MRC Forum- brought to you by www.morini-riders-club.com Member: g7AW3f

Hi<
I recently acquired a 1979 Strada 3 1/2 and have joined the riders club. The reason for me purchasing a Morini was having an off last September in Luxembourg on my BMW K1200 GT. I was unfortunate enough to come off in a heavy downpour shortly after a truck had deposited about 15 litres of diesel on the road. because the bike had a laden weight of about 300 KG, it trapped my foot as it went down and I broke my right ankle badly.

I determined to look for a lighter bike that I could do some touring on and the Strada caught my eye in the Jampot Magazine courtesy of Kettering Classic Motorcycles which is owned my the Matchless owners club. The Strada 'spoke' to me and a deal was done. At the time I was still on crutches and a friend bought her home for me. I was gobsmacked at the wealth of information about the bike that came with it, even the original purchase receipt. From the history that came with the Strada I know she has done 12,600 genuine miles as I have all the concurrent MOT's.

There is a written history with the bike and I intend to submit it for publishing in ATG, I promise, it will make interesting reading. I have now recovered enough to have had my first short ride on 'Bambini' and she has proved to be a very involving ride with lots of low down grunt and a verysurprising turn of speed and acceleration. I can honestly say that she handles as well as a modern bike. I cannot believe that she is over 30 years old. I must admit that I am smitten, and that she is definitely a keeper.

Whilst not in concours condition, she is in good rideable original condition and has been well looked after by her last owner, and that is what i intend to do ride her.

Neil Trinder

Welcome Neil its good to have another Morini rider out on the road.
Hopefully you will find the club to your liking. Plenty of events and lots of friendly advice should you seek it.
If you want any old road tests or information send us a pm with your email details.


Regards

Paul

Neil,

Firstly welcome to Morini ownership and to the club.

Sorry to hear about your 'off' but I think you won't be disappointed with your Morini experience (and it sounds like you are already coming to that conclusion yourself) any tales from 'bambini' past, future or present would certainly be welcome in ATG (and on the website too if you like).

Are you based in Kettering? There are a few of us up this neck of the woods (if you've not seen it, check out the members map on the website) so I'm sure a ride out when the sun is shining would be in order.

Keep us updated and I hope you fully recover soon,

Tom

Well I went a bit further today, about a fifty five mile trip, I must admit that even though the road speed is lower than I used to have on the BMW, Bambini is a much more engaging and involving ride

However, the Michelin seventies style tyres leave a hell of a lot to be desired. Have any of you out there got any suggestions as to more modern grippier tyres that don't make your bum twitch as you increase lean angles. As my Strada is fitted with the Grimeca cast alloy rims, can you fit tubeless tyres to them? your suggestions would be most welcome.

There is no perfect motorcycle.That's my conclusion after trying a few over the years.I have had some pretty hefty bikes in my time.All to the good on long motorway journeys, but no fun when boarding a wet and oily cross channel ferry 2 up fully loaded.Even a comparativly light K75 still feels heavy and a pig to remove the engine without a decent hoist.
Then you find you now have to factor in fuel costs where before it didn't come in to the equation.You cannot speed without fear of getting nicked,or falling into a pothole,nor can you count on a clear and traffic free road these days.At least not here in Blighty.Time was when you could go out and hardly see a car, nor speed trap.....ah well.
I have been coming to the conclusion that a light bike is generally best.The Morini is a fine bike, certainly one up, you can still manage some luggage if needs be.
But I am mighty glad that when i had a head on crash in November it was on the redoubtable r60/7, not my sport.

Re Tyres:
I'm sure everyone has their favourites. For me it is Bridgestone BT45s. Seem to compliment the Morini perfectly. Good grip wet or dry, and last well too.
A lot of people like the Avon Roadrider tyres, so it would be good to hear comments from those that use them.

The rim profiles are 'WM', and do not have the safety ribs that tubeless bike rims have, so run with tubes in.
Hope that this helps,
George.

Hi Neil, welcome to the world of Morini. I find that they are addictive and you'll grow more and more attached to it. I used to have bigger and more powerful bikes, but I find that a 3 1/2 suits me perfectly - I've now got a Strada and a Sport, both equally enjoyable in their own way and capable of pootling round country roads, doing the Cadwell track day and continental touring.

Regarding tyres, I'm a Roadrider fan and have them on both the bikes. I find them very predictable in the dry or wet, grippy enough to ground the exhaust on a track day and long-lasting.

Regards, Mark.

trinder wrote:Have any of you out there got any suggestions as to more modern grippier tyres that don't make your bum twitch as you increase lean angles. As my Strada is fitted with the Grimeca cast alloy rims, can fit tubeless tyres to them? your suggestions would be most welcome.

You can fit tubeless tyres as long as you put tubes in them! Running without tubes on rims not designed for tubeless tyres is potentially dangerous and would invalidate your insurance.

Tubeless tyres can be run with tubes, but will have a lower speed rating (not a problem on a Morini) due to the extra heat generated. A lot of tyres are no longer made in both TT (tube type) and TL (tubeless) construction and are only available in the latter.

Fit a 90/90 front and a 100 or 110/90 rear. Avon Roadrunners and BT45's both work well.

Thanks All for your favourite tyre suggestions

Neil