First Ride: 2006 Moto Morini Corsaro 1200

WHEN TWO TESTED an early prototype of the Moto Morini Corsaro a few issues ago it impressed, but was by no means perfect. Despite beautiful styling, the old Italian bugbear of imprecise fuel injection reared its ugly head, and the exhaust was positioned so the collector box scraped the ground without much effort. Little problems that Morini assured us would be ironed out on the final production bike.

Fast forward a few months and I'm in the midst of my second Corsaro experience - and I wouldn't recommend it for the faint-hearted.

After a few miles getting to know the bike I nailed it in first. Rather than the gentle rise of the front you get with the likes of Triumph's Speed Triple, the Morini rockets upwards like a small explosive has just gone off beneath the front wheel. The fuel injection seems precise enough - open the throttle and it certainly accelerates - but it isn't half abrupt. Part of this is down to the throttle cable, which has no slack in it at all, and part is down to the engine, which is very powerful. Neither of these are really faults, but if you're considering a Corsaro bear in mind it isn't an overly friendly bike.

As the weather was only just above freezing and the roads slimy as hell I shan't pretend to have really found out if the exhaust's positioning has got any better. Morini assures me it's been moved though and I'm prepared to believe them.

So have the pre-production faults been sorted? Although sharp the fuel injection seemed glitch free and I'm sure only the brave will now grind the pipe. Would I recommend it as a potential buy? If you want a relaxed naked bike, definitely not. It's hard work to ride and very aggressive, but if you like that sort of thing it isn't badly priced, looks well built and is rare enough to be a talking point. For a gentle day-to-day bike go for the Speed Triple, or a big retro such as the CB1300 for looks over all-out thrills.

VERDICT 3/5


If you're in the market for a raw, fast and very aggressive motorcycle, buy the Corsaro. If you're not, don't

SPECS


TYPE - STREETBIKE


PRODUCTION DATE - 2006


PRICE NEW - £8699


ENGINE CAPACITY - 1187cc


POWER - 140bhp@8500rpm


TORQUE - 90.7lb.ft@6500rpm


WEIGHT - 198kg


SEAT HEIGHT - n/a


FUEL CAPACITY - 18L


TOP SPEED - N/A


0-60 - n/a

Click to read: Moto Morini Corsaro 1200 owners reviews, Moto Morini Corsaro 1200 specs and to see the Moto Morini Corsaro 1200 image gallery.

When T.W.O tested an early prototype of the Moto Morini Corsaro a few issues ago it impressed, but was by no means perfect. Despite beautiful styling, the old Italian bugbear of imprecise fuel injection reared its ugly head, and the exhaust was positioned so the collector box scraped the ground without much effort. Little problems that Morini assured us would be ironed out on the final production bike.

Fast forward a few months and I'm in the midst of my second Corsaro experience - and I wouldn't recommend it for the faint-hearted.

After a few miles getting to know the bike I nailed it in first. Rather than the gentle rise of the front you get with the likes of Triumph's Speed Triple, the Morini rockets upwards like a small explosive has just gone off beneath the front wheel. The fuel injection seems precise enough - open the throttle and it certainly accelerates - but it isn't half abrupt. Part of this is down to the throttle cable, which has no slack in it at all, and part is down to the engine, which is very powerful. Neither of these are really faults, but if you're considering a Corsaro bear in mind it isn't an overly friendly bike.

As the weather was only just above freezing and the roads slimy as hell I shan't pretend to have really found out if the exhaust's positioning has got any better. Morini assures me it's been moved though and I'm
prepared to believe them.

So have the pre-production faults been sorted? Although sharp the fuel injection seemed glitch free and I'm sure only the brave will now grind the pipe. Would I recommend it as a potential buy? If you want a relaxed naked bike, definitely not. It's hard work to ride and very aggressive, but if you like that sort of thing it isn't badly priced, looks well built and is rare enough to be a talking point. For a gentle day-to-day bike go for the Speed Triple, or a big retro such as the CB1300 for looks over all-out thrills.

VERDICT

If you're in the market for a raw, fast and very aggressive motorcycle, buy the Corsaro. If you're not, don't.

Moto Morini Corsaro 1200 Specs

SPECS
TYPE - STREETBIKE
PRODUCTION DATE - 2006
PRICE NEW - £8699
ENGINE CAPACITY - 1187cc
POWER - 140bhp@8500rpm
TORQUE - 90.7lb.ft@6500rpm   
WEIGHT - 198kg
SEAT HEIGHT - n/a   
FUEL CAPACITY - 18L   
TOP SPEED - N/A   
0-60     - n/a
TANK RANGE - N/A