As you may have heard recently, an Italian businessman, Paolo Berlusconi, has purchased the Italian motorcycle manufacturer Moto Morini. You may be familiar with the name Berlusconi due to the fact that Paolo is the brother to Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. Though Moto Morini is now finally back on its feet, and hopefully done with bankruptcy, we still have no information on what he plans to do with the company. Though, given the company’s history – Giacomo Agostini won his first race on a Moto Morini) – he will likely keep it together and continue to produce their very desirable product line. Berlusconi is expected to wait until the 2010 EICMA in Milan (in November) to reveal what he plans to do with the marque.
Though Berlusconi has not said much to the press, a certain Oberdan Bezzi has some ideas where the future of the company may go. The world-famous motorcycle designer has come up with a brilliant idea which would bring two Italian and exotic motorcycle companies together to produce what amounts to art on wheels. ‘Obiboi’, as he is sometimes affectionately referred to, has deigned to have Bimota use the Moto Morini powerplant, which Morini builds in-house, for two machines of their own – the MMB1 and 
the MMB2. Even though the Morini 1200 engine is not exactly a known power-house, it is a well designed V-twin which would fit like it was custom built for this purpose in these Bezzi designs.
The first sketch produced for the public by Bezzi was the MMB1 – the Bimota square-tube trellis frame holding the Moto Morini 1187cc V-twin engine as a stressed member with a rather lightweight tubular trellis subframe holding up the seat. If you take a close look at the way that the engine lines up with the frame spars and the cast aluminum central plate, which holds the main frame to the subframe along with the footpegs and swingarm, it is easy to see how much this is a natural fit. The Morini engine can be tuned very easily for its purpose – giving either a high horsepower output or more torque. It has found a home in some seven to eight models from the Moto Morini factory so far, and those machines certainly do not disappoint. They may not be as cutting edge as a Ducati or MV Agusta, but Moto Morini does build good and seriously fun motorcycles. Bezzi put it rather succinctly, “For Moto Morini, the union with a partner noble and famous brand and prestige of the engine would get its twin among those most prominent in the panorama of high-end bikes.”
Bezzi’s second design was the MMB2, which he calls a blend between a streetfighter and a supermotard in naming it the “FighterMotard”. This one is more of a ‘naked’ bike, though the MMB1 does not have much cover either. The key difference is in the riding position; it is a bit more upright and supermoto influenced. Of course, there is differing bodywork, the exhaust exits under the seat instead of the far side, and it has a beak. It is a bit more edgy, though, and that does give it a distinct character of its own. The MMB2 just looks like it was made for being a hooligan!
Either of them would look fine in my garage, and likely yours too. OK, I will admit that these are simply sketches and a bit far-fetched, but it is not so hard to believe. The talented Obiboi certainly believes in the nuptials, “Moto Morini also Bimota could become “antenna technology” and engineering to develop new models all Moto Morini, which in the past this company has already done for other manufacturers. In short, a marriage of convenience but could blossom “love” between two prestigious brands Made in Italy and bear fruit beneficial in the future.”
What do you think?
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