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Moto Morini Caliber: Cruising the italian way

The traditional Italian brand from China surprises with a cruiser. Its engine, familiar from the Morini Seiemezzo, has been made bigger and more powerful.

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Moto Morini Caliber

Moto Morini Caliber

(Image: Moto Morini)

6 min. read
Autos
By
  • Ingo Gach
Contents
This article was originally published in German and has been automatically translated.

Moto Morini discovers the cruiser for itself. The traditional Italian brand in Chinese ownership wants to expand its portfolio in a meaningful way and is presenting two models for fans of relaxed cruising: the Calibro and the Calibro Bagger. There is a small surprise with the engine, as it is significantly more powerful thanks to an increase in displacement.

Inexpensive cruisers are currently very successful in the middle class, as demonstrated by the Honda CMX 500 Rebel and Kawasaki Vulcan S, which are among the bestsellers in Europe. This has not escaped Moto Morini either, and the Style Center, based in Trivolzio, Italy, has knitted a cruiser and a bagger around Morini's 650cc two-cylinder. The fact that it is an in-line two-cylinder and not a V2, as was generally used in cruisers in the past, does not bother most customers these days, as it significantly reduces costs. It even proves to be superior in terms of running smoothness.

The Moto Morini Calibro, which is manufactured in China by parent company Zhongneng, is not based on the Seiemezzo naked bike, even if that would seem obvious. The cruiser has a completely new tubular steel frame and the chassis is also fundamentally different. At the front, a conventional telescopic fork with bellows is used instead of an upside-down fork, while the new steel swingarm is fitted with two classic suspension struts. At 120 mm at the front and 100 mm at the rear, the suspension travel is typically short for the segment. Instead of two brakes on the front wheel as on the Seiemezzo, the Calibro brakes using a two-piston floating calliper with a 320 mm brake disk.

Moto Morini Calibro (7 Bilder)
With the Calibro, Moto Morini puts a cruiser on the road. (Bild: Moto Morini)

The look is reminiscent of the Honda CMX 500 Rebel, but features a number of lovingly designed, unique details. Of course, a cruiser must always offer a long fork with relatively high handlebars and a low seat; in the case of the Calibro, the rider sits at a height of 725 mm, while his feet rest on pegs mounted far forward. The 15-liter tank, crowned by a chrome-plated tank cap, rises steeply. A voluminous rear cover arches over rear tires, and a cover can be installed in place of the pillion seat for a clean line.

Wide wheels and tires play an important role on cruisers, even if only for visual reasons. Moto Morini designs nine-spoke rims with elegantly milled spokes and chooses the tire dimensions 130/70-18 at the front and 180/65-16 at the rear. A small mask with a short windshield frames the round LED headlight. The similarly round instrument in the cockpit is an unusual mixture of an analog rev counter and an integrated LC display, although some of the displays are very small. The milled "Morini" lettering on the handlebar clamp is a nice touch.

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Moto Morini has had a liquid-cooled in-line two-cylinder engine with a bore-to-stroke ratio of 83 x 60 millimetres in its range for three years. For use in the Calibro, it was bored out by four millimeters so that it grew from 649 to 693 cm3.

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The engineers also increased the compression ratio from 11.3:1 to 11.6:1. As a result, maximum output rose from 61 hp at 8250 rpm to 69 hp at 8500 rpm and maximum torque increased significantly from 54 Nm at 7000 rpm to 68 Nm at 6500 rpm, which is remarkable because the engine became even shorter-stroke. Moto Morini emphasizes that the response in the lower and middle speed range in particular has improved - just as cruiser riders prefer. The drive to the rear wheel is not via a chain as on the Seiemezzo, but via a belt. Moto Morini states a top speed of 175 km/h. At 1490 mm, the wheelbase of the Calibro is not that long for a cruiser, which is good for handling. The manufacturer announces a dry weight of 200 kg, with all liquids filled, the Calibro should weigh around 215 kg.

Moto Morini Calibro (7 Bilder)
Typical cruiser: low seat and footrests positioned far forward. (Bild: Moto Morini)

Also available as an excavator

Due to the lack of a TFT display, the smartphone cannot be mirrored, so Morini has also saved on connectivity. At least there is a USB port for charging the smartphone. The electronic assistance systems are limited to the mandatory ABS; you will look in vain for driving modes or traction control. In addition to the standard version, there is also a Calibro Bagger with extended equipment. It comes with elongated and rearward sloping panniers (19  liters each) to match the excavator style and a Batwing fairing for better wind protection. The Calibro is offered in red and gray, the Bagger exclusively in black. It starts at a list price of 7399 Euro, the Bagger at 8299 Euro. In both cases, a flat-rate transfer fee of 300 Euro is added.

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