Moto Morini mopeds: Corsarino versus bikes with Motori Franco Morini engines. In this article also information on the the relationship between "Morini Franco Motori S.p.A." and "Moto Morini".

Regularly we receive questions about (Italian) mopeds, or light motorbikes, with an engine made by Motori Franco Morini.
Many think (hope?) they are dealing with a Moto Morini moped or motorbike, but that's not the case. I shall try to explain the difference.

Definition

• Moped: 50cc engine. In the 1950, 60, 70-ties in many countries a driving licence to ride such a bike was not required.
• Light motorbike: 50, 125, 175, 250cc: (driving-licence compulsory). For the Moto Morini Corsaro (Pirat) 125cc follow
  this link to the new Corsaro owners page.

	First the mopeds of Moto Morini Moto Morini made mopeds in the in the 1960s and first half of the 70s. All these mopeds had a four-stroke engines, except for one model. Only the "Dollaro" had a two-stroke engine. Even the ladies-model "Modell V" (pronounce "Vu"), built between 1963 and 1966, was a four-stroke. Below this article, you can see two pictures of the Modell V. Moto Morini mopeds were sold in Italy under the name Corsarino (=little Pirate). Apart from a normal moped ("Z") with a buddy seat and "ZT" (little more sportive), also a Scrambler (off the road) and a "ZZ" version (super sport) were built. See the overview below for the models and the years they were built. At the bottom of this page, you can find a service manual of a Corsarino and also an Italian registration document. From the German Moto Morini magazine "La Strega" I copied a factsheet on the Corsarino ZZ. It might also be usefull for other Corsarino models.
logo Corsarino			Corsarino logo

	on the left, a 1974 Moto Morini Dollaro 2-stroke. This is the only 2-stroke moped ever built by Moto Morini! The yellow plate on the front mudguard identifies it as a moped used in the Netherlands

Corsarino	Corsarino ZZ
"Model V" (pronounce: "Vu")	Model V
Scrambler 49	Another Scrambler 49	Part of a sales-brochure of the 60s (click image for bigger size)
48cc 4-stroke engine	Standard Corsarino
standard Corsarino	last model Corsarino Scrambler	last model Scrambler

Overview Corsarino (4 stroke) models & Dollaro (only 2-stroke)
Model Corsarino	1963	1964	1965	1966	1967	1968	1969	1970	1971	1972	1973	1974	1975
V
Z)*
ZT
ZZ)**
Scrambler
Super Scrambler
Dollaro (2-stroke)
)*Z: 1963-1965 3 gear (hand); from 1966 4 gear (foot)
)**ZZ: 1964-1965 3 gear (foot); from 1966 4 gear (foot)

Now mopeds with an engine made by Motori Franco Morini
Motori Franco Morini is a factory in Bologna. At present only engines are made for mopeds, scooters and motorcycles of other factories. Until a few years ago, only two-stroke engines with a capacity of 50cc were produced, but since 1999 they also build an air-cooled 125cc single four-stroke and since 2001 even a water-cooled single four-stroke scooter engine of 400cc. All products of Franco Morini can be seen at their factory site. The 125cc single was used by Simson in Germany (moped/motorcycle factory was closed in the Spring of 2003. After the close-down, Simson continued as a producer of car-parts only). Another customer of the 125cc single is HRD in France. A remarkable fact was that Simson in Germany also sold the French built HRD bikes under their own name. These were the models 125SM and 125GS. Only about 40 - 60 HRD's were sold as Simson. As I could not find an HRD factory site, have a look at this French HRD dealer for the HRD 125cc Cabriolet and Super Motard models. Back to the mopeds. Engines of mopeds often get their own brand name (make) on the side-covers, like for instance "Malagutti". This way you cannot immediately see that you're dealing with a Motori Franco Morini engine. Even the three-cylinder 900cc engines of the Benelli Tornado motorbikes are made at Franco Morini. Now that's a statement on their technical ability!

Back to the mopeds. Mopeds often have their brandname on the sidecovers of their engines. F.i. "Malagutti". That way it is not clear that the engine is not made by Malagutti, but by Motori Franco Morini. Even the small engines for bicycles, like in the Netherlands used by Sparta for their model "Spartamet" (built in the 80s/90s) with the brandname "Sachs" on the engine was made by Motori Franco Morini.

the "Sachs" engine of the Spartamet

Below no Moto Morini mopeds/engines! Engines built by: mopeds from different/unknown factories. first Morini Franco Motori motorbike (125cc) from the late 50s/early 60s. Model: "Seagull" an average Franco Motori 2-stroke 50cc moped engine Italian built moped, with a Morini Franco Motori engine, but NOT a moped built by Moto Morini, nor Franco Morini Motori a 50cc engine of Motori Franco Morini, type "gyromat" another Motori Franco Morini 2-stroke engine another typical Italian moped from the 60s. It might look like a Moto Morini, but it is Negrini from '62/'63. You can see the red Motori Franco Morini logo on the engine sidecover. On the left a "Boomerang", according to the name on the fueltank. No Moto Morini, but just another Italian moped with a Franco Morini engine, "gyromat" in this case. Motori Franco Morini 2-stroke engine, used by Malaguti Another type Motori Franco Morini 2-stroke engine On the chainguard: Intramotor- (type?)Gloria (Verona) and on the fueltank 'Mini Kid'. No need to say: no Moto Morini, but an Italian moped with an engine of Motori Franco Morini, like so many others. This bike was offered as a Moto Morini, but it is not! It turned out to be an Italian Cimatti 4M. "4M" stands for "4 marche", or 4-speed. Compare the striping on the advertisement with the bike on the left: Cimatti! Another Moto Morini lookalike. It even has Moto Morini decals on the fueltank. Identified by my friend Carlo and also by Massimo from Italy, this is an Omer (so definitely no Moto Morini). Look at the double horizontal tubes, both under as above the engine. Never used by Moto Morini. Above, another Moto Morini look-alike. Fueltank, front fork and headlight are similar to Moto Morini. But the frame, the angle of the shocks, the chainguard and both mudguards (fenders) are not. Most important, the engine is completely wrong. No Corsarino left the factory with a 2 stroke engine and forced air cooling. This bike even has a German registration document, stating it is a Moto Morini Corsarino. So this bike changed it's identity on paper, it still originates from another unknown factory. Conclusion: only trust your own eyes and do not trust stickers/adhesives on the bike. Do not even trust the papers. I have asked the seller bout this bike. He did not have much more to say than that "it was a jubilee model" ..... Don't believe it, as it is no Moto Morini and not a jubilee model either. Motorbike Morini Franco Motori Some time ago, a light motorbike of the brand Motori Franco Morini was offered at Ebay (below). First registration of April 1961. It is a 70cc, 2-stroke with 3 speed (manual). The red colour with the white section on the fueltank is typical for Italian motorbikes from that era. Many other brands had the same colour scheme. On the fueltank, you can see the remains of a decal, probably "Moto Morini". But it is more than clear, that this bike is not a Moto Morini. Parts for Motori Franco Morini engines At Moto Morini Club Nederland, we do not have a list of suppliers of parts for Motori Franco Morini engines. Here are some tips: The internet site of North Leicester Motorcycles (NLM) in England (worldwide, the largest, active dealer of Moto Morini motorbikes) has a link to the English importer Harglo where you can order parts for Motori Franco Morini engines. Look at the auction-sites of Ebay (ebay.com, ebay.de, ebay.it and ebay.nl) Franco Morini engines are offered frequently. Visit "swap-meets" (auto-jumbles) for classic bikes. At the Dutch "Vehikelbeurs" I have seen many Franco Morini engines up for sale.

What is the relationship between Motori Franco Morini and Moto Morini?
To answer this question, we have to go back in history. Moto Morini was founded in Bologna/Italy, back in 1946 by Alfonso Morini. The company started with a clone of the DKW 125cc, indeed, a two-stroke, but the next model and apart from the above mentioned "Dollaro" (moped) all other models that followed were four-stroke. The models developed by Moto Morini over the years to come can be seen in the overview. The British Morini Riders Club has made a nice overview of the life of Alfonso Morini.

From Mr. Carlo Vergnano I received the following information on Italian Sport mopeds. This information is based on publications (both articles and advertisements) from over 300 issues of the Italian magazine "Motociclismo". In 1950, Vittorio Minarelli and Franco Morini set up a factory together "FBM (Fabricca Bolognese Motocicli SrL)" to produce motorcycle and moped engines. Sometime after that they decided to start their own companies in Bologna: Vittorio Minarelli under the name "Minarelli" and Franco Morini under the name "Morini Franco Motori". This last company was founded in 1954. The basic 50cc moped engine of both factories was nearly identical. Some parts could be swapped without any problem. To prove this statement, have a look at the four photo's below of a 1961 Testi Grand Prix, owned by Mr. Paalman in the Netherlands. As you can see, on one side of the engine has a cover with the brandname Minarelli; on the other side a cover with the brandname Morini Franco Motori is fixed. When you click on the 3rd photo from the lhs, you can see a Minarelli enginenumber on the crankcase. This is correct, according to the statement below that Testi used Minarelli engines only. The factory of Franco Morini did make light motorbikes and mopeds for a certain period, but in the Netherlands these bikes were never imported. My guess would be the Franco Morini bikes were only produced for the domestic market: Italy. Production cannot have been a great success, because it was stopped pretty soon. From that moment onwards, only engines were produced until now (2006). Testi Grand Prix 1961, owned by Mr. Paalman correct (lhs) and wrong (rhs) engine covers

Moped brands with a Minarelli engine:

Aprilia, Aspes, Atala, Beta, Bimotor, B.M., Carabela, Casalini, C.F., Chiorda, Cimatti, Empolini, Everton, Fantic Motor, F.M.B., Gabbiano, Gazelle, Gerosa, Gimk, Gitan, Gitane, Giulietta, Indian, Intramotor, Italjet, Legnano, Malanca, M.B. Milani, Mebea, Mondial, Moto Bimm, Moto Gori, MZV, Oemmeci, Omer, Otus, Peripoli, Power, Rieju, Rocvale, Romeo, Sulky, Technomoto, Testi, Torpado.

Mopeds brands with a Morini Franco Motori engine:

AIM, Aprilia, Bianchi, B.M., Chiorda, Cimatti, D.M.T., Italjet, Italtelai, Italvelo, Itom, Lem, Malaguti, Motobecane, Moto Gori, Moto Meteora, Moto Müller, Moto Villa, Negrini, Omer, Oscar, Peripoli, Rivara, S.W.M., Tecnomoto, T.G.M., Titan, Ufo.

Mopeds brands with their "own" engine (made by the same company):

Aermacchi, Alpino, Aprilia, Benelli, Beta, Bianci, Demm, Ducati, Garelli, Gerosa, Gilera, Guazzoni, Innocenti, Itom, Malanca, Motobi, Moto Guzzi, Motom, Moto Morini, M.V. Augusta, Piaggio, Santamaria.

Conclusions and remarks: Minarelli had more customers; Some moped factories bought engines from both Minarelli and Franco Morini (f.i. Aprilia, Cimatti and Omer). For some moped models an engine of Morini Franco Motori was mounted, for other models an engine of Minarelli. Sometimes they bought their engines for a number of years from Franco Morini and switched after some time to Minarelli, vice versa. Aprilia mounted Morini Franco Motori at first, but switched over at a later stage to Minarelli; Both Aprilia and Beta used to buy their engines, but later produced their own. Bianchi and Itom built their own engines, but for some moped models, they bought engines from Morini Franco Motori; Watch out with mopeds from the following brands: Ancillotti, Aprilia, Beta, Bianchi, Itom, Malanca, Rondine and see if the correct engine is mounted, because it all depends on the specific model moped; Malagutti only used Morini Franco Motori engines; Testi only used Minarelli engines.

A future for Moto Morini, but first some history
In 1987 Moto Morini was bought by Cagiva and under Cagiva management business went downhill for various reasons. In 1991 Cagiva closed the gates of the Moto Morini factory in Bologna and the last bikes were produced at the Ducati plant in 1992. Cagiva also owned Ducati, Husqvarna and MV Augusta at the time. In 2007 Husqvarna was sold to BMW. In the late 90s Ducati was sold to the Texas Pacific Investment Group (the make, or brand name "Moto Morini" was part of this deal). In 2004, 60% of the shares of Cagiva/MV Augusta were sold to Proton (car producer in Malaysia). Back to Moto Morini. The new owner of the brand Moto Morini was an American investment company (Texas Pacific Group). Without doing anything with the make/brand name Moto Morini, the Americans sold the make/brand "Moto Morini" in 1999 to .... Motori Franco Morini!! Intresting detail: before the closure of the Moto Morini factory, the chief-designer ing. Franco Lambertini interview Lambertini had left the company and started a new job at Piaggo (Vespa, Gilera then, but from 2004 onwards also Aprilia, Moto Guzzi and Laverda). At about the same time that Moto Morini was sold to Motori Franco Morini, Lambertini left Piaggio and started at Motori Franco Morini. In 2003/4 we learned that Lambertini had developed a brandnew V-twin engine of 140hp. The Corsaro 1200 was presented in the Autumn of 2004 and first pre-production bikes were on the road in the Summer of 2005. After that, new models followed. First bike to be introduced after the Corsaro 1200 was the 9 1/2 (105hp) in 2007 followed by the Corsaro Avio (120hp) and the Granpasso.

Timeline on the development of the new line of motorbikes (Corsaro 1200 and 9½).

• On the 4th of December 2003, at the Bologna motor show, Morini Franco Motori announced the cooperation with the Berti family. The Berti family owned TV factories in Italy. They became 50% partners in the newly formed "Moto Morini Spa", the other 50% owner is Morini Franco Motori. Together they announced to produce a new Moto Morini motorbike.
• In March 2004, at the website of Motociclismo, a large (1000cc ?) V-twin was shown (later it turned out to be 1200cc/140hp and also a 1000cc version was announced. A 1000cc was not made, but for the 9 1/2 the 1200cc engine is tuned back to 105hp - webmaster). This engine will be the basis for other versions. At the same period, it was announced that Luciano Marabese would design the new bike(s).
• Exactly a year later, on December 2nd 2004, the new Moto Morini Corsaro 1200 was presented at the Bologna motor show. Biggest surprise followed, when also the Moto Morini 9½ was shown to the audience. The Italians had managed to not just to design and build one bike, but even two! A new factory was ready and production was to start in April 2005. This is about 13 years after the last Morini's were assembled at the Ducati plant. The nice part of it all: Moto Morini is a family company once more. Started by Alfonso just after the war and successfully taken over by his daughter Gabriella in 1969. Now the sons of cousin Franco are the new owners, together with the Berti brothers and Moto Morini's former technical director is back with the old company and has done it again. He has designed a new, very promising engine, basis of a new generation Moto Morini bikes
.
• Some photo's from 2004, the new engine tested and the complete management of Moto Morini
.
• Early June 2005, I saw the first Corsaro 1200 outside Italy. This pre-production model was shown by the German importer März, at the International Moto Morini meeting in Germany. Production was to start after the Summer holidays, but Murphy did not agree ;( There were problem with the mapping of the fuel injection and also a pipe of the exhaust had to be slightly changed, as the bottom clearance was "tight". Finally, in the Autumn production was started.
• A year later, on November 18, 2005 at the EICMA car/motor show of Milan more news was given at a press conference. Here are photo's taken at the EICMA in 2005.
• In the Spring of 2007 a prototype of a new model, called MM3 was shown. This bike was not taken into production. Instead, at the EICMA of 2007 the Corsaro Avio and also the Granpasso were introduced.

Service- and registration documents of the Corsarino:

click for larger size	Corsarino service information	Italian registration papers
Tony Kersbergen, update Dec. 2007
visitors since 18/04/2002