Morini useage

[Andy_C]

Soon be a year since acquiring my Morini - my first ever one, and it is certainly living up to the reputation.

I have done getting on for 2000 miles in that time as it is a fair weather bike.

Took me a while to get used to reving it like a 2 stroke, and the RH gear lever / LH brake.

Just wondering does anyone use theirs as their "daily ride" for things like commuting etc, or does everyone ride them for leisure only ?

[Morini Jen]

Hi Andy.

Good question.

I confess that my 3½ has never really been a daily rider. When I bought it, in 1998, my workplace was only a five minute walk from home. That said, after work and after having a bite to eat I would regularly go for an evening run to nowhere in particular. That was when I lived in South Coventry and the country lanes weren't too far away.

The following year I moved down to London and the Morini was my only transport for a while but then I bought a Grey Import Honda VRX400 (great bike) for commuting on and kept the Morini just for planned rides and rallies.

Interestingly though, around the same time, (early 2000's), there was a young lady who was a mobile hairdresser in my part of London and she used to go from client to client on a 500 Morini.

[Andy_C]

Jen thanks for that.

I was just wondering as where I live in Somerset, you very rarely see "classic" bikes being ridden at all these days, except when there is an organised ride out of some kind, I think that people are loosing initerest in "classic" bikes, the market is certainly not what it was.

I WFH so no need to commute any longer, so mine is used for recreation purposes only, come to that all of my bikes are used for recreation only

[MickeyMoto]

Commuting means that four letter word beginning with w and ending in k. I think you'll find most owners are of an age where they are retired. I take mine out just for the craic, but I have two other bikes. There is a guy in my town who has a couple and I see him out on his, especially of an evening.

I used to thrash my old Strada to Leeds and back every w**king day, even in winter, 40 miles return. It set me up for the day. You will find as us oldies fall off our perches that the Morini scene will struggle like I am finding the old British bike scene struggling when I travel to bike shows. 80s, 90s and 2000's Japanese bikes appear to be where it is at now, but the Morini scene is still vibrant as the company struggled on into the 90s. I do not see too many younger riders joining clubs today, let alone riding bikes, although there are some. I wonder how many younger riders with modern Morinis belong to the MRC? I think a club to a whippersnapper is looking at Facebook. Maybe they are too busy trying to survive in the modern world to have time to socialise?

[Andy_C]

Mickey

I am hoping to give up w**k in the next 18 months or so, as I reach retirement age next April.

Youngsters dont have the interest in bikes that they had in my day, guess things change.

Think you are right about the 80s / 90s / 2000s bikes, interest in old Brits is fast dissapearing.

[norbert]

I used my Morini for years to go to work about 40 km when the weather was fine (don't Start it for less than 20 km, beeing a motor that needes some km to warm up). I have a friend in Barcelona using his 250 V for years as a Messenger in that town.
And I'm still using it for long way travelling ( about 3-6000 km trips).
But it' clear that most of US have reached at an age that has changed our habits. At the german meetings of 100 bikes in former times 60 to 70 has clipons and rearsets and a lot of half-fairings. Now this sporty ones are becomig quite seldom.

[3potjohn]

If you had ridden to Bere Cider Bike day at Aller you would have seen another 350. Not mine as I had ventured North on my old beemer.