History Morini

In 1899 the first motor-bicycles pass on the roads of Bologna: Touring Club has its meeting there and organizes promotional demonstrations of the new vehicle. Alfonso Morini is only one year old (he was born on January 22nd 1898), but he maybe keeps that roar in his mind.



He is still very young as he begins repairing motorbikes. At 16 he opens its own workshop, but he must soon stop his activity, because of the outbreak of the First World War. The boy exploits this hard situation to increase his knowledge about engines: as a volunteer soldier he works at 8th Motorcycles Unit in Padova.

As the War ends, he cannot be satisfied with repairing. His great chance comes in 1925: Mario Mazzetti asks him to build a 125 cc single cylinder two-stroke for racing. Together with M.M., Alfonso Morini starts his career as a designer, a constructor and a racer. Everywhere, on his bikes, he achieves excellent results. His greatest triumph is in 1927: in Monza, during the Grand Prix of Nations, on his M.M. 125 he obtains six world records, which will last for twenty years. Six years later he arrives at 162 kph, new world speed record for 175 cc bikes. During the '30s M.M. is the only Italian bike that can compete with foreign companies .

After 13 years of sport success with M.M., Morini decides to leave Mazzetti, putting an end to a period of his life and opening a new one: he asks and obtains of being paid off with 25,000 Italian lire, a compasses box and a used motorbike. It's 1937.

It's time for Moto Morini to start up.

(1937-1952)

It's not easy, for a lover of two wheels as Morini, to work as a manufacturer of 350 and 500 cc three-wheelers. Anyway, the business goes on well: fascism, because of its autarchic policy, decides to advantage these three-wheeled vehicles that spare fuel and tyres. Thanks to fiscal and bureaucratic benefits and a lower price than cars, they are good sellers.



Most of all, M610 obtains a good success, also because of innovative technical solutions (as cardan transmission). But Morini must again stop his activity: World War II breaks out, and Moto Morini must convert to war production (aeronautical field). In 1943, bombings on Bologna blow the factory up.

But Alfonso Morini's dream cannot stop: less than one year after the end of the war, the first T125 comes out of the new factory in Bologna, Via Berti. From this moment on, Moto Morini begins representing an important example of Italian mechanical skill. The first bike, a single-cylinder two stroke and three-speed 125 cc, is inspired to the German DKW. A lot of them are sold, and in 1947 the Sport version comes out.

In 1948 Moto Morini officially takes part to its first competitions.
The great qualities of Morini as a constructor, who joins experience and innovation, soon come out and his name becomes a synonym of speed and victory. Already in 1948 Raffaele Alberti drives the 125 Competition to success, winning the Italian Championship for Lightweight Motorcycles. In 1949 Umberto Masetti wins again the same title on the 125 Single-camshaft four-stroke: the power of this bike is 12 HP at 10,000 rpm, its speed exceeds 140 kph. With the same bike Morini obtains its first victories on the world circuits: in 1952, Emilio Mendogni wins GPs of Nations and of Spain.

(1953-1964)
Four stroke engines are not limited to competition bikes anymore, but are introduced in the normal production: in 1953 the first 175 (with pushrods and rockers gear) comes out of Morini works. It will establish Morinis as the ideal bikes for many Italian people: Gran Turismo, Settebello, Rebello, Supersport, Briscola, Tresette, Tresette Sprint are the names of much desired motorbikes. And for many people the dreams come true. In 1955 Moto Morini moves to a new and larger factory, in via Bergami: this allows a big increase of production.
Strong, reliable, fast: 175 become also great competition bikes. It's hard not to remember that on a Settebello "Short Rods" Giacomo Agostini, one of the greatest champions of all the times, makes his debut in competitions. His first race is in 1961, the Trento-Bondone climb race, where he gets second. In the next years his first important victories: Italian Cadet Champion in 1962, Italian Junior Champion (both on track and on the road) in 1963.

In these years Morini also produces smaller four stroke bikes, that have a good spread: Sbarazzino 100 and Corsaro 125. Both are conceived for a daily use, but designers decide to give Corsaro a more sporting style: Corsaro Veloce has a good success. Thus a lot of different versions are produced: Competition, Sport Lusso, Super Sport, Country, Regolarità (all-terrain). In 1964 the 150 cc model comes out: it reaches 130 kph. As an evolution of Corsaro, at the beginning of the '60s, the 48 cc models come out, named Corsarino 48.

In the mid '60s Morini takes a market niche in the USA, exporting Corsaro (renamed Cyclone, Jaguar, Thunder Chief or Hurricane), Corsarino (Pirate and Twister, in 60 cc version) and Settebello 250 GI (Tornado or Typhoon).

(1958-1970)

Alfonso Morini, Dante Lambertini, Nerio Biavati: in 1958 these three "artists" in mechanics work out a masterpiece that will last in the history of motorbikes: 250 GP Double Camshaft. The "fastest single cylinder in the world", as it will be later defined by international press, makes its first appearance in Monza, Grand Prix of Nations . It immediately shows all its value: Emilio Mendogni takes the lead at firs lap and keeps it to the finish.



In 1960 Tarquinio Provini comes to Morini: with 250 GP he wins the Italian Championship in 1961 and 1962, but he thinks this is not enough for such a powerful bike. It's 1963: Provini talks to Alfonso Morini and pushes him towards the most important challenge he could face: the World Championship. In those years Honda seems unbeatable, but Moto Morini is able to seriously threaten its leadership. 250 GP has 37 hp power at 11,000 rpm and arrives at a maximum speed of 225 kph. Provini wins four GPs (Spain, West Germany, Italy, in front of a home crowd, and Argentina). Moto Morini does not take part to some races, because of economic reasons or for bad organization of the team. Anyway, the dream comes close to become reality, but the last race is very unlucky for the Italian rider: suffering from severe ear problems, he comes fourth and Jim Redman again wins the Championship by two points.

In the following years Morini continues winning many national and international competitions with Corsaro Regolarità (for enduro racing): in 1966 Franco Dall'Ara wins the International Six Days of Sweden, in 1967 and 1968 Giovanni Collina wins the Italian Championship.

On June 30th 1969, as he is 71 years old, Alfonso Morini dies. His only daughter, Gabriella Morini, relieves the company. She takes to her heart the business and manages Moto Morini bravely and devotedly until 1986. 1970 is a meaningful date for the firm: Franco Lambertini (who is not related to Dante Lambertini, who had long worked in Morini's technical staff) decides to leave Ferrari works and comes to Moto Morini. He will design excellent bikes, always ahead of their time .


(1970-1986)

The first masterpiece by Lambertini is a 350 cc engine, longitudinal 72° V-Twin, which introduces technical solutions no one had until that moment proposed on mass-produced bikes: for example, the toothed belt that drives the camshaft or the multi-disc dry clutch. Moto Morini displays the prototype at the 1971 Milan Show and in the spring of 1972 it starts selling the new bike: 3 1/2.

The bike is soon appreciated for its excellent performance, joining high power output and very low fuel consumption. Lambertini was able to build this performing and beautiful model with a low budget, having to accept some features that the management imposed him (such as the pushrods and rockers gear).

3 1/2 GT had a great success, and in 1974 Morini launched the Sport version (shorter saddle, lower handlebars, increased maximum power to 39 hp at 8,500 rpm, maximum speed over 171 km/h, a record for the category). This soon became Morini's forte.

The new engine, conceived as "modular", is also adopted for single cylinders (eliminating the rear cylinder): this is the origin of 125 H and 250 mono. In 1977 the 500 GT is released: twin, five-speed gear, it has the gear change on the right hand (in those years the gear change on the left hand was taking root in every country, but Morini decided to leave it on the right, both for the company tradition, and for ergonomic reasons). Later, also Sport and Sei-V (Six-speed) versions of the 500 cc will be released. Meanwhile, 350 becomes K2 (1984): it's a bit less performing than 3 1/2, but is still a good motorcycle.

Morini is always a step further its rivals: the results achieved by turbocharged engines in Formula One cars impress Lambertini and arouse his creativity. In 1979 he starts designing a new engine and two years later the prototype of 500 Turbo is displayed at Milan Show. It produces 84 hp at 8,300 rpm and has innovative characteristics. At the Show also the Japanese companies stare at it in amazement, but it will never go into production.

With little changes, the 72° V-Twin is assembled also on enduro and custom bikes, market leaders in the '80s. Moto Morini does not officially take part to competitions any more, but Camel 500 (1981) is employed in many important races (including Paris-Dakar) and proves to be an excellent dirt bike. Another wonderful all-terrain vehicle is Kanguro 350 (1983): it is the 350 cc best seller of the period in Italy. KJ 125 (1985) meets instead no success.

In 1986 Moto Morini releases Excalibur, its first custom bike. It is produced in two classical capacities, 350 and 501 cc, and is so beautiful that it attracts Harley-Davidson's attention: Morini's V-Twin would have been a good engine for a new version of Duo Glide, but the American company has serious economic troubles at the moment and all the plans vanish.

(1987-2000)

1980s are difficult years for Morini works owners and managers, because of heavy confrontation with Trade Unions. Furthermore, bikes are not sold so well as they were before. On February 18th 1987, all the Italian newspapers report that Gabriella Morini sold the brand Moto Morini to Claudio and Gianfranco Castiglioni, the owners of Cagiva-Ducati group. The Castiglioni brothers say they want to "make the most of a prestigious brand name with a great sport tradition". In reality, the group will never consider much worthy the production of new Morinis.

Franco Lambertini has already designed and realized the prototype of a new Twin engine with absolutely innovative solutions (60° longitudinal V-Twin, four valves heads, over head single cam driven by silent chain, water cooling, contro rotating anti-vibrating shaft, car-derived carb, plans of inserting electronic injection in the future). The engine (of 350, 500 and 750 cc) could repeat the success of the old V-Twin, but Cagiva says it is not interested in it, claiming it has already got a good Twin engine.

Morini's production from 1987 on is very restricted. In 1988 Dart 350 is released: it's nothing else than a Cagiva Freccia 125 (same chassis, same fairing, same rings) in a different colour and with the classical Morini V-Twin with pushrods and rockers. Maybe it is not seen as a real Morini and does not sell too well.

In 1989 Franco Lambertini leaves the firm and goes to Piaggio-Gilera. In the same year the last two models are released: the enduro Coguaro and the custom New York (both 350 and 500 cc). Both have excellent technical characteristics and beauty, but decline is unavoidable for Moto Morini.

The factory in via Bergami, Bologna, is firstly transformed in an engineering department and then closed because it is considered too expensive. The last Morinis, Excalibur, are assembled in 1993 at Agostini works.

In 1996 Moto Morini brand name, together with Ducati, is sold to Ducati Motor Holding, a society which is controlled by the American TPG (Texas Pacific Group). Actually, nothing changes: producing new Morinis is not a plan of Ducati.

In the April of 1999, finally, the brand comes back to its family: Morini Franco Motori spa, a company founded by Alfonso Morini's nephew in 1954 and specialized in two and four stroke engines for motorcycles and moped, buys the brand name.

The aim of these Internet pages is to raise attention to a piece of Italian history and society, as Moto Morini is. We'd like to tell everyone that Moto Morini is alive.