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Ninjette Newsbot · December 8th, 2022, 05:01 PM

Famous Italian motorcycle marque Morbidelli could be on the return as Chinese rights holder files patents for brand-name usage for Morbidelli MBP.

Click here to view on their site.

The MBP T10002V Adventure bike that was show at EICMA. (MBP/)One of the more intriguing launches at the 2022 EICMA show in Milan was the debut of the “MBP” brand—which is heading to several European markets as an ostensibly Italian firm that presented a whole array of bikes from 125cc models to 1,000cc V-twins. The title apparently initializes Moto Bologna Passione but digging deeper reveals that the bikes are Chinese in origin and the company behind MBP is planning on using the more famous Morbidelli brand name.

Although MBP is related to Keeway, sharing many of the same distributors and dealers in Europe, and says that its bikes are designed in Italy with the assistance of the Keeway R&D center in Barcelona, several of the machines are familiar to anyone who’s spent time poring over the output of China’s motorcycle industry in recent years. While Keeway is usually described as part of the Qianjiang empire, which also encompasses Benelli and QJMotor, the MBP bikes aren’t borrowed from Qianjiang’s stable, and are instead harvested from more than one supplier in China.

The MBP C1002V Cruiser shown at EICMA. (MBP/)Two of the most notable models in the range are the C1002V cruiser and M502N roadster. The C1002V uses a 997cc DOHC water-cooled V-twin, making 94 hp (an important number for European bikes, as anything up to 94 hp is allowed to be restricted to 47 hp to comply with A2 license rules for inexperienced riders) and 75 lb.-ft. of torque. With J.Juan radial-mount brakes, KYB upside-down fork, and muscular looks that aren’t obviously cribbing rival machines, it looks like a decent package if the price turns out to be right.

The M502N, meanwhile, uses a 486cc parallel twin, again water-cooled, for 51 hp and 33 lb.-ft. of torque, mounted in a chassis that combines steel tubes and aluminum castings to keep its weight under 200 kilograms (441 pounds), and again uses KYB suspension and J.Juan brakes. The MBP name might be new, but both machines have been seen before under the brand of Chinese manufacturer Gaokin—the C1002V is the Gaokin V1000 Thor, the M502N is the Gaokin Flame 500. Gaokin itself is already present on global markets, not under its own name but as the maker of the Brixton range of bikes, including the Crossfire 500 (which uses the same twin as the M502N) and the Cromwell 1200 parallel-twin retro model.

The MBP M502N roadster as shown at EICMA. (MBP/)However, not all of MBP’s machines are from Gaokin. The firm’s second-tier cruiser model, called the C650V and featuring a 68 hp, 647cc V-twin, is a rebranded version of the existing V-Bob 650 made by Chinese firm Longjia. Meanwhile, the most impressive MBP model at EICMA was the T1002V adventure bike, featuring the same 94 hp V-twin from the C1002V but fitted in a good-looking, if slightly by-the-numbers, ADV package. Again, there’s KYB suspension and J.Juan brakes, and unlike the firm’s other models it doesn’t appear that the T1002V has been released under a different brand name in China at this stage.

Another look at the T1002V adventure bike. (MBP/)So where does Morbidelli fit into the story? Well, the MBP name and logos are all trademarked to a Hong Kong–based company, Powerlink Technology, which has simultaneously applied for rights to the names and logos for “Morbidelli MBP” and “Morbidelli MBP Pesaro.” Indeed, while MBP officially stands for Moto Bologna Passione, it has echoes of “MBA”—Morbidelli Benelli Armi, maker of racebikes in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s—and there have long been complex ties between the Benelli and Morbidelli brands. With Keeway now overseeing MBP and tied to Benelli via the companies’ common links with Qianjiang, there’s still a connection today (the Benelli Museum in Pesaro, Italy, also houses the contents of the former Morbidelli collection).

Morbidelli itself is a brand name that’s famous beyond the number of bikes it actually made. The firm’s footing is in racing, where it was particularly successful in the 1970s in GP championships from 50cc to 250cc, winning the 125cc title in 1978 and 1980 (one famous Morbidelli rider was Graziano Rossi, you might have heard of his son, Valentino). In the 1990s, Morbidelli again made headlines with ambitious but ultimately fruitless plans to make a radical 850cc V-8 touring bike.

December 8th, 2022, 05:01 PM	#1
Ninjette Newsbot All the news that's fit to excerpt Name: newsie Location: who knows? Join Date: Jun 2008 Motorcycle(s): only digital replicas Posts: Too much.	[cycleworld.com] - Morbidelli Comeback Famous Italian motorcycle marque Morbidelli could be on the return as Chinese rights holder files patents for brand-name usage for Morbidelli MBP. Click here to view on their site. The MBP T10002V Adventure bike that was show at EICMA. (MBP/)One of the more intriguing launches at the 2022 EICMA show in Milan was the debut of the “MBP” brand—which is heading to several European markets as an ostensibly Italian firm that presented a whole array of bikes from 125cc models to 1,000cc V-twins. The title apparently initializes Moto Bologna Passione but digging deeper reveals that the bikes are Chinese in origin and the company behind MBP is planning on using the more famous Morbidelli brand name. Although MBP is related to Keeway, sharing many of the same distributors and dealers in Europe, and says that its bikes are designed in Italy with the assistance of the Keeway R&D center in Barcelona, several of the machines are familiar to anyone who’s spent time poring over the output of China’s motorcycle industry in recent years. While Keeway is usually described as part of the Qianjiang empire, which also encompasses Benelli and QJMotor, the MBP bikes aren’t borrowed from Qianjiang’s stable, and are instead harvested from more than one supplier in China. The MBP C1002V Cruiser shown at EICMA. (MBP/)Two of the most notable models in the range are the C1002V cruiser and M502N roadster. The C1002V uses a 997cc DOHC water-cooled V-twin, making 94 hp (an important number for European bikes, as anything up to 94 hp is allowed to be restricted to 47 hp to comply with A2 license rules for inexperienced riders) and 75 lb.-ft. of torque. With J.Juan radial-mount brakes, KYB upside-down fork, and muscular looks that aren’t obviously cribbing rival machines, it looks like a decent package if the price turns out to be right. The M502N, meanwhile, uses a 486cc parallel twin, again water-cooled, for 51 hp and 33 lb.-ft. of torque, mounted in a chassis that combines steel tubes and aluminum castings to keep its weight under 200 kilograms (441 pounds), and again uses KYB suspension and J.Juan brakes. The MBP name might be new, but both machines have been seen before under the brand of Chinese manufacturer Gaokin—the C1002V is the Gaokin V1000 Thor, the M502N is the Gaokin Flame 500. Gaokin itself is already present on global markets, not under its own name but as the maker of the Brixton range of bikes, including the Crossfire 500 (which uses the same twin as the M502N) and the Cromwell 1200 parallel-twin retro model. The MBP M502N roadster as shown at EICMA. (MBP/)However, not all of MBP’s machines are from Gaokin. The firm’s second-tier cruiser model, called the C650V and featuring a 68 hp, 647cc V-twin, is a rebranded version of the existing V-Bob 650 made by Chinese firm Longjia. Meanwhile, the most impressive MBP model at EICMA was the T1002V adventure bike, featuring the same 94 hp V-twin from the C1002V but fitted in a good-looking, if slightly by-the-numbers, ADV package. Again, there’s KYB suspension and J.Juan brakes, and unlike the firm’s other models it doesn’t appear that the T1002V has been released under a different brand name in China at this stage. Another look at the T1002V adventure bike. (MBP/)So where does Morbidelli fit into the story? Well, the MBP name and logos are all trademarked to a Hong Kong–based company, Powerlink Technology, which has simultaneously applied for rights to the names and logos for “Morbidelli MBP” and “Morbidelli MBP Pesaro.” Indeed, while MBP officially stands for Moto Bologna Passione, it has echoes of “MBA”—Morbidelli Benelli Armi, maker of racebikes in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s—and there have long been complex ties between the Benelli and Morbidelli brands. With Keeway now overseeing MBP and tied to Benelli via the companies’ common links with Qianjiang, there’s still a connection today (the Benelli Museum in Pesaro, Italy, also houses the contents of the former Morbidelli collection). Morbidelli itself is a brand name that’s famous beyond the number of bikes it actually made. The firm’s footing is in racing, where it was particularly successful in the 1970s in GP championships from 50cc to 250cc, winning the 125cc title in 1978 and 1980 (one famous Morbidelli rider was Graziano Rossi, you might have heard of his son, Valentino). In the 1990s, Morbidelli again made headlines with ambitious but ultimately fruitless plans to make a radical 850cc V-8 touring bike. __________________________________________________ I'm a bot. I don't need no stinkin' signature...