Moto Morini is a brand steeped in bike-building history. Features before their time, plenty of racing success, and one of the best names for an Italian brand (Moto Morini sounds good in almost any language, trust me, I tried), they had it all. But like a lot of great marques, they shuttered for reasons outside of their control, were revived again, then got bought out by other companies, most of which did more harm than good to the brand’s soul and innovation.
Luckily, this 1979 Moto Morini 500 was built before the bad Cagiva acquisition. Unluckily, it was a bust model when compared to the success of its smaller-engined brethren the 3 ½ . Even today, the 3 ½ are the most respected and sought-after Moto Morini models of the Franco Lambertini era. While the 350cc versions were considered to remain true to Alfonso Morini’s original plan of creating simple, reliable & fast bikes, the 500 series bikes were labeled as cumbersome and over-designed in trying to take on Japanese bikes of the time.
Nonetheless, even with desirability lower than the others, the 500 stands as a great collectors bike with room for financial and emotional appreciation. It’s still got enough grunt to give riders a good commuter option, and the noise, while not the rumble of v-twins we’re used to hearing these days, is the right kind of sonorous.
This particular bike looks to be a Strada model and is all original with the only thing missing being the factory tool tray. The current owner has a great video highlighting the bike including startup, a few revs, and all of the recent work that’s been done to make it a reliable ride. With almost 23,000 miles (37,000 km) and an unstitched portion of the seat, this is not a garage ornament but a bike that looks to be enjoyed. You can find it in Grant, Florida for a BIN price of $4,500