So the Moto Morini X-Cape long-termer has now clocked 1,000km, so it's time for an update on how that first 1,000km has gone and how I’m finding living with the bike.
So first things first, of all three colours the X-Cape is available in, I think red is the one to have. To me at least, it looks the sharpest and gives the bike a real premium look. It is an Italian brand, and aren't Italian bikes meant to be red anyway?
I can take or leave the gold wheels, but so far my thinking is these are a little easier to keep looking clean than black wheels, which typically show everything you’ve ridden through. Plus gold wheels annoy my wife for some reason, so for the fun factor of winding her up that's another tick in the positive column!
Things I’m hot on
The TFT display is brilliant. Not only is it big and easy to read in all conditions I’ve ridden in so far, but the fact you can customise it between dirt and ride mode along with day or night modes (that’s a white background or black background) also gives you flexibility.
I’d like to see a range-to-empty display permanently displayed on the screen as is displayed on the Seiemmezzo range, but this does activate and display once you are down to 2/8 bars on the fuel gauge.
In terms of rider ergonomics, I can't say enough how much I love the standing ergonomics on the X-Cape. In particular, the seat is well-designed for stand-up comfort with its well-placed knee padding. Some bikes have plastics or protrusions from the frame or engine that can knock your knees about as you try to grip on while standing. Moto Morini seems to have thought through the standing ergonomics of the X-Cape quite well with their inclusion of those side pads into the seat. It makes standing a joy, and with the thick rubber peg inserts removed you have a solid platform to lock into the bike in the dirt.
You've also go three positions for mounting the handlebar along with adjustable levers, so you can tailor the bike to fit your body quite well.
While I can’t really go into performance as the bike has been in its break-in period and we’ve not been riding it fast and loose, but so far it has been quite enjoyable with plenty of go for happily riding at 110km+ on the expressway.
I have had comments on YouTube from people saying the X-Cape's 60hp of peak power isn't enough. I argue that it has enough to comfortably keep the pace going at open road speeds and has enough left in the tank to overtake slower vehicles.
Fuel economy and overall range seem good at this stage. While I've only just finished in the run-in period, it appears that I can get roughly 400km to the 18-litre tank if riding gently.
Things I'm not so hot on
The lack of protection for the plastics is a concern out of the box. The large plastics are quite vulnerable and I have to cop to scratching the left-hand side when the bike fell over on the beach. Thankfully there are options to rectify this including the optional Moto Morini crash bars as well as a wide range of products from SW-Motech.
While the standing ergonomics are top-notch, the seat-to-footpeg ratio could be a little roomier for long stints sitting down. I have found pulling the footpeg rubbers out does seem to help this, and you don't seem to get too much vibration through the pegs as a trade-off. However, I still find myself needing to stretch my legs on longer stints in the saddle.
Stay tuned for the next instalment in the Moto Morini series.