Adventure bikes riders have been smitten in recent years with big adventure bikes enabling them to reach far flung places, ride off the beaten track and poke the nose of their own personal limits. However whilst the big ADVs are great machines and are very capable in the right hands, they are also notorious for being big, bulky and heavy especially for any serious off road.
In recent years there has been a growing movement towards the smaller mid range ADVs with some manufacturers ditching the big brother and now settling for the junior upstart…like Yamaha and their 700 Tenere.
This market has been growing with the likes of KTM, Husqvarna, BMW adding mid range bikes that are very capable for the asphalt tour but also getting into the muddy stuff. However the like of Suzuki, Kawasaki and Triumph have also tossed their hats in the ring and have produced very decent bikes too.
Whilst Harley Davidson came out with the surprisingly decent large ADV Pan America with a 1250cc Revolution Max engine, it was Ducati who launched their Desert X that seems to be stealing the limelight and winning hearts and minds for the best ADV to be available for 2023.
However lurking in the shadows and waiting to pounce are the mid range alternatives that still pack a punch without needed emergency medical assistance on your wallet! Some of these offerings have come from India and especially Royal Enfield with the Himalayan and in which they teased a larger engine capacity for 2023.
Some of the big news for 2023 will be the emergence of mid size ADVs and even smaller capacity that will be coming from the Chinese manufacturers and once again proving themselves to be both functional and light on the wallet too.
This leads to the newest kid on the block from an old family…Moto Morini who have recently released their X-Cape model…and it’s only coming in at £6,999 which is much cheaper than the Triumph, Aprilia, KTM and other brands too. It is more than a match in capability and can easily go a few rounds on price too.
Specs are impressive too…
Moto Morini X-Cape
Price (UK) £6,999
Tech Specs (From Moto Morini)
DIMENSIONS
Length x width x height: 2200x900x1390
Wheelbase: 1490 mm
Dry weight: 213 kg
Seat height: 820mm/845mm
Fuel tank capacity: 18L
Minimum ground clearance: 190mm
CHASSIS:
Frame: steel
Swingarm: aluminium
BRAKING SYSTEM:
Front brake: Double disc 298 mm, floating calipers, 2 pistons
Rear brake: Single disc, 2 pistons
ABS: BOSCH ABS 9.1 Mb (switchable)
RIMS:
Tubeless spoked rims (Tubeless alloy rims as optional)
TYRES:
Front tyre: 110/80-19M/C
Rear tyre: 150/70-17M/C
ENGINE:
Engine type: 2 in line cylinders, 4 stroke
Displacement: 649 cc
Bore x stroke: 83mm x 60mm
Compression ratio: 11.3:1
Maximum torque: 54Nm/5,6 kgm/7000rpm
Maximum power: 44kW/60hp/8250rpm
Injection system: BOSCH EFI
Maximum speed: 170 Km/h
Cooling system: liquid
Fuel distribution: DOHC 8 valves
Emission level: euro 5
COLOURS:
Red: Red Passion
Grey: Smoky Anthracite
White: Carrara White
