I think you made a really important point in your previous vlog. Freedom comes from small, manageable lightweight bikes. I've slowly got smaller to the point where I was on a half Rally raid 500x. Brilliant. And ridden one around Greece 3 times. Perfect. Currently on a spoke wheeled wee strom which is not a big bike, but it doesn't have that chuckability the 500x had. It's a great all road, rather than off road bike. But as soon as it gets more difficult the Honda is much easier, for me. I'm usually 2-up. The strom is a great travel bike with 20litres, 70hp and reliability, but I can see my next bike being 500x size again. Small is beautiful. When I travel in company now I just split from the group and enjoy my slower pace. Good work. Ride safe 👍
I just got a x-cape 10 months old and am loving it. Returner to bikes, Benelli, V Strom and versys were all on my radar but ultimately I loved the look of the Morini and the price I got it for, the tech pack is great, and I last rode a bike 24 years ago so the engine is still modern compared to what I was used to. Very underrated bike.
Just ordered a morini £6300 in red purely for the looks , gona be touring into Europe on it hopefully, like you said go with you gut for me it's not about power as I have sportsbikes it's simply comfort and most important I love how it looks .Also I did look at other bikes all tubed tyres so that was a deal breaker for me , its all swings and roundabouts.
Dealer network is one of the key considerations when I buy a bike , it just makes life so much easier to pop into a localish dealership than have the hassle of travelling a fair way. Here in Norwich there is a Benelli dealer but finding a Moto Morini dealer is a no go. Incidentally I have a 310 gs which suits me fine but the Norwich BMW dealer is closing down and the nearest dealer is now a couple of hours distance away, so unfortunately the 310 may be looking for a new home soon- a bit of a nuisance as I wouldn’t have bought the bike if there hadn’t been a local dealer.
5,500 for a new MM; a good deal. Only, I don't like a lack of torque low down. I like the big Benelli Trail. Tubeless cross-spoke wheels, too. Informative, as ever, Nathan. Nick
I think you hit on a valid point with regards the resale values. I had the 502x when it first came out. When it came time to sell I struggled to get some dealers to p/x it as they weren't getting a lot of interest from the people they sell them onto. Result was ridiculous p/x quotes so I eventually managed to sell it privately but still took a big hit financially. I think if you were buying one new to keep forever then that's less of a concern but for me personally I wouldn't buy another one new as I tend to change bikes every 2 - 3 years and the depreciation combined with short service intervals makes it less viable. I agree that the Chinese bikes are definitely coming along and I think as the amount of brands and dealers expand they will start to give the established brands competition
Price competition is excellent for us riders. So is the push we are seeing from Chinese manufacturers and Indian bike makers...bring it on! I get my 400X this week it looks like and i will likely buy a NX500 and a Honda Click scooter which will all come in at around the price of a big bike. We are entering a golden era like the 70's again with motorbikes where the common man can get a great bike at a great price and the manufacturers are chasing our dollars with new innovations and features. Plus i am very happy to see the mid cc market looked after and get competitive as well.
As ever great content. Pleased to see you comment in the seat height, lots of us shorter old riders that ( for me ) instantly rule out a raft of bikes even with narrow seats and well places foot pegs. Be interested on your initial views of the Triumph.... still a big void in news on the arrival of the Himmy 452....
I do like the morini’s aesthetics far more, but having had a 502x trk before I do worry abou5 mistakenly buying another underpowered bike, the 502TRK X was otherwise a great value slugger for trips abroad but I agree the sweet spot is around 65/75 BHP for such big heavy bikes.
Interesting to hear you say the Morini engine, which seems closer to the original Kawasaki motor, felt quite flat because that was exactly the impression i got on a Z650RS i tried not so long ago. One of those bikes that on paper looked great, for what i wanted, but just didn't inspire when actually out on the road. Ironically i went out on the toy like Z400 later that day and that was actually a lot more fun that the Z650,cracking little road bike. Funny old world.
I've got the X version, the only difference between the two is the wheels, making seat height on the X higher, but you're right about the down pipes, as yet there's not an aftermarket sump guard available
I'm not so sure, the Morini looks a little old fashioned next to the Benelli, to my eyes at least. I still think there's something of a Triumph look to the Benelli and it's none the worse for that.
Brilliant video as always Nathan i just love the balanced approach covering the pros n the cons sure it helps alot of us. In this land of infomercials yours n brake magazines approach is refreshing. Be interesting to see how you get on with the vstrom 800de, I loved my 650xt an it was interesting watching Llel's video last night on those two bigger bikes. Really looking forward to the Triumph Videos to especially compared to Beemers 310GS. Its interesting i love my 1150gsa for what i got it for perfect solution as i can get the parts, manual an spanner on it. N its been interesting looking at whats on the market for the old man for after the move an while doing that thinking what Id like to see especially with the Himalayan going high tech id love to see BMW an Yam / Suzuki join the excitment in the circa 500cc arena. I doubt they would do it but imagine a R500GS Boxer simple easy to work on that you can buy the service manual an service tools with that'd be refreshing in this landscape of expensive motorcycles an high tech bikes. Its always been the tech thats let down some of the modern bikes ive bought over the past few years compared to the 2010 an previous bikes that ive got that are still going strong. There was an interesting article about Hondas Dakar bike being designed to be durable an simple lets hope thats a race design element that starts to carry over to our modern bikes. Always find your video's thought provoking an interesting keep up the great work.
hi there!.i am 1.80 and i would like my legs to be a little lower.a solution is to make a custon higher seat.and to take off the ruber from the pegs.but,did you found vibrations to the pegs?at high revs let say.if the ruber be removed,do you think will be annoying?
brother can you elaborate me on the 12hp gain for the moto morini i am getting one soon and want some pace the engine is the only weakling in the bike and weight reduction also does not look much possible except a few kilos even if i purchase a decat system so if a ecu tune gives it 12hp and atleast 6nm i would gladly take it cause i am already spending a bomb for a nice decat
So are you moving the Morini on Nathan For that money I would think it would be still in the stable in a couple of years time Think the Xcape is by far the best looking bike out there
History repeats itself and the Chinese will get there eventually, but because of the perceived lack of credibility, they need to sell for much less than the rest of the market to get anything like volume sales. RE had the right idea early on, , though I think they're pushing it now with the new Himalayan pricing (time will tell). Your Morini was (IMO) expensive at 7, but is a perfectly viable option at 5.5. Let the market decide!
A similar debate happened ( and continues) when the Royal Enfield Interceptor was launched. Despite the likes of BMW, KTM and MV Augusta partnering with Chinese manufacturers there’s still a nervousness about buying a Chinese built bike. Does that exist to the same level with other partner countries such as India, Thailand and Brazil? Ultimately what you save on the purchase going in you might loose on the resale when changing. For now anyway!
My head would say Benelli, but like you, the Morini looks great. I would always open the garage door just to look at it.
I think you made a really important point in your previous vlog. Freedom comes from small, manageable lightweight bikes.
I've slowly got smaller to the point where I was on a half Rally raid 500x. Brilliant. And ridden one around Greece 3 times. Perfect.
Currently on a spoke wheeled wee strom which is not a big bike, but it doesn't have that chuckability the 500x had. It's a great all road, rather than off road bike. But as soon as it gets more difficult the Honda is much easier, for me. I'm usually 2-up.
The strom is a great travel bike with 20litres, 70hp and reliability, but I can see my next bike being 500x size again.
Small is beautiful. When I travel in company now I just split from the group and enjoy my slower pace.
Good work.
Ride safe 👍
I just got a x-cape 10 months old and am loving it. Returner to bikes, Benelli, V Strom and versys were all on my radar but ultimately I loved the look of the Morini and the price I got it for, the tech pack is great, and I last rode a bike 24 years ago so the engine is still modern compared to what I was used to. Very underrated bike.
Just ordered a morini £6300 in red purely for the looks , gona be touring into Europe on it hopefully, like you said go with you gut for me it's not about power as I have sportsbikes it's simply comfort and most important I love how it looks .Also I did look at other bikes all tubed tyres so that was a deal breaker for me , its all swings and roundabouts.
Very keen to see what you make of the 800DE! Especially off road on some trails! 👍
Dealer network is one of the key considerations when I buy a bike , it just makes life so much easier to pop into a localish dealership than have the hassle of travelling a fair way. Here in Norwich there is a Benelli dealer but finding a Moto Morini dealer is a no go.
Incidentally I have a 310 gs which suits me fine but the Norwich BMW dealer is closing down and the nearest dealer is now a couple of hours distance away, so unfortunately the 310 may be looking for a new home soon- a bit of a nuisance as I wouldn’t have bought the bike if there hadn’t been a local dealer.
The Morini is a looker for sure.
We need the 2nd iteration of the Moto morini, as you said, with the Binelli engine, and lighter by 20 kilos, also.
That Brake video comparison was really good.
5,500 for a new MM; a good deal. Only, I don't like a lack of torque low down. I like the big Benelli Trail. Tubeless cross-spoke wheels, too.
Informative, as ever, Nathan. Nick
I think you hit on a valid point with regards the resale values. I had the 502x when it first came out. When it came time to sell I struggled to get some dealers to p/x it as they weren't getting a lot of interest from the people they sell them onto. Result was ridiculous p/x quotes so I eventually managed to sell it privately but still took a big hit financially. I think if you were buying one new to keep forever then that's less of a concern but for me personally I wouldn't buy another one new as I tend to change bikes every 2 - 3 years and the depreciation combined with short service intervals makes it less viable. I agree that the Chinese bikes are definitely coming along and I think as the amount of brands and dealers expand they will start to give the established brands competition
Price competition is excellent for us riders. So is the push we are seeing from Chinese manufacturers and Indian bike makers...bring it on! I get my 400X this week it looks like and i will likely buy a NX500 and a Honda Click scooter which will all come in at around the price of a big bike. We are entering a golden era like the 70's again with motorbikes where the common man can get a great bike at a great price and the manufacturers are chasing our dollars with new innovations and features. Plus i am very happy to see the mid cc market looked after and get competitive as well.
Awesome bud cheers, excited for the new bike on the channel 👍🏻
Brilliant. Thanks for this video. Such valuable information.
As ever great content. Pleased to see you comment in the seat height, lots of us shorter old riders that ( for me ) instantly rule out a raft of bikes even with narrow seats and well places foot pegs. Be interested on your initial views of the Triumph.... still a big void in news on the arrival of the Himmy 452....
I do like the morini’s aesthetics far more, but having had a 502x trk before I do worry abou5 mistakenly buying another underpowered bike, the 502TRK X was otherwise a great value slugger for trips abroad but I agree the sweet spot is around 65/75 BHP for such big heavy bikes.
Interesting to hear you say the Morini engine, which seems closer to the original Kawasaki motor, felt quite flat because that was exactly the impression i got on a Z650RS i tried not so long ago. One of those bikes that on paper looked great, for what i wanted, but just didn't inspire when actually out on the road. Ironically i went out on the toy like Z400 later that day and that was actually a lot more fun that the Z650,cracking little road bike. Funny old world.
That down pipe on the benelli looks like it could get easily damaged.
The X variants exhaust should be higher. Larger front and spoked wheels if same as 502
I've got the X version, the only difference between the two is the wheels, making seat height on the X higher, but you're right about the down pipes, as yet there's not an aftermarket sump guard available
The Morini is definitely the better looking bike and the suspension is pretty high end, for the price. Just needs more oomph!
More truth from the truth meister!
Think the morini has it on the looks
I'm not so sure, the Morini looks a little old fashioned next to the Benelli, to my eyes at least. I still think there's something of a Triumph look to the Benelli and it's none the worse for that.
on looks alone i would pick the Xcape, looks matter - they are also bloody good bikes if a bit heavy BUT all these big bikes are
Brilliant video as always Nathan i just love the balanced approach covering the pros n the cons sure it helps alot of us. In this land of infomercials yours n brake magazines approach is refreshing. Be interesting to see how you get on with the vstrom 800de, I loved my 650xt an it was interesting watching Llel's video last night on those two bigger bikes.
Really looking forward to the Triumph Videos to especially compared to Beemers 310GS.
Its interesting i love my 1150gsa for what i got it for perfect solution as i can get the parts, manual an spanner on it. N its been interesting looking at whats on the market for the old man for after the move an while doing that thinking what Id like to see especially with the Himalayan going high tech id love to see BMW an Yam / Suzuki join the excitment in the circa 500cc arena.
I doubt they would do it but imagine a R500GS Boxer simple easy to work on that you can buy the service manual an service tools with that'd be refreshing in this landscape of expensive motorcycles an high tech bikes. Its always been the tech thats let down some of the modern bikes ive bought over the past few years compared to the 2010 an previous bikes that ive got that are still going strong.
There was an interesting article about Hondas Dakar bike being designed to be durable an simple lets hope thats a race design element that starts to carry over to our modern bikes.
Always find your video's thought provoking an interesting keep up the great work.
the morini looks so much better, might not be a better bike but...could sit and look at it all day
Be interesting for your thoughts/review of the CFmoto 700MT compared to the Benelli...
Because algos love Fray Bentos.
hi there!.i am 1.80 and i would like my legs to be a little lower.a solution is to make a custon higher seat.and to take off the ruber from the pegs.but,did you found vibrations to the pegs?at high revs let say.if the ruber be removed,do you think will be annoying?
brother can you elaborate me on the 12hp gain for the moto morini i am getting one soon and want some pace the engine is the only weakling in the bike and weight reduction also does not look much possible except a few kilos even if i purchase a decat system so if a ecu tune gives it 12hp and atleast 6nm i would gladly take it cause i am already spending a bomb for a nice decat
So are you moving the Morini on Nathan
For that money I would think it would be still in the stable in a couple of years time
Think the Xcape is by far the best looking bike out there
As I say to anyone who passes through the door, everything's for sale!
I'm just waiting to see the Triumph...
History repeats itself and the Chinese will get there eventually, but because of the perceived lack of credibility, they need to sell for much less than the rest of the market to get anything like volume sales. RE had the right idea early on, , though I think they're pushing it now with the new Himalayan pricing (time will tell). Your Morini was (IMO) expensive at 7, but is a perfectly viable option at 5.5. Let the market decide!
Looks of the morini are a winner, the flat mid range though would make me look elsewhere
What’s your thoughts on the Kove 800 it certainly looks the part
It does indeed. Claiming an incredibly low weight as well which seems a bit unbelievable looking at it. But they look to be on a mission
For too many reasons to list I’d take a CB500x over either of those bikes.
A similar debate happened ( and continues) when the Royal Enfield Interceptor was launched. Despite the likes of BMW, KTM and MV Augusta partnering with Chinese manufacturers there’s still a nervousness about buying a Chinese built bike. Does that exist to the same level with other partner countries such as India, Thailand and Brazil? Ultimately what you save on the purchase going in you might loose on the resale when changing. For now anyway!
QJ motors build the Benelli in there own factory. Not sure where the Morini is built
How do I get Benelli with tubeless and cruise control? 🥹🥹🥹
Unfortunately you can't