Moto Morini 3 1/2 Sport 2025

[lancslad58]

I'd always like the looks of the original 3 1/2 Sport and Strada, looks like another retro middle weight coming to the market next year.



https://www.eicma.it/en/moto-morini-3-1-2/

Edited by lancslad58 on Monday 23 December 18:09

[bimsb6]

Chinese made .

[Mr Tidy]

And it doesn't look much like the Moto Morini 350 I remember from the 70s!

[Frankychops]

bimsb6 said:

Chinese made .

and?

[hiccy18]

Bet it doesn't have Heron heads.

[carinaman]

Mr Tidy said:

And it doesn't look much like the Moto Morini 350 I remember from the 70s!

I suppose pillaging the back catalogue works if you're an unknown Chinese manufacturer

Fair play if it's a new Vee Twin and not a rehash of an existing Japanese one.


One of the reasons I like the Kawasaki W800 is it relates to an earlier Kawasaki that was a BSA made under licence.

Edited by carinaman on Monday 23 December 23:05

[Panclan]

https://www.motorcycle.com/bikes/new-model-preview...

[tvrolet]

carinaman said:

One of the reasons I like the Kawasaki W800 is it relates to an earlier Kawasaki that was a BSA made under licence.

It was originally Meguro that had the licence from BSA, and made the bikes. Then Kawasaki acquired Meguro and with it the licence, and continued making bikes now badged Kawasaki.

As to the new Mornini, I know a guy with an original 3 1/2 and it’s a handsome bike with a nicely sculptured engine. And I remember when they came out too, and then as now it always struck me as a strange size. Not too much bigger than a 250 us young lads of the day started on, but for a lot more money. And a lot smaller then what we moved on to next, 750s and above. To me, at the time, it would have had more appeal with at least twice the engine capacity…but then again it’d be competing with Ducati. But now of course the originals are nice interesting bikes and always draw a crowd at old-bike meets with the ‘older crowd’…of which I’m one.

And as to the new one, I know they’re calling it a middleweight, but seems a bit small for that…and just a bit too big for a lightweight. …and of course it’s Chinese, but that’s a different story/prejudice of mine

[carinaman]

tvrolet said:

It was originally Meguro that had the licence from BSA, and made the bikes. Then Kawasaki acquired Meguro and with it the licence, and continued making bikes now badged Kawasaki.

I thought it may have been the reappearance of Breadvan72 as I seem to remember he had one.

[bimsb6]

tvrolet said:

It was originally Meguro that had the licence from BSA, and made the bikes. Then Kawasaki acquired Meguro and with it the licence, and continued making bikes now badged Kawasaki.

As to the new Mornini, I know a guy with an original 3 1/2 and it’s a handsome bike with a nicely sculptured engine. And I remember when they came out too, and then as now it always struck me as a strange size. Not too much bigger than a 250 us young lads of the day started on, but for a lot more money. And a lot smaller then what we moved on to next, 750s and above. To me, at the time, it would have had more appeal with at least twice the engine capacity…but then again it’d be competing with Ducati. But now of course the originals are nice interesting bikes and always draw a crowd at old-bike meets with the ‘older crowd’…of which I’m one.

And as to the new one, I know they’re calling it a middleweight, but seems a bit small for that…and just a bit too big for a lightweight. …and of course it’s Chinese, but that’s a different story/prejudice of mine

I had a strada , 350cc wasn’t a particular unusual capacity , rd350, kh350, cz, cb350. Just calling it a 3 1/2 was , they were expensive ! A morini was more money than the top of the range suzuki gt750 .

[Rubin215]

I like that but think it might be a bit too small and underpowered for my (ahem) powerful build.

Years ago there was one parked regularly in the bike bays on George Street in Edinburgh, I often stopped to admire it.

[catso]

tvrolet said:

And I remember when they came out too, and then as now it always struck me as a strange size. Not too much bigger than a 250 us young lads of the day started on, but for a lot more money.

Made for the home (Italian) market; we had the 250 rule but back in the day Italy had a graduated licence system whereby at 16yrs old you could ride a 125, at 18 a 350 but you needed to be 21 for a 350+ hence 350 being a popular size.

As an aside, there were virtually no, non-Italian, small displacement bikes sold in Italy back in the day as they had an import ban (or at least very high tax rate?) on bikes under 380cc, precisely to protect the Italian manufacturers, this led to to the oddity that was the Italian market Suzuki GT380, being 384cc rather than the just under 380cc the rest of the world got.

[Onelastattempt]

When I was a 17, ( 1974 ), I remember one of the older apprentices turning up at work with one. Could not then and still could not see the reason for sticking that big 3 1/2 on it, just looked odd.

[Mr Tidy]

bimsb6 said:

I had a strada , 350cc wasn’t a particular unusual capacity , rd350, kh350, cz, cb350. Just calling it a 3 1/2 was , they were expensive ! A morini was more money than the top of the range suzuki gt750 .

No there were quite a few 350s in the 70s, until most became 400s around 1976 when the RD400, CB400 and KH400 appeared.

Back then a 350 was cheaper to tax and insure than a 400 though so I only had my first RD400 a month or so and found an RD350 instead.

[bimsb6]

Mr Tidy said:

bimsb6 said:

I had a strada , 350cc wasn’t a particular unusual capacity , rd350, kh350, cz, cb350. Just calling it a 3 1/2 was , they were expensive ! A morini was more money than the top of the range suzuki gt750 .

No there were quite a few 350s in the 70s,

Thats what i said .

[doogalman]

Quite a nice looking bike that.

[carinaman]

I wonder if that's sacrificial drop protection either end of the radiator?

It doesn't look bad. I am not sure about the trim on the bottom of tank and on the bottom of the seat.

I'd imagine that tank with the flash would look good in many colour combinations.

I am undecided about the noise difference between V-Twins and 270 degree crank parallel twins.