Moto Morini 3½

Moto Morini 3½

I get a lot of requests to feature certain classic motorcycles, and the same bikes tend to pop up. Top of the list, believe it or not, is the Moto Morini 3½. So it looks like the Bologna-built machines have a very solid fan base these days (which includes Hugo Wilson, the editor of the wonderful UK magazine Classic Bike). In the 1970s, the 344 cc Moto Morini was priced at the same level as the Honda CB750—making it something of a luxury purchase. The justification was peerless handling and a high specification, which included a cam driven by a toothed belt, a Ducati Electronnica ignition system, and a six-speed ‘box with overdrive. The machine we have here is a 1976 model, which means it has a Grimeca disc up front, rather than the occasionally
troublesome drum brake of earlier models. It’s also a ‘Sport’ variant, so it boasts Tommaselli clipons and Veglia instrumentation. Last month, the rights to the Moto Morini brand (est. 1937) were sold to Eagle Bike, a new company set up by Italian businessmen Sandro Capotosti and Ruggeromassimo Jannuzzelli. The price was 1.96 million Euros, or just under US$3m—but it excludes the actual factory. Fingers crossed that Eagle Bike keeps the venerable Moto Morini name alive, because the firm was building some very nice bikes indeed—just check out the gorgeous Moto Morini Scrambler.
Special thanks to Paul Hart of vespamore photography in the UK for shooting these images on an Olympus OM10 manual SLR film camera for us.