - comprehensive with some hard won wisdom. Tried one this morning......disappointed as the thing is gorgeous in red - reminded me of the 31/2 Sport that still languishes in boxes in my garage after almost 40 years; not the best all year round transport solution we ever had in early 1980's. We both loved the comfort (seat & peg height) & decent build quality of the X-Cape - better than the Versys I think. Brakes good - decent feel & enough power for me even 2 up. Steering good once acclimatised to the top heavy feeling, but suspension disappointed given the brand names - poor dealer adjustment.? Clutch too heavy (cable). Gearshift poor - false neutrals but fine in the box itself when it all cooperated. Tyres great (newish). Engine vibey, gutless low down & poor midrange - no chance or inclination to rev the tits off it. In short, a very anonymous motor - I recall testride on ER6 years ago being a hoot, pulling from everywhere on the dial - so if this is the same motor what have they done? Personally I hate digital dashes - cheap alternative to proper clocks - & this is maybe the worst I have seen - 20 year PlayStation level. I am an old geezer so perhaps that's why. I just went & looked at the revcounter & speedo of the Morini 31/2 on the shelf in my study - classy kit even now - about the only things that still worked on the bike after 30k hard won all year round miles when I gave up rebuilding the f...... thing & bought a Honda (sigh). I spent many years in the TRF - glad to see someone still at it. Well done & keep up the good work. Cheers. P.S. We do trails like that 2 up on a cb500 on road tyres - fortune favours the brave? (old, stupid, crazy........)
Cheap, Light, Strong, pick two!
Edit: I loved witnessing the battle going on in your head before taking it up that climb! The camera flattened out that slope and it's pretty steep!
I didnt get up there in the winter with my lil 400, the rocks were too slippy for my tyres, so well done for chucking that hefty beast up there, brand new n all!
Yeah it's made tricky by that gully in the middle. If you get in that you're buggered. If you go again try the left hand side and ride the high line and just keep it going so you don't drop down into the gully. In the wet tho it is tricky
I know it as ‘Fast, Cheap, Reliable; pick one’ which is very true, but I don’t know if that’s the Colin Chapman quote
@@jalford5089 you're right. Just checked. Keith Bontrager
Great review Nathan. You could kind of hear you talking yourself into doing that trail. Good effort for doing it on your brand new bike.
Looks like Kawa have indeed made a new KLR650, but it will not be coming to Europe...What?...I've been a Kawasaki person from the beginning, and I would certainly have bought one. I'm glad you finally hawked your pearly at the end of the video, though. Best thing I ever did was trying the Himalayan for a day with you, before buying one. A day of mixed on/off road riding was WAY better than an hour doing a circuit around a dealership. Told me a lot and essentially sold me the bike. Money well spent, and a day on any bike in the company of a cheery, amiable chap is never a hardship, even if I had hated the bike!
Good review young man…👍🏴🥃
You star 💫 for articulating how we all feel when we decide whether or not to tackle a new challenge …. The inner psyche of weighing up the risk and the intangible reward 😅
This is a good-looking bike. Euro-Chinese bikes are reliable if Benelli is anything to go by. An acquaintance in Thailand has been riding a Benelli 500 - the scrambler variant - for two years, and nothing has gone wrong with it. And he puts miles on it. At 7,500 GBP this MM runs tubeless tyres. It makes you wonder why the Yamaha T7 doesn't at the price it is.
I am planning on getting an NC750X DCT for longer rides and keeping the 390 Duke for the backlanes. Mossy talked me into it on a review he did on the NC on Knox's channel. The low-down shove he raved about was the clincher. All sorts of other reason - the low c of g and storage unit in the dummy tank etc. I have been thinking about it for an age.
Excellent review, Nathan.
I've got one. You won't be disappointed. 3,500rpm at 70mph. very comfortable on faster roads, and about 80mpg imperial + on average.
@@Jaffa1951 Indeed. I like the sound of 20 mph at 1,000 revs in top. Very relaxed. Diesel-like torque.
Hi Nathan, very interesting review and I’d like to thank you for being brave enough to try ones of these bikes for us. When you have figured out the suspension, riding modes and service/ specs of the bike will you please post with what you have found please?
Great ride up the last green lane.
Impressive riding Nathan. I know slopes always look less steep on camera and it did look quite steep! Interesting point on the Versys, I’ve always seen that as a sports tourer. Wouldn’t making the front wheel bigger just take the sports element out? Kawasaki did introduce the a new KLR650 this year ( not in the UK) and that’s supposed to be pretty good. Cheers 🙂
Congrats on the new bike! It is a good looking thing and I think it will sell well just on that fact (and its price of course). If it has adjustable damping front and rear it is in a class of only a few that do at this price point, it would be interesting to see what sort of range of adjustment it is capable of. Their website and spec sheet makes zero mention of the adjustable damping? If it does have it a good video topic would be to ride it with the damping set at its two extremes to get a feel for its range. The Tiger 900 for example can offer a sporty firm ride or a luxo-barge blancmange of one with a simple 30 second adjustment, can the Morini do the same?
Great video Nathan, as usual. Three things spring to mind:
"We need some corners" -Surely a sticker in the future.
I agree on the ethics issue.
Buying a bike is so personal, and it's not always rational. I can look at spec sheets all day long, but without a decent test ride, you're kinda flying blind. That's the beauty of your 'fleet' system I reckon. All the best
Shared your videos to the uk owners page 😉
Mine came with a book, also can download one.
Off road mode does allow you to turn abs off, not too sure about traction control though
Very very brave ....skill through the roof there nathan....past versys owner 1050 xt now and its as easy to move about versys was quite heavy bike...but as you say all weight gos on move morini better looking than versys your right come on japan sort yourselves out 👍
I have always liked the way these bikes looked... No dealers near me in the US...
Am gonna take a peek at one! Dealer that I got my 125 from has a demo one👍
Great review mate...if you can manage to add a bit more bike sound these tests would be epic. Mnd you, maybe I'm a bit deaf cos of my pipes and refusal to wear ear plugs...
Top man Nathan
I honestly thought that you were going to caffle out taking the top end of your lane.
So did I when I walked back to the bike!
I just noticed a massive fault ( the rear pegs are part of the frame ) was like that with the old Tiger 800 and 1200 . As if the rear peg brackets bend in a off or snap the hole bike will be written off. A major oversight.
I've just checked and no the pegs both sit on the same bracket that is bolted to the chassis so would be replaceable in the event of an incident.
@@nathanthepostman thanks 🙏 for that good 👍 to know , hard to tell from vids and photos, maybe 🤔 worth mentioning in another vid mate
Down my way the speed limit for an unpaved road is 30 k/h. It's not really enforced but it's there. I can do that with my 125cc 😅
The Moto Morini X-Cape has the same price as a Honda CB500X... so It seems like a very good value.
I had to give you a thumbs up for..it could be an absolute turd….you brought a smile to my face!
Gotta say tho...it looks good👍
I doubt it this would be a discontinued bike. The owners have money and are committed to growing globally. They are promoting the brand aggressively in Asia and it seems that more Asians have trust in the Chinese motorcycle because of the technology and quality control from these manufacturers. This sector is their pride now. They have the money too.
Yeah good points. It's more the importer situation that causes a lot of bikes to be discontinued; SWM for example. But yeah hopefully the Morinis get some traction and a strong dealer network that support the bikes. It's always been my gripe with the Chinese bikes. They build the bikes okay but don't put any effort into building the brand/dealer network. A good importer with a lot of outlets seems most crucial; like Benelli who were imported into the UK by the same people as Royal Enfield who had an established and decent quality dealer network they could feed the bikes into. Problem for SWM is that they just ended up in the backstreet dealers which people aren't generally willing to buy high ticket price bikes from. Morini has a limited but reputable number of dealers on their books but they definitely need more. But dealers will only stock what they think will sell. Chicken and the egg a bit.
5:09 Actually, the x-cape is manufactured in Italy. Only the engine is build in China by CF-Moto. And CF moto uses this engine in it's models for quite some time now. They've proven to be reliable.
I mean, even KTM trusted CFMoto with it's 790 and that was the most reliable engine KTM ever put out :P .
Do we blindly trust them then? Ofc not. Only time will tell how good these bikes are. What I am saying is, we must drop our misconceptions about what is a chinese bike.
I am telling you this as an owner of a 790 adv. And I had my eye on the CFmoto CLX700 for some years now as a daily driver. Gorgeous bike. I ll tell you how that goes.
PS: 9:37 Off-Road mode also disables ABS at the back weel.
Designed in Italy, produced in China.
I wonder if there’s a parallel between the British Moto industry in the 70’s and the Japanese and Japan and china now.
Ok Japanese quality is higher, but wonder if there’s a shared mindset of dismissing the competition. 🤔
Big thing that’s put me off the Chinese brand bikes is dealer support.
How is the reliability after a few months? Thanks Nathan
Top man Nathan, another no nonsense, honest quick review👍
And when are the big Japanese manufacturers going to start plugging the holes in their range of bike sizes? I honestly don't understand why there aren't more serious dualsport/all rounders around the 500cc mark. I'm still wishing for a mini Africa Twin. The all round competence of an AT based around the cb500 engine please.
According to the Visordown website Honda have just patented the NX500 name, so it would appear that there's something in the pipeline.
For real sense with no BS I think Nathan is the man. This seems like a proper honest ‘first impressions’ opinion. Thanks Nathan! And nice to see those N Devon back roads yet again!! Les
@@ed.barker7069 hmm interesting,I'd not heard about that.
@@motohobo I can see that you want a baby AT but my preference would be for a single cylinder 500. With the success of the Himalayan I find it bewildering that there are no modern Japanese equivalents in the vein of the DR/XL/XT series of old.
@@ed.barker7069 hi Ed, I might be interested in an all round big single myself, if there was a decent one out there. The main reason I suggested a baby AT based around the cb500 is because I have a cb500x and I absolutely love it. Its proven, reliable, economic, smooth and does pretty much much everything that I ask of it. But I wish it were more off road focused. Better suspension,travel,bigger front wheel, spoked wheels blah blah. And a little less weight would be nice too😉.Personally I'm happy enough with the power of the cb500. It'll nip along, cruise at 70/80mph all day. I can't say the way it gets to road legal max speeds is very exciting. And of course it lacks any real go and acceleration after 80mph but it'll reach 100mph without any problems.
It just needs to be more off road focused or capable 😉
Could not agree more with your statement, the 650cc Adventure segment has been abandoned by the Japanese. Below the Yam T7 and the new Aprilia, the super expensive or exclusive GS650/850 and KTM, there is nothing in the range of the old DR Djebel or KLR which have been discontinued or so outdated they are barely worth the money they ask for. So, good on Moto Morini, great look, great spec. And I suspect the weight issue can be dealt with.
Are you going to be reviewing the Benelli leoncino 800 trail? For the looks alone I want one, but it would be nice if it was actually a good ride as well!
It's not on my radar but just had a look and it seems interesting. Keen to try the TRK802 when that arrives.
OI! What's the matter with a VStrom?.... Says the VStrom 650 owner.... Well for one thing I am absolutely certain I would not have made it up that lane on mine. What you want the bike for is critical, my VStrom is used on road only for long rides and moto-camping and for that purpose, for me it is perfect. I do like to look of that Moto Morini though and I'm quite fancying a ride of the CF Moto MT800 when it is released next month. As for the whole made in China thing, people who use that argument need to look at the electrical and electronic goods they have around them.
Ha. Apologies, I didn't mean to single the Vstrom out. It's a great bike. I was just using it as the example of the obvious choice for a bike in this class. I'll stop digging now.
The frame is also versys because the engine is a stressed member therefore the connection points for the frame is the same hence using the same frame. Basically a clone of a Japanese bike with Italian styling , id be more concerned about resale value than reliability
Very nice looking bike, and ticks all the boxes. The BIG problem with buying a bike like this is trying to sell it, nobody wants to buy it, and also nobody wants to service/repair it unless its the dealer. Then you are stuck with the dealers prices on what they want to charge. Ive been down this road before and always think twice before doing it again. Its a shame, because some of the other bikes not common in the UK are better than the Japanese/German/American bikes made today.
Anyone can and will service these, it's the same as a versys and service parts are easy to get
Resell is crappy though probably, like cfmoto
Bargain when used
My Suzuki and Yamaha dealers won't touch them or any Chinese bikes, maybe they want us to purchase all of their own branded bikes.
Me again mate, have to ask, after a few blasts around such offroad trails like the one here, did you notice unbearable rattling and the feeling of, well, falling apart? Or solid still?
No I've done a bit more off road at an off road centre here in the UK and it's held up no problems. No rattles or anything. I don't think it's naturally suited to off road. It does feel heavy in the dirt. But the standing position is good. But the suspension travel is limited and I think the steering rake is too steep for stability off road. I was getting a lot of handlebar shake on the faster sections.
Hi Nathan looks like a really good bike I've got a CFmoto 650 with the same engine they free up really nicely at about 1000 miles and its really good on fuel, my only thing is that it ticks over a little high what's yours like ? cracking review. Lovely styling on that bike too..
I've had absolutely no reliability problems engine wise at all or anything else come to that I know its not the same bike but you get a feel for things and my impressions of the Chinese brands has gone up since owning one so I don't think there will be a issue here either. Be interesting to see that one.
Same electronics frame and engine
I all have a CF moto 650nk . When I first got it I was a little disappointed but now with 1500 + miles on the clock it's a very different animal . As the man said it loosens up nicely . That's why I'm going for the x-cape for my next bike knowing what I do about the engine 💯👍..... and a lovely look bike too 👍
Fantastic looking bike, very interested to see how you get on with it. Warranty?
two years
Here in NZ this is about $5000 more than the CFMoto 650 which is essentially the same bike less cruise control and the ‘fancy’ name. Im looking at the CFMoto…😉
Yeah that's a good point, the CF650 here in the UK is a grand less than the Morini and I gather fundamentally the same bike bar the wheels.
Engine and frame are the same, but rest of the bike not. Not to mention far superior design, which is usually also very important attribute of a motorcycle. Also the suspension is much better on x-cape.
@@1000gib acknowledged, but in my humble opinion, it’s not $5000NZ better… YMMV 😊
I think after after having several I'm all Versys'd out and the latest version is fugly to my eyes and has bells and whistles no one wanted or asked for ....why they've never done a spoked wheel version I'll never know so I'm watching your progress on this bike with interest .....a grand for the luggage is a bit stiff !
I think for the build quality it's the disposable parts that tend to be below par in my experience. Like a really cheap chain, bolts and sprockets that rust quickly. The non-Chinese brands can definitely skimp here too, but as the overall package is just so cheap the corner cutting tends to be more prevelant. ultimately maybe not as important as a well built engine, but you tend to have problems spawn off from it being a bit rattly around the edges and not quite knowing what the replace / upgrade. Had a great little Chinese made 125 for a spell, but it was obvious it wasn't going to live very long without spending more money than it was worth. Morini looks great!
Yes it's true about the disposable parts and I think it'd certainly be a point of difference if the Japanese brands were still using good quality items but I think recent years has shown they've been on a cost cutting drive and quality has been effected as a result. Africa Twin spokes, Vstrom spokes, Tenere 700 spokes, Tenere paintwork, chains on the Thai built Hondas, paint quality on new Tiger 900s etc; all the brands are guilty of poor quality these days. Odd in a way that the established brands are lowering the bar whilst the Chinese brands are improving their quality. I reckon looking at this Morini they're about now on par, or at least very close. Interesting times ahead if the Chinese brands can start to innovate as well.
how is it compared to the Husky 650 terra?
That's a very good question and in a way not a patch on it as an all rounder. That Husky was quick on the road, civilised, and could do off road as well. It's a real shame that it got discontinued so soon. This Morini is much more of a road bike, and no doubt better for touring and two up. I guess the closes thing to the Husky is the new Voge 650 DS but I haven't ridden one yet.
It's clear China are now producing some nice bikes, it's the infrastructure that goes with it what lets it down. If something fails your left months without a bike , which has happened to many people. Time to step things up !
Totally agree. Benelli seems to have sussed it with a big dealer network. Just hope Morini can do the same
Price and weight for me every time.
vacilo publicar um video sem opço de cortar o audio
My only consider is about the engines warmth,in Greece is pretty high temperature so I still wondering seriously what to do.looking foratracer 700also. And the price is 8300 Moroni and 9000 for yamaha.of course you can't go dirty with tracer but I feel more secure for buying a Yamaha. Right now I have a Chinese zontes t310 and I have some issues
Hi Xristos. Yes I do think engine heat could be an issue in somewhere like Greece. It was an issue in the height of uk summer so in Greece I'd imagine it would be an even bigger issue. There's a company making these heat shields which might help a bit.
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Excellent review, it's a brave choice, and I have to agree with striking a balance between the product and the politics. China's quality control has certainly improved massively in the past 10 years or so, but their human and animal rights record continues to be abysmal.
Unlike our activity in Libya, Syria and Yemen?
@@firestormlivingsolutions relevance?
@@Trigsbroom?
@@Trigsbroomhe's saying no country is perfect
LOL....bad idea but do it anyway; always good for a laugh when you get away with it!
50+lbs heavier than a Versys. I wonder how they added all that weight.
You really need both bikes on the same scales with the same amount of fuel in to know what the real difference is.
A third, of a BMW R1200GS with all bling bling🤔
If 60HP enough...fine👍🏻
(It's to 99% enough)
And i said this, as a german and BMW 1200 owner😉
too heavy man
Not sure 🤔 if we will get this bike in Australia 🇦🇺, as their are no Moto Marini dealers here anymore. A problem with this “ Daker looks bikes “ they talk to talk but don’t walk the walk , like the scrambler phase ,the Ducati Scrambler urban enduro ( until they brought out the desert shed ) and a lot of Triumphs and other brands , CB500 - in stock form , My option make it do how it looks ( not a Wolfe in sheep clothing ) with its weight and especially suspension travel is the BIGGEST letdown.
I know what you mean. This is a street bike reconfigured for rough terrain rather than a focussed design. I get the feeling the Chinese are currently perfecting their copying. Whether they can innovate remains to be seen.
@@nathanthepostman So true mate , well they copy everything else it’s only a matter of time before they bring out a lighter and more capable off road ADV bike CFMoto are building the 890,s now and using the old 790 engine. I think 🤔 in around 5 years they will be up to the same level .
Ducati Desert Shed! Brilliant 😂😂😂
@@NotNowCato1254 I owned a Scrambler 800 urban enduro in 2016 unfortunately was a bit like the XCape it looked the part but didn’t perform it off road . Around 6 months 6 the Desert shed came out ( I wish I waited ) BUT in saying that the sled is heavier than the T7 ( not by much ) but tank is to small and air filter is in a terrible spot for river crossings. Other then that I do love the sled . Unfortunately no one ☝️ makes a larger tank .
It dosent have traction control
Iam thinking trade my 690 enduro for one of those
We're
hate the noise of those parallel twins. Horrible.
Did you get it from wish 🤣
getting a headache watching this, oof
interesting bike tho
very good looking bike , however china is not to far behind russia on human rights . so i agree with you ;
Soz mate, unwatchable, video's too jerky & bad quality - it's giving me a headache.
that's the sena 10c evo for not having image stabilisation sadly
If we worry about the plastic don’t ride