The Moto Morini Story

Resurrected: Morini Café Racer

After a long snowy winter and six busy months of restoration it's time to face the truth. Did I do a good job and will the Italian primadonna finally sing?

Alfonso Morini, the owner of the little Italian manufacturer from Bologna, started out in the motorcycle business in 1924. Together with businessmen Massi, Mattei and Mazzetti, he founded the "Fabricca di Motobiciclette Brevetti M.M. di A. Mattei & Co.," M.M. for short. In the beginning they produced 125 and 175cc two strokes, and in 1930 they began to produce four strokes. Alfonso himself won the 125cc class at the GP of Monza in 1927.

In 1937 Signore Morini left the company to start his own enterprise: Moto Morini. At first, he manufactured small three-wheeler trucks and aircraft parts. Later on, in 1946, he started producing motorcycles, mainly two strokes with small capacities. The first model was the Turismo 125. At the end of the forties he built a 125cc four-stroke racebike. The first 175 followed in 1952/1953. It was the precursor of the famous race version, Settebello, which appeared at the end of 1953. This bike won many national races and championships, and one of its riders was Giacomo Agostini....

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