Moto Morini Seiemmezzo STR & SCR Full Specs & Prices Announced

Today Moto Morini announced the full details of their new 650 twin naked street bikes, the Seiemezzo STR & SCR. So here are the full details, including how they stack up to the closest competition, the Yamaha MT-07 and the Triumph Trident 660.

ENGINE

Now the keen eyed readers amongst you will know that this isn’t the first 650 twin that Moto Morini have announced in recent memory. Last year they unveiled the striking X-Cape 650 adventure bike, powered by a Chinese-built parallel twin derived from the Kawasaki ER5 unit. It’s not going to be the most exhilarating motor in the segment at 60hp and 54nm peak, and the sound of the 180-degree crank is hardly going to win the Mercury Prize, but that’s not the point. It helps to keep the bike super affordable, it’s decent on fuel, and the design is well proven.

Pretty much every bike manufacturer on the planet spins out several versions of a given platform to maximise the returns on their R&D, and Moto Morini are no different with these two new bikes using the same engine, some of the chassis, and some of the tech of the X-Cape 650.

Coincidentally it’s just arrived in the studio for review this week so I’ve had a chance to take it out and experience this power unit first hand, and while it’s not going to beat the smooth 80hp triple of the Trident, or the playful grunt of the Yamaha’s CP2, it does manage to undercut the price of both bikes by a decent margin and so if peak performance isn’t of concern to you then the Morini is still worth a look.

CHASSIS

Moving on to the chassis and like the X-Cape the Seiemmezzo gets a steel trellis frame and aluminium swingarm, but these street focused bikes get shorter travel suspension at 120mm as opposed to 160mm. That brings the whole height of the bike down with a super accessible 810mm seat height that should be palatable for all but the shortest riders.

What impresses me about the suspension is that both the 43mm USD KYB fork, and the KYB monoshock are both adjustable with preload and compression and rebound all tweakable, meaning you can dial in the sag and ride to your exact preference. Very few other bikes at the price point offer more than preload on the rear shock.

Brakes are from Brembo with a pair or two-pot callipers on 298mm discs at the front, and a single 2-pot Brembo on a 255mm at the rear. Again this hardware is common to the X-Cape, and the performance on the road is totally fine if not outstanding. The X-Cape comes up a little weighty compared to the competition at 213kg dry which is contributing a factor, and the same is most likely true of the Seiemmezzos at 200kg.

Wheels are one of the key areas in which the two bikes differ. So the STR as you can probably work out is the street focused model, and it gets cast wheels with an 18-inch front and a 17-incher at the rear, both shod with Pirelli Angel GT tyres which should be decent all-rounder for the street.

I’m slightly surprised it doesn’t come with a 17inch front for a quicker, sportier feel at the front end, but the SCR is a scrambleresque take on the platform and it suits the tubeless spoked 18-inch front and 17 rear, this time with Pirelli’s flat track style MT60RS tyres that offer a little more grip for light off-roading. So perhaps there’s some efficiency in having the same sized wheels on both models, meaning there’s no need to tweak the geometry of the chassis.

TECH

One of the areas in which the Morini bikes looks especially impressive is their technology. I’m not talking about the latest and greatest in lean sensitive rider aids and launch control - this is a 60hp twin after all. But it’s the finishing parts and attention to detail that give it a feeling of class that surpasses the price point.

There’s LED lighting all-round for a start, with the semi-retro headlight looking particularly smart with it’s DRL ring. You get backlit switchgear which is a big bonus if you often commute home in the dark. And then the centrepiece of the cockpit is this 5-inch colour TFT display with a very classy looking design to the graphics and layout.

It’s not quite as big as the X-Cape as the size of the fairing on that bike can more naturally accommodate a 7-inch slab, but it gets the same impressive functionality with bluetooth connectivity that allows you to control music and phone calls from the switchgear, as well as a navigation feature, although unfortunately this is only available to the Chinese market for the time being.

Other than that you’ve got the same Bosch ABS as the X-Cape, although it’s not switchable here which is a little bit of a shame for the scrambler variant, as I can see the appeal of taking that on some gravel roads for a bit of skidding about.

STYLING

While the Morini 650s are all Chinese-built, the research and design is done at their HQ in Italy, and it certainly shines through in the styling department. The STR definitely has a little bit of Trident about it for me, but with a slightly more chiseled and edgy look to the bodywork that I think comes across quite nicely.

The SCR of course leans into the scrambler vibe with all the textbook hallmarks, like the spoked wheels and semi knobbly tyres, the fly screen, the brown tuck and roll style seat, khaki green paintwork as one of the options, a high front mudguard, a longer mudguard at the rear, tank pads, and the high wide handlebars.

To break into a market where there are some well-established favourites, the Morini is going to need to stand out from the crowd and I certainly think it does that.

PRICE

Onto the all-important price, and the STR starts from £6,699 whilst the extra bodywork and finish on the SCR will cost you another £300. For context, the MT-07 currently starts at £7,200, and whilst the Trident 660 was introduced at a very competitive £7,195 last year, it’s now crept up to £7,695 with an extra £100 for the more popular paint jobs.

As I’ve already said, I’ll have to reserve full judgement of whether that’s good value for money or not until we can actually ride one, but purely from the specs sheet we can see that power is a little down and weight is on the high side, so performance isn’t realistically where this bike is going to excel. But you do get some neat features like the fully adjustable suspension and a compelling tech package, and it’s wrapped up in a stylish form factor with a historic Italian brand name on the tank that might appeal to those seeking an alternative to the masses.