Moto Morini reveals 2020 middleweight adventure bike

X-Cape to take them back to middleweights

For the long haul adventure ride, which mostly consists of highway riding, a massive 1200cc adventure bike seems to be the best tool for the job. It's like you're cruising in a big SUV with all the bells and whistles for a couple of days on the road. But, when push comes to shove, like in situations where the road ends and the real adventure begins, these same adventurers would rather have a lighter bike that can still get the job done.

The past few years have actually pushed motorcycle manufacturers to go back to the drawing table to design adventure bikes that can be light but powerful enough for those who seek “real adventure.” Take for example the KTM 790 Adventure or the BMW 850 GS adventure and the upcoming Yamaha Tenere 700 – all of these bikes are still adventure bikes but are lighter versus their 1200 or even their 1300cc brothers.

Moto Morini, a motorcycle brand from Italy founded in 1937, has recently revealed their idea of what an adventure bike in a middleweight package should be: the X-Cape 650. It is powered by a parallel-twin 649 cc liquid-cooled engine mated to a six-speed gearbox. Though the power and torque figures are not published at the Moto Morini official site, some speculate that the engine could be a “borrowed” powerplant from the Kawasaki Versys 650 and some CFMoto bikes and that they will likely have similar power and torque figures.

Additionally, the seat height is only 830 mm complemented by a raised handlebar that offers the rider a very comfortable upright riding position. Other features include full-LED lighting, a 7-inch TFT display with Bluetooth connectivity, huge 50 mm inverted forks, and 19 and 17-inch front and rear wheels. Stopping power is provided by two dual-piston calipers on 300 mm discs for the front, while the rear gets a single dual-piston caliper on a 255 mm disc, all with ABS.

The price and Philippine release dates have yet to be announced.